Dear John,

We just received word that a conservative majority in the U.S. Supreme Court has overturned the historic Roe v. Wade decision – striking down the constitutional right to abortion.

Right-wing extremists, state legislatures, and Supreme Court justices hand-picked by Donald Trump have succeeded in fulfilling his promise of overturning Roe.

This is infuriating and devastating. Make no mistake: Women will die because of this dangerous decision.

In Connecticut and Washington, I have worked hard to defend individual reproductive freedom and choice. In 1990, as a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives, I voted to codify abortion rights into law, giving Connecticut residents statutory protection with some of the strongest reproductive rights in the country.

Now, state laws like the ones I helped pass in Connecticut will be our only protection. We must ensure we elect leaders who defend the freedom of choice and access to quality reproductive healthcare at every level of government – because if Kevin McCarthy and the radical right succeed in taking back control of the House, we know that their first step will be to ban abortions at the national level. Leaders like Mitch McConnell have already signalled that they would seek to invalidate state laws by passing an outright abortion ban should they gain control of Congress.

We cannot go backwards.

I have stood against the ultra-conservative anti-choice movement for decades, and I need your support to continue. Together, we will stand up for the right to bodily autonomy for all Americans.

Together,