With so much going on in the news, I know it can all feel so overwhelming.
I wanted to take a moment to share some reflections on how we can be showing our support right now and prepare for the fights ahead.
First, I want to be clear that the bill passed by the Texas state legislature banning abortions after six weeks, SB 8, is an attack on everyone’s reproductive rights.
This is not just about women’s rights, it’s universal to all genders. Reproductive justice is connected to LGBTQ rights, racial justice, and economic justice — this law impacts everyone. If you drive someone to an abortion clinic, the state of Texas can sue you for $10,000.
This law was never about limiting the number of abortions. We know that making abortions illegal doesn’t stop abortions, it just makes them more dangerous and limits reproductive care to the wealthy and privileged. Abortion will remain functionally legal for some, while the most vulnerable will seek back alley abortions or use their savings to travel out of state.
Similar to the criminalization of drugs, the white and privileged can walk around with drugs in their pocket and never get stopped and frisked. Meanwhile, it’s a different story for low-income, Black, and Brown people.
If Republicans really wanted to drive down the numbers of people who need to seek abortions, they would support free and guaranteed health care for all and make it extremely easy to access birth control and reproductive care.
But the reason this is happening in Texas is very calculated. Texas is a huge state and it has been turning more and more blue. As elections are getting more competitive, this kind of attack is intentional.
Instead of changing their views as the state changes, Republicans are so beholden to an underlying logic of white supremacy, patriarchy, corruption, greed, corporate power, and lobbying that they have nowhere to go but to restrict voting rights, further gerrymander their districts, and control people’s bodies.
Our community of supporters has raised more than $185,000 so far to support Texas abortion funds. Here’s that link, if you’re able to pitch in and help patients access safe abortion care: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/texas-abortion-funds-em
But we need to keep it real, y’all: We have the ability to stop all of this right now.
We have a Democratic majority in the House and Senate and a Democrat in the White House.
This isn’t just about blaming Republicans, Democrats need to step it up and fight harder. I will be the first to tell you that our party isn’t fighting hard enough.
Democrats can either abolish the filibuster, get dark money out of politics, and expand voting rights by passing HR 1, the For the People Act, or do nothing as millions of peoples’ bodies, rights, and lives are sacrificed for far-right minority rule.
Our democracy will be flushed down the drain if people are further disenfranchised and as dark money continues to corrupt our politics and behold our lawmakers. We cannot allow this to happen anymore. Too much is at stake.
This shouldn’t be a difficult decision.
With resolve,
AOC
 |
 |
 |
Email us: [email protected]
This email was sent to [email protected]. Email is the most important way we keep in touch with people like you, so thank you for reading to the end. Small donors like you keep us going. To contribute via check, please address to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for Congress, PO Box 680080, Corona, NY 11368.
Paid for by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for Congress
