ACLU Supporter –

In the wake of last year – a year when Roe v. Wade was overturned, when abortion was banned in more than a dozen states, and when 4 states restricted access to gender-affirming care for youth – we need to be clear about exactly what is at risk in state legislatures right now in 2023:

In several states, including Nebraska, North Carolina, and South Carolina, anti-abortion politicians are prioritizing the introduction of extreme bans on abortion care in their legislatures.

And even before the start of state legislative sessions this year, over 25 pre-filed bills that would strip away young transgender people's ability to access necessary and life-saving health care were introduced. In fact, over 100 anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced so far – the majority targeting trans rights.

These two issues aren't coincidental either, ACLU Supporter. The same politicians that don't want people to be able to make decisions around their own pregnancies also do not want trans people to be able to make decisions around their own medical care. But that's why we fight to protect abortion access and access to gender-affirming care. Because you are the rightful author of your own life story.

And that's why we cannot stop fighting and why we will need the strength of our full ACLU community with us. Can we count you in? Take our 2023 State Legislative Action Pledge now and you'll be signed up for the latest alerts and ways to take action as sessions unfold over the weeks and months to come across the country.

ACLU Supporter, both abortion and gender-affirming care give us the freedom to determine our own paths in life and to defy barriers that oppress and erase our communities. The politicians who want to strip us of that freedom want to write your story for you, deciding who you are, what you do with your body, and if or when you start a family. These efforts are designed to target people who are already marginalized in our country, particularly young people, those trying to make ends meet, and people of color.

But we will never stop fighting for the freedom of people to fully control our bodies, lives, and futures – and we know you are with us. Take our pledge today and together, we'll show up for all our rights in this year's state legislative sessions.

Together,

Rose MacKenzie and Arli Christian
ACLU campaign strategists fighting for reproductive freedom and trans justice