As you have no doubt seen, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled this week that a 160-year-old abortion ban—a ban issued before Arizona was admitted as a state—can be reinstated following the United States Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision overturning 50 years of Roe v. Wade.  If the ban goes into effect, Arizonans can expect what we have already seen in Texas—clinics will close and Arizonans in need, like Texans, will have to travel to other states for reproductive health care of all kinds.

The Arizona ruling came the day after Donald Trump claimed that his position on abortion rights this election year is that abortion should be left to the states to decide.  We’ve heard that before.  That was the position for years.  But make no mistake: Washington Republicans and extremists across the country are pushing for a nationwide abortion ban enshrined in federal law.  The Arizona ruling is what it can look like when reproductive freedom is left up to the states, or to Washington Republicans.

Chances are, you aren’t fooled.  But it is up to all of us to make sure that people around us understand that Trump’s position on abortion is a political one this election year.  In many rooms, he brags about being “the person responsible” for overturning Roe.  Just last month, he floated the idea of a national abortion ban.  But Trump knows the majority of Americans support abortion rights, and he is more concerned about winning elections than he is ensuring that states can protect or restrict access to reproductive care.  

Needless to say, Trump can’t be trusted with these types of high-stakes decisions.  Nor can congressional Republicans.  Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe, we’ve seen countless efforts to restrict reproductive care—from abortion bans and ordinances prohibiting travel for reproductive care to lawsuits challenging access to the abortion pill and court rulings targeting access to IVF treatment.  Time and again, congressional Republicans say there are no real dangers to these forms of reproductive care but then they block bills that would protect the right to travel, birth control, and IVF.  We’ve of course seen very real threats to all of those rights—in Texas and across the country.

Trump and Republicans in Congress won’t stand up for our freedom.  We must.  We do that by speaking out and supporting candidates who will—this year and the years to come.  This must be a long-term commitment.

Defending reproductive freedom requires all of us getting involved, and as a dedicated member of our team, I know I can count on you to be a part of our fight.  I hope you will add your name here and show you’re committed to our fight for reproductive freedom and equality.

Together, we can do anything,