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Hi,
In 1973 the Supreme Court ruled in the Roe v. Wade case that women have the right to have an abortion in the first trimester of a pregnancy. But Texas just passed a law restricting an abortion to the first six weeks of a pregnancy, a time when many women haven't yet discovered a pregnancy. In Texas, 90% of abortions happen after the six week mark.1
That's bad enough. The Texas law also turns right-wing abortion opponents into vigilantes, allowing them to sue anyone providing an abortion or even helping someone obtain an abortion.2
The Supreme Court refused to act on requests to block the law, which effectively overturns Roe v. Wade in Texas -- the state where Roe v. Wade was originally filed 50 years ago -- and will encourage Republicans across America to do the same thing in states they control.
Democratic politicians have spent years warning voters that this could happen. But so far, those politicians haven't taken all the steps needed to protect Roe v. Wade. The most important thing they can do right now is to fix the Supreme Court by adding more seats.
The attack on abortion rights is horrific. And the Supreme Court will not stop there. Since John Roberts became Chief Justice in 2005, the Supreme Court has overseen a massive expansion of corporate power. They've also struck down key portions of the Voting Rights Act, and gutted campaign finance laws.
If we don't expand the Supreme Court now, abortion rights will fall in states across America. And Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett will be emboldened to try and strike down the entire progressive agenda we're working to accomplish.
The size of the Supreme Court is not written into the Constitution. That power is given to Congress. Over the years, Congress has added and removed seats from the Supreme Court. They've also expanded the size of other federal courts.3
There are six justices on the Supreme Court who aren't just conservative, they are right-wing extremists determined to cement Trump's far-right agenda, including rolling back women's rights. Ever since Ruth Bader Ginsburg died, these extremists have been waiting for their chance to strike. Now they have.
We also have to be honest: time is running out. In order to expand the Supreme Court and get new justices on the federal bench before Congress is consumed with upcoming elections, they must act in the next few months. If they wait until 2022 or after, it will be too late.
Add your name: Tell Congress to expand the Supreme Court!
Thank you for speaking out,
The Team at Demand Progress
Sources:
1. The Daily Beast, "Texas Just Outlawed Abortion as We Knew It," September 1, 2021.
2. Vice News, "What You Need to Know About Texas’ Near-Total Ban on Abortion," September 1, 2021.
3. New York Times, "Court Packing Can Be An Instrument of Justice," October 9, 2020.
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