| Dear Friend, Last night, news broke that the Supreme Court is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, opening the door for abortion to be banned in 26 states as early as six weeks, before most people even know they are pregnant.(1,2) Worse yet, should Republicans win back control of Congress in the midterm elections, they will immediately move to pass legislation to ban abortion in all 50 states, from California to New York. But this fight is not over. Not even close. In fact, we have a plan to save legal abortion -- and if Democrats have the courage to stand up and fight, we could stop these abortion bans in their tracks right now, regardless of what the Supreme Court says. More on our plan below, but first, none of this can happen unless we have sufficient funding to go big with our fight to save legal abortion. For 50 years, Roe v. Wade has protected the constitutional right to abortion and guaranteed that no woman can be forced against her will to carry a pregnancy to term. No more. Now it will be up to our elected representatives to defend abortion rights, and we have a plan to ensure they do that right now. Step One: Help those in need of abortion services access the care they need. The most immediate need is to help the millions of people who are about to have their abortion rights ripped away. Abortion is already difficult or impossible to access for millions of low-income people, Black and brown people, and those who live in areas without an abortion provider. Once this ruling goes into effect, it will become much, much harder. This is the work that our friends at ACCESS REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE have been doing for years, providing people with the direct services they need to access abortion care. Step Two: Democrats must end the filibuster. For a majority in the U.S. Senate to pass legislation that will keep abortion legal, we must end the undemocratic filibuster rule, which requires 60 votes to pass legislation. Courage California has been advocating for an end to the filibuster for years, and we've made huge strides. Just a few years ago, getting rid of the filibuster was considered a fringe position. Now, it's the majority view among Democratic Senators. By overturning Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court may have created the urgency needed to finally get rid of the filibuster. Step three: Elect a more pro-choice members of Congress who will do what's needed to save legal abortion. Unfortunately, Democrats like Kyrsten Sinema, Joe Manchin, and California's Dianne Feinstein cannot be counted on to end the filibuster to protect legal abortion.(3) In addition, we are in serious danger of losing our pro-choice majority in the House of Representatives should Republicans win control in the midterm elections. Courage California's sister organization, Courage California Super PAC, is working to elect the progressive champions we need to save legal abortion. We'd hoped this moment would never come, but it's here, and we're ready for the fight. Together, we can stop this assault on our reproductive rights and keep abortion legal in all 50 states. However, this fight won't be easy, and we must start now. Yours in the fight for reproductive freedom, Irene, along with Amber, Angela, Annie, Isidra, Jay, Lindsay, LisaMarie, Mai, Mai, Raquel, and Scottie (the Courage team) PS: The best way to support Courage California and our work for equity and justice is to become a recurring monthly donor, so we have the ongoing support we need over the long haul. Click here to chip in $5, $10, or $20 a month or whatever you can afford. Donations go to support all of Courage California's work for a more progressive California and country. Follow us now on Facebook or Twitter! Footnotes:  |
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