Friend,

I'm outraged, sickened, and saddened by the assault on Roe v. Wade that occurred this week. The Supreme Court -- stacked with judges that Mitch McConnell and Donald Trump rammed through against the will of the American people -- allowed a clearly unconstitutional Texas ban on most abortions to take effect.

The Texas law bans abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. Most women do not yet know of their pregnancies during this window, so this law is sweeping in its scope. It will make reproductive healthcare inaccessible and unattainable for millions of women. The effects will be felt the most among lower-income communities and women of color.

There's another horrifying aspect to this bill: it allows individual Texans to sue abortion providers themselves for suspected violations of the law -- and it rewards those who sue with $10,000. The state of Texas has incentivized private citizens to enforce a law, and is putting women and healthcare providers in grave danger.

Make no mistake: if the Supreme Court cared one bit about the precedent of Roe v. Wade, they would have stopped this law. But they didn’t, and they've sent a clear signal to other right-wing legislatures that it's open season to pass cruel restrictions to the right to choose.

We're at a truly frightening moment, but I will not stop fighting to protect reproductive freedom and women's rights. Here's what I'm going to do:

I'm going to double down on my efforts to keep Virginia's statewide offices and the House of Delegates’ majority out of Republican hands. It's absolutely critical that we defeat anti-choice legislators and candidates in two months and send a clear message that attacks on women's rights will be met with political consequences.

I'm also going to keep advocating for legislation that would federally protect abortion rights. I am well aware that such a bill would be filibustered by Senate Republicans, so I renew my calls -- along with those of millions of Americans -- for the filibuster to be abolished.

Finally, I'm going to encourage anyone in a position to give to support organizations in Texas that are going to be critical for women seeking reproductive healthcare in the days ahead. These groups were directly targeted by Texas's terrible law, and they need help to keep doing their essential work. If you can, please split a contribution between some of these Texas abortion funds.

We've come too far to let extremists turn the clock back decades for women. We will not be silenced.

Sincerely,

Jennifer