Friend,

It has now been 12 days since the Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade decision, which for 50 years has ensured reproductive freedom nationwide.

While we will need to maintain our Democratic majority in the House and expand our majority in the Senate in November in order to codify Roe, I share the belief that our response must be more than just an electoral one -- and Democrats here and in Washington, D.C. are answering the call.

In September of last year, I voted for -- and the U.S. House of Representatives passed -- the Women's Health Protection Act, which would prohibit government at any level from restricting access to reproductive health care, including abortion. While it cannot pass the Senate, Democrats in the House have long been on the record in favor of codifying Roe.

In response to the recent Supreme Court decision, President Biden called on the Senate to eliminate the filibuster for the purpose of codifying Roe with a simple majority -- an idea I wholeheartedly support. The path to achieve that is difficult, however, with two Democrats in the Senate having expressed opposition to changing the filibuster rules under any circumstance.

In the meantime, the Department of Justice has issued guidelines intended to guarantee access to medication sold online, and protection from prosecution for people crossing state lines in order to seek reproductive health care unavailable in their state. Here in Minnesota, Governor Walz issued executive orders that would similarly protect patients and doctors traveling to Minnesota -- where abortion remains legal -- and limit the ability for other states to track and obtain data on those seeking reproductive health care here.

Is this enough? Of course not. In the weeks and months ahead, Democrats in Congress will be looking at every available tool to protect reproductive freedom and restore the right of women to make their own health care decisions -- including through additional executive action; votes on legislation like the My Body, My Data Act; and yes, by getting out the vote.

Every American concerned with infringements on reproductive freedom must vote in November and demonstrate at the ballot box our collective condemnation of this ruling. Only by electing more Democrats to the House and Senate can we codify Roe, and only by electing Democratic governors and Democratic majorities in the state House and Senate can we protect against new bans at the state level.

And so, if you are as outraged by this decision as I am, I ask you to sign up to volunteer today.

We will be deploying volunteers all across our district, with a focus on those communities that will determine whether Minnesota will stand for freedom, privacy, and liberty. Without a concerted, coordinated effort here and around the country in November, I fear this will only be the beginning. I know we can do it, but there is no time to waste.

Let's get to work.

-Dean