Friend,
Once again, the U.S. Supreme Court has let Texas’ abortion ban stay in place as it awaits further legal challenges. The conservative majority of the court greenlighted, for now, the most extreme abortion ban in the country – jeopardizing the human rights and safety of women in the second most populous state in America.
We can protect the constitutional right to healthcare – right now, no matter what the courts do – by passing the Women’s Health Protection Act in the Senate. That’s why I must ask you to again urge the passage of this vital piece of legislation, but before you do, please allow me a moment to explain why your continued activism is so important.
As I’ve been saying all along, the abortion bans that have sprouted up in states like Texas, Mississippi, and Louisiana aren’t just about access to safe and legal abortion care. This extremist lawmaking, mainly from right-wing Republican men, represents successful attempts to violate the fundamental human and civil rights of women.
The Framers of our Constitution – fearful of a too-powerful central government after the tyranny of monarchy – used 10 amendments, the Bill of Rights, to limit the powers of federal government and guarantee freedoms to the states. The horrors of state-based, tyrannical laws, such as the enslavement of Black Americans, led to the 14th Amendment being ratified to override state laws to protect equality and civil liberties.
A century later, under the leadership of Republican-appointed chief justices, it was the 14th Amendment that paved the way for landmark civil rights decisions to end segregation, legalize interracial marriage, protect the right to contraception, and in the case of Roe v. Wade, give women control over their own reproductive health choices.
But thanks to Donald Trump’s appointment of three Supreme Court justices, the Court is abandoning this doctrine aligned with the 14th Amendment, signaling instead that they will once again allow states to pass laws that trample all over civil rights.
It is a disgrace that this is where we find our nation’s highest court, but if Trump justices are likely to dismantle reproductive freedoms, then it is up to Congress to act. Not after Roe v. Wade has been completely undermined, not weeks or months or years down the road. Congress must act NOW. So please, even if you’ve done so already, sign on to my new petition demanding the Senate pass the Women’s Health Protection Act and enshrine abortion rights into law.
For the rights of women in Texas and of everywhere in America, we must take action before it’s too late. Thank you for doing your part.
Dick
