Dear John,

You know the old saying: another day, another opportunity to get ten political leaders to say the word “abortion” on live television without fear or hesitancy.

Tonight is the next Democratic primary debate, this time held in Atlanta, and moderated for the first time by a panel of all women.

John, this should be a no-brainer. There’s no more opportune time to ask about abortion than tonight’s debate. Atlanta — an important access point for abortion care in Georgia and the whole southeast — has just created the city's first Reproductive Justice Commission. If local lawmakers can take that step forward when their state has been trying to ban abortion, then those running for the most powerful office in the country should be able to make clear their support for and commitment to abortion access. This is our moment: tell the MSNBC and Washington Post moderators to #AskAboutAbortion in tonight’s debate.

Last month, Oriaku Njoku — the co-founder and co-director at ARC-Southeast, Georgia’s only abortion fund — had sharp words for those who chose complacency in the face of the racist, unconstituional abortion ban passed in Georgia earlier this year. As Oriaku wrote, “I cannot afford to put my full self on hold and wait around for four years for folks to think that my life, my body, and my decisions matter.”

John, none of us can wait that long. We think the moderators at tonight’s debate should take Oriaku’s words as a call to action, and press each candidate to account for exactly how, as president, they would protect and advance access to abortion care. Join us in sharing Oriaku’s op-ed and urging the moderators to #AskAboutAbortion.

In solidarity,