John,
Last Wednesday, a Republican state Representative in Florida introduced legislation that is nearly identical to the six week abortion ban that went into effect earlier this month in Texas.1
Similar to the Texas law, the Florida ban would only be enforceable by private citizens who can collect a $10,000 bounty after filing a lawsuit. And the law is gaining traction with officials across the state, several lawmakers and Governor Ron DeSantis have indicated that they'd be open to an abortion ban modeled after Texas.
Here's the thing John, laws restricting access to abortion and other forms of reproductive care will hit our communities the hardest. Black women continue to have the highest abortion rate, which is nearly 4 times higher than white women.2 This is often linked to a lack of access to contraceptive care and increased health risks for both mother and fetus that are associated with living in poverty. Restricting access to abortion denies Black people their right to have all of the necessary tools and resources they need to make educated medical decisions about their bodies.
John now more than ever, it's crucial we fight back to maintain our bodily autonomy, but we need your help to do it.
John, tell your da to stand up against abortion bans
Although district attorneys are limited in their power to prevent lawsuits under the Texas law, the SCOTUS decision to remain silent alludes to an eventual strike down of Roe v. Wade in the coming months. If Roe is overturned, it could lead to an uptick in cases where pregnant people are facing arrest or jail time for things like an abortion, stillbirth, miscarriage or other pregnancy outcomes.
DAs have the power to get ahead of potential criminalization and remove the fear that an a pregnancy outcome could result in a prison sentence. And by donating to our working calling on DAs to do the right thing and uphold pregnant people's basic rights to medical autonomy and bodily freedom, we can keep law enforcement out of health decisions. Will you join us?
DONATE: $5
DONATE: $15
DONATE: $25
DONATE: $50
OTHER AMOUNT
Until justice is real,
-- Erika, Rashad, Arisha, Scott, Malachi, Megan, Ernie, Palika, Madison, Trevor, Ariel, Erick, Ana, McKayla, Kristiana, and the Color Of Change team
References:
- "Florida legislator imports Texas abortion ban." Popular info. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/324720?t=12&akid=52151%2E4731121%2ElKbFTN
- "Perceiving and Addressing the Pervasive Racial Disparity in Abortion." https://act.colorofchange.org/go/307073?t=14&akid=52151%2E4731121%2ElKbFTN
