Dear Friend,

This week, the Senate cast a hugely important vote to protect the right of every New Mexican to marry who they love. This past summer, I, like so many across the country, was shocked and appalled by the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, stripping away decades of legal precedent. This decision ended the federal protection for abortion rights, stripping millions of Americans of access to essential health care in at least 13 states. 

But the Supreme Court did not stop there. They warned us that LGBTQ+ rights and other reproductive freedoms are next, and Congress must act. In his concurring opinion overturning Roe, Justice Clarence Thomas explicitly called for the Supreme Court to reconsider cases like Griswold, Lawrence, and Obergefell. These landmark decisions protect the rights to contraception and same-sex marriage, and yet their protections could be overturned as quickly as Roe v. Wade.  

That’s why I was proud to cosponsor the Respect for Marriage Act, which codifies federal recognition of same-sex and interracial marriage into law, ensuring that valid marriages are recognized regardless of sex, race, ethnicity, or national origin, and protecting couples across the nation to marry who they love. I look forward to passing the Respect for Marriage Act next week to send it to President Biden’s desk. We must protect the recognition of same-sex and interracial marriage and guard against future attempts to roll back our rights by the Supreme Court.  

However, my dedication to ensuring that everyone has their basic rights protected at the federal level doesn’t end there. I cosponsored and voted to pass the Ensuring Access to Abortion Act and the Women’s Health Protection Act out of the House of Representatives, which would protect the right to access abortion care. I’m also a proud cosponsor of the Right to Contraception Act, which would protect access to contraceptives for communities across our nation.  

We cannot allow the Supreme Court’s conservative supermajority to erase generations of progress that so many of our communities have fought for. In Congress, I will continue to fight for the equal protection of all under the law to ensure that you can marry who you love, and that your most personal health care decisions remain yours, and yours alone.  

As always, if I can be of any assistance to you or your family, please do not hesitate to reach out to me or my staff at (505) 346-6781. If you’d like to keep up to date on what I am working on in Washington on behalf of New Mexico’s First Congressional District and our communities, you can subscribe to our newsletter here, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 

By participating in this survey you are also subscribing to Congresswoman Stansbury's e-newsletter.

Warm Regards,



Melanie A. Stansbury
Member of Congress