[ [link removed] ]SIGN: Repeal the Comstock Act and STOP Republicans from pushing a
backdoor national abortion ban!
Dear MoveOn member,
Today marks two years since the corrupt justices on the Supreme Court
overturned Roe v. Wade—sparking outrage across the country. And in those
two years, abortion has been completely banned in 14 Republican-controlled
states and restricted in seven more. And now Republicans want to revive a
150-year-old dormant law, the Comstock Act of 1873, in order to force a
nationwide abortion ban—even in states where abortion is still legal.^1 We
have to stop them.
[ [link removed] ]Will you add your name to the petition to demand members of Congress do
everything in their power to overturn the Comstock Act before Republicans
can use it to ban abortion?
Champions in Congress, including Senators Tina Smith and Catherine Cortez
Masto, have introduced the Stop Comstock Act to repeal the outdated law
that Republicans could misuse to further push abortion access out of reach
completely.
Weaponizing the Comstock Act to ban abortion isn't just an abstract
threat—it's explicitly laid out in Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation's
insidious plan for a second Donald Trump presidency—co-signed by more than
100 other conservative and far-right organizations.^2 Project 2025 is a
scary blueprint for dismantling our rights and our democracy, and banning
abortion through the Comstock Act is an explicit part of it.
[ [link removed] ]Add your name to the petition to urge Congress to pass the Stop
Comstock Act and repeal this "zombie bill" that Republicans are trying to
resurrect.
Enforcing the Comstock Act would prohibit the mailing of abortion
medication, along with any materials, instruments, or devices that
even could be related to abortion care. Add your name to STOP this
backdoor abortion ban!
[4]Sign the petition
Since the Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, the number of people
forced to travel across state lines in order to access abortion care—for
those who can afford to do so—has nearly doubled.^3 And for those who
can’t, thousands have been forced against their will to carry pregnancies
to term, including traumatic pregnancies that were unviable and ones that
were the result of rape.^4,5 It is devastating and cruel to take away a
person's ability to make decisions about their body, family, and future.
And Republicans are committed to doing whatever they can to force their
extreme, unpopular abortion ban on people across the country.
Don't take our word for it. Jonathan Mitchell, one of the architects
behind Project 2025, said it himself: "We don’t need a federal ban when we
have Comstock on the books."^6
Republicans have been working for decades to chip away access to abortion,
including passing Targeted Restrictions on Abortion Providers (TRAP) laws
and burdensome consent laws even before Roe v. Wade was overturned.^7 And
when the Dobbs decision came down, they had trigger bans ready to go.^8 So
it's not a question of if they will try to resurrect and misuse the
Comstock Act in order to trigger a national abortion ban—it's a question
of when.
[ [link removed] ]Sign the petition to stop Project 2025's insidious plan to revive the
Comstock Act and trigger a national abortion ban!
Republican attacks against abortion, before and after the overturning
of Roe, have upended and devastated millions of people's lives. Due to
systemic oppression, abortion restrictions and bans have harmed Black and
Latina women, low-income communities, and young people the worst.^9 And
these Republican bans have lasting consequences, exacerbating existing
economic, health, and social inequalities long-term.^10 It's hard to
imagine the state of abortion worse than today—but it will be if
Republicans enforce the Comstock Act.
We can't sit back and wait to see how much more damage Republicans can
cause abusing the Comstock Act. We need to stop this dangerous law NOW so
our elected officials can focus on restoring and expanding access to
reproductive health care—not dealing with what would be a catastrophic
aftermath of a nationwide abortion ban.
[ [link removed] ]We must take action NOW and demand that Congress pass the repeal of
this dangerous law before it further restricts access to abortion care for
people across the country.
Thanks for all you do.
–Alexis, Aliya, Amanda, Amy, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "Democrats Are Trying to Repeal a Zombie Law That Could Ban Abortion
Nationwide," Mother Jones, June 21, 2024
[ [link removed] ][link removed]
2. "Project 2025’s back-door abortion ban can be stopped. Here's how,"
MSNBC, June 21, 2024
[ [link removed] ][link removed]
3. "171,000 Traveled for Abortions Last Year. See Where They Went," The
New York Times, June 13, 2024
[ [link removed] ][link removed]
4. "Women Are Being Forced to Deliver Nonviable Fetuses Because of
Abortion Bans," Vice, July 19, 2022
[ [link removed] ][link removed]
5. "Raped, pregnant and in an abortion ban state? Researchers gauge how
often it happens," NPR, January 24, 2024
[ [link removed] ][link removed]
6. "Project 2025's back-door abortion ban can be stopped. Here's how,"
MSNBC, June 21, 2024
[ [link removed] ][link removed]
7. "After Roe Fell: Abortion Laws by State," Center for Reproductive
Rights, accessed June 24, 2024
[ [link removed] ][link removed]
8. Ibid.
9. "Who overturning Roe hurts most, explained in 7 charts," Vox, July 1,
2022
[ [link removed] ][link removed]
10. "The Economic Effects of Abortion Access: A Review of the Evidence,"
Institute for Women's Policy Research, July 2019
[link removed]
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