All Eyes on the Supreme Court
Over 500 abortion restrictions have been introduced this year in state legislatures, and more than 60 of those have already been passed and signed. In May, the Supreme Court announced it will review Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban, a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade and nearly 50 years of precedent since that landmark decision. While the Mississippi law is currently blocked, this is the first direct challenge to Roe the Court will hear since Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation with a ruling expected in 2022.
PPADMV has been hard at work ensuring that abortion remains protected in our region. For example, with reproductive health under constant attack, last year PPADMV worked with partners to help pass the Strengthening Reproductive Health Protections Amendment Act, which now forbids governmental interference with access to abortion in DC. And in Virginia this year and Maryland next year, PPADMV will be hard at work to ensure continued pro-reproductive health candidates are elected to our state legislatures and statewide offices.
Action on DC Statehood
The fight for DC statehood and reproductive rights are bound together. Because DC is not a state, its budget is controlled by Congress and each year anti-reproductive health politicians ban DC from using its own locally raised dollars for abortion coverage through DC Medicaid. Earlier in the year, following strong advocacy by Planned Parenthood and partners, President Biden introduced a draft budget without the ban, and the House of Representatives is poised now to vote for the first time in decades to advance a spending bill that does not include the ban. All eyes are now on the Senate to respect DC autonomy and leave the DC Medicaid ban out of the budget.
In June, PPADMV joined advocates across the region to rally at the Capitol in support of making the District the nation’s 51st state. And, on July 17th, PPADMV took part in a “Good Trouble” Candlelight Vigil for Democracy on the one year anniversary of the passing of Rep. John Lewis to demand that Congress pass the For the People Act, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, and DC statehood.
If you are interested in getting involved in the fight, including by writing an Op-Ed, let us know. We'll also have future phone banking and text banking opportunities for statehood.
See You This Fall in Maryland
Of course, PPADMV is closely monitoring all in-person activity in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, and we remain hopeful that we will be returning to in-person events for Hampdenfest in Baltimore in September and Annapolis Pride in October. We’re looking forward to safely connecting with the community - more to come!
Join Us in Virginia
The stakes for this November’s elections in Virginia could not be higher. PPADMV helped elect pro-reproductive health majorities in 2019 and thanks to those victories, great progress has been made to remove politically motivated and medically unnecessary restrictions on abortion. Anti-reproductive health candidates are working tooth and nail to get into office so that they can once again turn back the clock in Virginia by reimposing restrictions on reproductive healthcare. In fact, candidate Glenn Youngkin, the Republican nominee for Governor, was recorded saying “he would go ‘on offense’ (against abortion rights) if he wins office.
PPADMV recently joined Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia (PPAV) in endorsing pro-reproductive candidates running in statewide and Northern Virginia House of Delegates races. Our endorsements include 29 Northern Virginia candidates for the House of Delegates, as well Terry McAuliffe for Governor of Virginia, Delegate Hala Ayala for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, and Mark Herring for Attorney General of Virginia. A full list of the endorsed House of Delegates can be found here [[link removed]] .
Want to get more involved in the fight to protect reproductive rights? Head to PPADMV.org for opportunities to take action:
* Help PPADMV get out the vote in Virginia. Our next volunteer opportunity is on Saturday July 31. We'll be canvassing for Briana Sewell in Woodbridge. Briana is running for election as the Delegate for House District 51 in Prince William County. The shift starts at 10:00 a.m. Please join us.
* End the Global Gag Rule! The global gag rule attacks access to health care internationally. The Biden administration has already rescinded the rule for now, but a future President could reinstate it with a pen stroke. Tell Congress to pass the Global Health, Empowerment, and Rights (HER) Act to end the global gag rule for good.
* Sign the petition to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court is taking up a major case on Mississippi's 15-week abortion ban —a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade that puts 25 million women at risk of losing abortion access. Add your name to the petition showing that you stand with the majority of people who support reproductive freedom.
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