John,

One year ago, the Supreme Court destroyed 5 decades of legal precedent with its decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, directly endangering millions of people in America and dismantling the constitutional right to privacy.

Even though we knew that ruling was coming, it still sent shockwaves through our communities. I won’t forget women in my office crying when the news broke, as we all tried to grapple with the terrifying reality of what a post-Roe America would look like.

While I am just as furious as I was one year ago, today I am also optimistic. Yes, in the immediate aftermath, the outlook of reproductive freedom appeared bleak – but, in the year since Dobbs, our communities have channeled anger into action: We’ve rallied, marched, and made our voices heard.

The truth is that most Americans don’t support a total ban on abortion. Restrictions on reproductive care fall hardest on those who already face barriers to care: disadvantaged and low income communities, women of color, young people and LGBTQ+ people, and those living in conservative states where abortion swiftly became unsafe, illegal, and inaccessible following SCOTUS’ ruling.

No matter what the Supreme Court of today says, we know a few things to be true:

• Abortion is health care.
• Politicians have no place in one’s personal health care decisions.
• We will never stop fighting for reproductive justice.

Here in California, our rights are still protected, but that is not the case across the country. California and other forward-thinking states will continue to protect and expand abortion access so no one is denied necessary care, including those traveling from states that ban abortions.

I will keep fighting in Washington to protect abortion providers, restore the right to reproductive freedom, and safeguard the many other rights won under Roe that are now on the conservative Supreme Court’s chopping block.

We cannot and will not succumb to despair. We have a long way to go, but we know what it takes to prevail.

Now that we are one year into a post-Roe America, let’s recommit to the fights still ahead. Click here to add your name to our petition demanding federal legislation protecting access to abortions.

Let’s continue to stand strong for women’s reproductive rights and do everything in our power to protect them.

Thank you,

Jared