Dear John,
In the middle of the night last week, the Supreme Court's inaction delivered a devastating blow to reproductive freedom. The extreme ban in Texas prohibits abortion at 6 weeks -- long before many people know that they’re pregnant. This will have wide-reaching consequences for people seeking abortions in Texas and around the country, particularly for working people and communities of color.
While this is a devastating blow, the fight for reproductive rights is far from over. I’ve been pushing for guaranteed access to safe, legal abortions for years, and I’m not going to stop now.
Congress has the power to enshrine the protections of Roe v. Wade into law. My bill, the Women’s Health Protection Act, establishes a federal right for doctors to provide, and their patients to receive, abortion services without medically unnecessary restrictions. The Women's Health Protection Act will stop extremist laws like the one in Texas, but also the dozens of other laws in states across the country that threaten abortion access. From mandating waiting periods to requiring ultrasounds, anti-choice Republicans have been working at the state level for years to erode and overturn Roe v. Wade. Now that they have a Supreme Court willing to let them, we need my bill to put a stop to all of these efforts.
And, in the wake of last week’s news, Speaker Pelosi has committed to bringing it to the floor for a vote. She, along with many of our Democratic colleagues in Congress, is joining me in advocating for reproductive freedom for everyone, no matter their zip code. We recognize that abortion bans disproportionately impact communities that already face barriers to receiving health care and maintain systemic inequities -- that's why we're committed to fighting back.
I’m proud to champion comprehensive federal protections on abortion care, but I can’t win this fight alone. Ensuring that millions of Americans have the care they need will take all hands on deck. Can I count on you to do your part?
