Last night, like so many others, I got a message from a friend asking if the news was true with a link to a story in Politico about a draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey — and so much more. Today, the Supreme Court confirmed the draft opinion is real — although not yet the official opinion of the Court.
This is a day that we have heard might come for as long as I can remember. A lot of people didn’t believe it. And a lot of people still may not believe what it will mean, or know yet all that is at stake in overturning the rights to privacy and autonomy that Roe represents. What we have seen in the draft opinion, though, is as radical as it gets.
Whatever happens next in the Supreme Court, we know we cannot rely solely on the courts to protect the autonomy, dignity, and privacy of all Americans.
We have to elect people who will do so.
And we can. Last fall, the House passed the Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA), legislation to make Roe v. Wade the law of the land in all 50 states. The bill has yet to pass the Senate — but we can’t give up the fight to pass it in both chambers and get it to President Biden’s desk. And we can, and must, do more than that.
I was proud to cast my vote for WHPA, carrying on the work of the many Texas women who have fought so hard for Roe and all it represents. And I will continue to fight in every way I can for the rights to abortion access, reproductive health care, and reproductive justice.
But to see WHPA become law, and remain law, we have to win elections. Starting with the elections going on right now: the 2022 midterms. We must vote as though our most cherished and fundamental freedoms are at stake, as though our lives are at stake. Because they are.
For months, many have said that the 2022 midterm elections will be an uphill battle for Democrats — that history and events make it hard to hold the House and the Senate. And I don’t need to tell you, it’s not just about Congress. It is about state legislatures and state-wide offices across the country, especially here in Texas.
There is no doubt the 2022 elections will be a hard battle. Last night’s news reminds us that these elections are ones we just can’t lose. It will take every single one of us participating in all the ways we can to make sure we don’t. But I am not giving up hope, and I’m not giving up the fight. Neither is an option.
Together, we can do anything,
