JUNE 27, 2022

Dear Fourth District Constituent,

Last week’s decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, to erase the constitutionally-protected right to abortion, can only be described as an attack – an attack on women in America. By overturning Roe v. Wade and nearly 50 years of legal precedent and protections for women to access comprehensive reproductive health care, women in dozens of states will be denied the care they need. In many cases, they will be subjected to the physical and psychological trauma of forced pregnancy and labor – a human rights violation – because of their inability to access health care. The court’s ruling shifts decision-making on the fundamental right to control one’s own bodily autonomy to the states and empowers Republican legislatures to not only ban abortion but criminalize women who seek abortions in states where it is legal.

In Minnesota, abortion is a protected right under our state’s constitution, making our state a sanctuary for women seeking reproductive health care. But in two neighboring states, Wisconsin and South Dakota, abortion became illegal on Friday with the court’s ruling.

For decades, I have fought to protect access to legal, safe, and comprehensive reproductive health care for women. The five Supreme Court justices who ruled to overturn Roe – three nominated by President Trump – have stripped half of our population of a constitutionally-protected right, in effect making women in America second-class citizens. With this court decision, right-wing justices and politicians, who are overwhelmingly men, are telling women that our rights to liberty and privacy are less important than their ideology, theology, and opinions. Every American should understand the grave threat posed by a Court that feels empowered and determined to control our health care decisions and our bodies.

This is in no way the end of their attacks on women. Next, these right-wing ideologues will target women’s ability to travel to seek abortion services, receive legal prescription drugs in the mail, and access contraception. Their ultimate goal is a federal law banning abortion; a law that a Republican-controlled Congress would almost certainly pass given the opportunity.

In 1920 – only 102 years ago – women were finally granted the right to vote with the ratification of the 19th Amendment. It was a step forward that gave women a voice and vote in electing our country’s leaders. In 1973, with the Supreme Court’s ruling on Roe v. Wade, women in America were guaranteed the right to control their bodies, fertility, and make their own choices about their health care. The fight for women’s rights in the U.S. has been long and slow in part because women are not guaranteed equality under the Constitution and therefore lack a foundational protection for our rights. That’s why I have strongly supported the Equal Rights Amendment, and voted to remove the deadline for ratification so we can finally add this basic guarantee of women’s equality to the Constitution. Every Senator should be pressed on this NOW and should be held to account if they refuse to support it.

Women may still be fighting for our Constitutional recognition of equality, but we do have the power of the ballot box, the power of legislative representation, the power of our voices in the streets, and the power to support one another. Pro-choice majorities in Congress can pass pro-choice legislation. In the House, we have passed the Women’s Health Protection Act (H.R. 3755) to codify Roe into law. In the Senate, we are so close to having enough Senators who recognize that the threats to our rights are more important than upholding arcane filibuster rules. If we can keep our Democratic House majority and continue to build a voting bloc in the Senate that will stand for equality and justice, then Congress can stand with a Democratic President and the American public against a right-wing Supreme Court to secure our rights.

The same applies to the Minnesota legislature. We must protect legal abortion in Minnesota because in every election, our fate will be hanging in the balance. Right now, everyone in America must not only vote but unite to support women in need of reproductive health care.

In anticipation of the Court’s decision, in my role as chair of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, I wrote language in the Fiscal Year 2023 Defense funding bill prohibiting the denial of leave or travel for any woman in uniform, civilian defense employee, or family member who needs to cross state lines to access abortion. Anywhere and everywhere I can protect reproductive freedom, I will act.

With Trump Republicans controlling the Supreme Court and dozens of state legislatures across the country, we should expect an onslaught of aggressive, repugnant laws and legal rulings that further undermine women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and civil and voting rights. This is a threat to not only our freedoms but to our very democracy, as right-wing authoritarianism and fascism is on the rise. 

My commitment to you, the constituents I serve, is to faithfully fulfill my duty to protect our rights, freedoms, and personal choices that are the hallmark of a democratic society. We find ourselves in a moment we did not want, but one in which we are prepared to take up the fight. We have much work to do, and I will never stop fighting for our collective equality.

As always, thank you for being an informed and engaged constituent. Don’t hesitate to reach out to my office to share your thoughts or if you need help with a federal agency.

Sincerely,

Betty McCollum
Member of Congress