Dear MoveOn member,
BREAKING: The Supreme Court just allowed Texas to ban nearly all abortion in the state, effectively overturning Roe v. Wade.1
This is the culmination of a decades-long, massively funded campaign by the far right to pack the courts with anti-abortion ideologues. It is a direct result of Mitch McConnell breaking Senate rules to ram through the Supreme Court confirmations of Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.
To have any hope of ending the right-wing control of the Supreme Court, restoring the constitutional right to abortion, and building a world where abortion is not just legal but accessible, we cannot allow Mitch McConnell to take back control of the Senate. McConnell has already said that he will not allow a vote on any Biden Supreme Court nominee if he regains the majority.2 With the Senate currently tied 50-50, the margins couldn't possibly be closer.
The Texas abortion ban prohibits abortion as early as six weeks, before most people even know they are pregnant, with no exceptions for sexual assault or incest. This means that patients will now need to travel out of state to receive abortion care, just like in the days before Roe v. Wade.3
And those who are desperate to end their pregnancies, but who are unable to travel up to hundreds of miles or are experiencing domestic violence, will be forced to consider even more dangerous options. Worse yet, if the courts take no further action, it's only a matter of time before abortion is banned in the more than 20 states controlled by anti-abortion politicians.
States across the country have passed countless abortion bans over the years, but this is the first time since Roe that an extreme law like this—that bans abortion before many people even know that they are pregnant—has been allowed to actually go into effect. Abortion law experts say the law will "immediately and catastrophically reduce abortion access" in Texas and that abortion providers across the state will be forced to close.4
To make matters worse, the Texas abortion ban allows anyone, anywhere to enforce the law by filing a lawsuit against someone who helps someone else seek abortion care. They don't have to have any proof. If they lose, they don't have to cover legal fees. Doctors, nurses, and receptionists would all face legal liability if they continue providing abortion care. Even an Uber driver who takes a patient to an appointment would be liable for a $10,000 bounty.5
Those who will be most impacted are low-income people, disproportionately people of color, who can't afford to travel, take time off work, or pay the enormous costs of an out-of-state abortion.6
The Mitch McConnell and Donald Trump-packed Supreme Court has just given the green light to states seeking to ban abortion. Nearly half the country, from Texas to North Carolina to Indiana, is on the verge of effectively outlawing abortion as right-wing governors and state legislators pass copycat bills based on the Texas law.7
We need Congress to act now to pass legislation guaranteeing the right to abortion in all 50 states. That won't happen until Democrats end the filibuster. And we must reverse decades of far-right court packing by replacing anti-reproductive health ideologues with judges who will uphold the constitutional right to abortion.
And first and foremost, before any of that can happen, we must elect a U.S. Senate that supports our health and rights, expand the Democrats' majority, and stop Mitch McConnell from EVER becoming majority leader again.
We've launched one of our biggest campaigns ever to stop Mitch McConnell from taking back the Senate in 2022, and the stakes in this election just got higher. Will you donate $3 to help stop Mitch McConnell and restore abortion rights?
Thanks for all you do.
–Isbah, Liia, Amanda, Mana, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "Texas's near-total abortion ban takes effect after Supreme Court inaction," Reuters, September 1, 2021
https://act.moveon.org/go/156510?t=5&akid=305342%2E40999114%2ElNg0If
2. "McConnell signals GOP would block Biden Supreme Court pick in '24," The Hill, June 14, 2021
https://act.moveon.org/go/153952?t=7&akid=305342%2E40999114%2ElNg0If
3. "What The Texas Abortion Ban Does — And What It Means For Other States," NPR, September 1, 2021
https://act.moveon.org/go/156511?t=9&akid=305342%2E40999114%2ElNg0If
4. "With ban in effect, Texas abortion clinics will no longer terminate pregnancies after 6 weeks," The Washington Post, September 1, 2021
https://act.moveon.org/go/156512?t=11&akid=305342%2E40999114%2ElNg0If
5. "What The Texas Abortion Ban Does — And What It Means For Other States," NPR, September 1, 2021
https://act.moveon.org/go/156511?t=13&akid=305342%2E40999114%2ElNg0If
6. "NEED AN ABORTION IN TEXAS? DON'T BE POOR." Texas Observer, May 8, 2013
https://act.moveon.org/go/156513?t=15&akid=305342%2E40999114%2ElNg0If
7. "Where Abortion Access Would Decline if Roe v. Wade Were Overturned," The New York Times, May 18, 2021
https://act.moveon.org/go/156514?t=17&akid=305342%2E40999114%2ElNg0If
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