Good afternoon,
While families across the country celebrated Mother's Day, Republicans in red states have been passing legislation to restrict women's ability to determine what their families look like. During <a href="[link removed]">National Women's Health Week</a> and every week, we are fiercely advocating for women's right to make their own healthcare decisions and <a href="[link removed]">access to affordable and reliable medical services</a>.
THE DIVIDED STATES OF ABORTION
This past weekend, North Carolina's General Assembly passed Senate Bill 20, misleadingly named the "Care for Women Children and Families Act," that would limit the window for women to have an abortion to only 12 weeks.
A majority of North Carolina voters are <a href="[link removed]">opposed to limiting abortion access</a>, including 36 percent of rural voters who "strongly oppose" the bill.
"I believe women, their families, and their doctors should make their own healthcare decisions and not politicians in Raleigh," <a href="[link removed]">said OCP board member and North Carolina Representative Ashton Clemmons (D-Greensboro)</a>. "This bill will make my daughter and every other woman in our state more likely to suffer physical and emotional distress as they face the many unpredictable challenges that occur in women's reproductive health care."
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper <a href="[link removed]">vetoed the bill</a>, but his veto could be overridden by the state legislature.
In the post-<i>Roe v. Wade</i> landscape, the United States is a patchwork of differing abortion laws. <a href="[link removed]">See what the state of abortion access is where you live.</a>
ABORTION RESTRICTIONS CRIMINALIZE DOCTORS, REDUCE ACCESS TO CARE
Restrictive abortion laws are not just taking away women's right to health – they're also criminalizing doctors for performing their duties. Doctors simply doing their job – acting to save women's lives – may face <a href="[link removed]">legal suits, the suspension of their medical licenses, felony charges, and even prison time</a>.
<a href="[link removed]">Five of Idaho's nine remaining full-time maternal-fetal medicine physicians</a> will <a href="[link removed]">leave the state</a> by the end of the year. With staffing shortages and a hostile political climate, <a href="[link removed]">rural hospitals</a> can no longer provide labor and delivery services – expanding <a href="[link removed]">maternity care deserts</a>.
Expecting mothers who experience pregnancy complications, from ectopic pregnancies to preeclampsia, are <a href="[link removed]">forced to travel to receive care</a> – or they may die. Any deaths resulting from these terrible policies are not only devastating, they're an outrage – yet they will not even register, as Idaho's state legislature is sunsetting the Maternal Mortality Review Committee this summer and will no longer collect maternal mortality data.
WISCONSIN'S HIGH-STAKES FIGHT FOR RIGHTS
There's a silver lining to this terrifying trend: voters are mobilizing in <a href="[link removed]">record numbers</a> to preserve access to abortion and ensure women can determine the future of their own bodies and families.
In the latest episode of the Hot Dish Podcast, OCP board member and Wisconsin Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski and University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire's Student Body President Yoshi Gaitan joined hosts OCP founder Heidi Heitkamp and Joel Heitkamp to discuss the shifting politics surrounding abortion and youth turnout in Wisconsin's Supreme Court election. <a href="[link removed]">Listen here</a>.
RURAL PROGRESS SUMMIT 2023
Registration is now open for OCP's second <a href="[link removed]">Rural Progress Summit</a>! The Summit will take place Wednesday, June 7 through Friday, June 9 and will feature discussions addressing the most pressing issues facing rural America and innovative solutions from both policymakers and thought leaders.
<a href="[link removed]">[REGISTER HERE]</a>
ON THE HORIZON
The U.S. could default on its debt as soon as <a href="[link removed]">June 1</a> – a mere 16 days away.
No Labels is looking to introduce a <a href="[link removed]">third party spoiler candidate</a> in the 2024 presidential election. Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, concerned that No Label is misleading voters who think they are signing a petition but instead are enrolling in a new party, sent them a <a href="[link removed]">cease-and-desist</a> letter.
ARE YOU HEARING THAT?
Tomorrow...
The House Oversight Committee's Subcommittee on Government Operations and the Federal Workforce will hold a hearing focusing on <a href="[link removed]">"Tracking the Postal Service: An Update on the Delivering for America Plan."</a>
The Senate Finance Committee's Subcommittee on Health Care will hold a hearing to examine <a href="[link removed]">improving health care access in rural communities</a>.<br /><br />
<li aria-level="2">The Senate Agriculture Committee's Subcommittee on Rural Development and Energy will hold a hearing examining <a href="[link removed]">rural broadband</a>.<br />
ICYMI
Vox: <a href="[link removed]">Democrats have a huge opportunity to win back rural voters</a>
NBC News: <a href="[link removed]">Congress leaves town with no debt ceiling deal, but some see signs of progress</a>
National Education Association News: <a href="[link removed]">‘Lose Your School, You Lose Your Town': Educators in Rural States Mobilize Against School Vouchers</a>
Kansas Reflector: <a href="[link removed]">Provision of Kansas K-12 funding bill slices state aid to about 100 public school districts</a>
ABC Tampa Bay: <a href="[link removed]">‘We have to travel far in order to see a good doctor': 2 local counties considered primary care deserts</a>
KSHB: <a href="[link removed]">‘I'm not quite sure we're ready': Urban, rural health professionals wave caution flag as COVID officially ends</a>
Agri-Pulse: <a href="[link removed]">CBO raises estimated cost of farm bill programs</a>
Paid for by One Country Project
This email was sent by One Country Project [[link removed]]
One Country Inc
600 Pennsylvania Ave SE
#15180
Washington, DC 20003
United States
One Country Project is a 501(c)(4). Contributions to One Country Project are not tax-deductible. They support our efforts to promote greater opportunities for rural communities.
Email is an important way for One Country Project to keep supporters like you informed about critical issues and to build a winning grassroots campaign. Too much email? Switch to our less email option [[link removed]] or unsubscribe here [[link removed]] .
You can also update your name, email, or mailing address. [[link removed]] Questions or concerns? Contact us here [[link removed]] .
[link removed] [[link removed]]
