John,
Many of us knew this day was coming. But like people all throughout America, I still woke up Tuesday morning struggling to comprehend the dangerous news that the Supreme Court is poised to strike down Roe v. Wade.
Access to safe, legal abortion has changed everything for women in America. The ability to finish school, plan a family, pursue a career, support your children. Now, all of those freedoms are in peril.
In Texas, women have already had to leave the state to receive reproductive care thanks to Greg Abbott’s extreme six-week abortion ban. Now, nearby states like Mississippi and Oklahoma are poised to ban abortion outright, and Texans are going to have no place to go.
To be honest, these thoughts overwhelmed me as soon as I woke up Tuesday. Then my phone rang. It was Beto, one of the first people to call me about the news.
John, I was immediately struck by how much Beto cares about what’s happening to people in Texas and across the country. He cares about those who are being affected by this painful news.
We talked about Justice Alito’s draft opinion, which is full of callous disregard for pregnant people and for women. Then we talked about how it’s a mirror reflection of what we’re seeing in Texas from Greg Abbott and other Republican leaders.
John, Greg Abbott is so craven that he’s willing to trade off the future of generations of women for his own political purposes. They’re cynically using this issue to drive a divide between people in Texas. It’s not about life. It’s about power.
Beto and I agree: The only way to fight back is by getting serious about power, too.
As difficult as this moment is, we have the opportunity to channel the anger we feel into real action. Gaining political power is the only way to meet this challenge — and if the Supreme Court is going to leave it up to the states to decide who’s in control over a woman’s body, we MUST come together and elect a governor in Texas who believes in a woman’s right to choose.
I’ll end with this, John. I’ve been a Texan all my life — and sometimes people from other states will question if things can ever really change for this state.
When I look at what we’re doing together with Beto’s campaign, I know they can.
Future generations are counting on us. Let’s do this.
—Cecile
Cecile Richards
National Finance Chair, Beto for Texas
Former President of Planned Parenthood
