Friends,

Today marks the 47th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s announcement of its decision in Roe v. Wade.  It was a landmark decision for women and families, holding that women have a fundamental, constitutional right to privacy that includes whether and when to have children.

While the decision was a few years before I was born, I have watched efforts to undo its fundamental holding for most of my life.  When I was a teenager, the Supreme Court announced a decision that chipped away at Roe’s protections, and then another.  And for years, I have watched legislatures in my home state of Texas and in states across the country pass laws and restrictions meant to undermine and, ultimately, overturn Roe.

That is why I started volunteering nearly 30 years ago to stand up and speak out for the equality and autonomy of women everywhere that Roe represents.  And that now includes the halls of Congress.  I am proud to work with my colleagues to support the right to safe, affordable, nonjudgmental reproductive health care and to protect the right to choose set forth in Roe.

Today, I am thinking of how this decision came to be.  It started here in Texas with women challenging a burdensome and restrictive law -- and young women lawyers in Texas leading the charge, including the incomparable Sarah Weddington, who was just 26 years old when she argued Roe to the Supreme Court.  Believing they were in the right, trusting they could change the law, and working tirelessly to do so, they changed history.  We owe them a debt of gratitude -- as well as those who have worked in the decades that followed to preserve and protect our rights.

I am committed to carrying on their fight.  There is much work ahead.  And I know from my experience standing arm-in-arm on the frontlines, that we are stronger when we stand together.  Will you stand with me?  Sign your name and show your support for Roe and for safe, affordable, nonjudgmental reproductive health care.

Together we can do anything,