Friend,

We have a plan to secure abortion rights in red states.

The repeal of Roe v. Wade is already a disaster for people in trigger law states like Ohio and the 12 other states where abortion bans went into affect immediately. People are being denied lifesaving medication and critical treatments -- even if they aren’t pregnant! -- because doctors are in fear of extremist bans legislators have passed.(1) Soon more states will join them.

President Joe Biden says that the only way to protect abortion federally is for us to vote in a Democratic Congress.(2) But in fact, the federal government has the power to secure abortion rights in red states, right now.

Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have a bold proposal to protect people’s health(3): By leasing federal land to Planned Parenthood and other health clinics, the federal government could restore access to safe abortions for millions of Americans.

This can’t wait. The federal government needs to help American people in need find safe access to abortions. Tell President Biden: Open abortion clinics on federal lands now!

We cannot understate the danger of the legislation being passed. Abortion bans lead to a 21% increase in the number of pregnancy-related deaths.(4) According to the World Health Organization, globally 23,000 people die from unsafe abortions, and tens of thousands more experience significant health complications each year.

Sen. Warren and Rep. Ocasio-Cortez’s proposal could change these statistics. Federal land, under the Enclave Clause, is exclusively under the jurisdiction of federal law. The federal government has well-established policy in support of safe abortions, via its FDA-regulated abortion medication.

President Biden has the clear power to make this decision without congressional action. And the Supreme Court has repeatedly protected people’s right to travel to federal land to conduct business.(5)

Sign here to tell President Biden to protect abortion nationwide!

Properties owned by the Department of Defense and the Veterans Administration are conveniently located in major cities and rural communities.(6) Planned Parenthood or other organizational providers could rent space to perform health care services in these spaces.

Abortion clinics should be established on federal lands -- and the Biden administration needs to get behind this plan. Add your name to the petition to tell the White House to protect safe access to abortions now.

As Elizabeth Warren told The Washington Post, “It’s time to declare a medical emergency.” We can’t let more and more people risk their lives for lack of access to safe abortions, as states bring their bans into effect.

Thanks for your help keeping America safe for all of us.

–Irene, along with Amber, Angela, Annie, Mai, Isidra, Jay, Lindsay, LisaMarie, Mai, Raquel and Scottie (the Courage team)

Footnotes:
1. https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/22/health/abortion-law-medications-methotrexate/index.html
2. https://www.cnbc.com/2022/07/08/biden-says-supreme-court-out-of-control-signs-abortion-executive-order.html
3. https://truthout.org/articles/aoc-and-warren-advocate-opening-abortion-clinics-on-federal-land-in-red-states/
4. https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/features/abortion-restrictions-health-implications/
5. https://scholarship.law.pitt.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1515&context=fac_articles
6. https://theweek.com/feature/briefing/1014801/abortions-on-federal-lands