Dear Friend,
Anti-abortion conservatives would love for all of us to believe that the general public agrees with them - They are 100% wrong.
New polling shows the vast majority of people in America are pro-choice! 69% of Americans believe that abortion should be legal within the first trimester and 85% of Americans believe that access to abortion is imperative in dire circumstances.[1]
We know that our friends who are mothers, parents in our communities, and all birthing people’s health are at risk without proper access to abortion and reproductive care in our country. This impacts families and moms more than most people realize since 6 in 10 people who have abortions are already mothers.
If you believe that abortion care should be available to those that need it, when they need it, trust me, you are not alone. In fact, as noted above, 69% of Americans believe that abortion should be legal within the first trimester and 85% of Americans believe that access to abortion is imperative in dire circumstances.[2] This means that the majority of voters, including those who lean conservative, believe that abortion should be available to all who need it.
This is important and urgent: When Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed into law dangerous legislation that banned abortion at 6-weeks of pregnancy (a stage when most women do not even know they’re pregnant), we were distraught. Only a year later, the unthinkable became reality when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, and in the blink of an eye, multiple states moved forward in their attempts to completely eradicate access to abortion care – unfortunately, many were successful. It was a decision that ultimately left the door open to attacks on reproductive, maternal, queer, and trans rights, all sanctioned by the same state government officials who have sworn to protect us.
The situation could get even worse, which means reaching out to Congress is more important than ever. For instance, we are currently anticipating the U.S. Supreme Court's ultimate ruling on a case that seeks to restrict access to mifepristone, a medically approved and secure abortion medication that has been utilized by over five million individuals since receiving FDA approval. Should the U.S. Supreme Court align with anti-abortion advocates, the repercussions of their decision would extend well beyond mifepristone. It could potentially weaken the progress of pharmaceutical innovation and put in peril the advancement and authorization of life-saving drugs, endangering patients' access to other essential medications that are currently relied upon.
This is a bigger deal than many people realize. As of right now, medication abortion (also used for miscarriage management) is one of the only available ways to access abortion, especially in states where abortion services are restricted. Millions of people will suffer from physical, emotional, and social repercussions if access to mifepristone is limited. Consequences range from: delayed care leading to higher abortion procedure risks; emotional distress and psychological distress for individuals seeking care and; people’s inability to safely manage their miscarriages.
For this reason, and for many more reasons than we can count, Congress needs to hear from you now.
These kinds of court decisions imperil not just our right to abortion care; but also our access to birth control, marriage equality, and exacerbates systemic racism, misogyny, and economic insecurity. By denying essential healthcare service, legislators are undermining both the majority’s support for abortion rights infringing upon substantive due process, our constitutional right to bodily autonomy, and freedom to determine our life choices.
What is clear is that reproductive justice cannot wait. When we say “Reproductive Justice” we mean: Secure, affordable and accessible reproductive health care for all birthing people, including, young women and mothers, Black and Indigenous women, trans, queer and non-binary people, people who are undocumented, immigrants, and other communities of color that are marginalized and whose reproductive health care needs are too often ignored. This is a fight of generations and there is power in numbers - we will win this.
Keep the pressure on Congress by signing our letter and joining the movement! https://action.momsrising.org/sign/2023abortionpolls/
Sincerely,
Diarra, and the whole MomsRising.org & MamásConPoder Team
References:
[1] “How Americans Really Feel About Abortion: The Sometimes Surprising Poll Results One Year After Roe Overturned”
[2] “Where Do Americans Stand on Abortion?”
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