For RBG

One year ago, we lost a giant.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg helped define an era with her clarity of thought and moral purpose.

Throughout her life, she built a legacy that served as a guiding light for champions of the basic freedoms and rights that every American — regardless of who they are — deserves. Especially when it comes to reproductive freedom.

In her own words, the ability to make a choice about one's body is "central to a woman's life, to her dignity. It's a decision that she must make for herself. And when government controls that decision for her, she's being treated as less than a fully adult human responsible for her own choices."

Across the nation, Republican legislatures have blatantly attacked her legacy. This scheme was on full display in Texas, as legislators rubber stamped a restrictive 6-week abortion ban that they deputized citizens to enforce.

Shamefully, the previous administration and Senate Republicans used Justice Ginsburg's death to rush an unqualified Supreme Court nominee to stack the Supreme Court in an unprecedented attempt to wage war on Roe v. Wade. And we're still grappling with the consequences of that scheme today.

If the Supreme Court won't protect reproductive freedom, it's clear that Congress must act now to codify Roe v. Wade.

This week, as the House considers the Women's Health Protection Act, I'll be thinking of Justice Ginsburg and all that she fought for. We must fight to ensure that all individuals can make their own health decisions to fit their needs.

Courage.

Earl