Reproductive Rights are Human Rights

I have never stopped fighting against the right-wing assault on the Supreme Court. The success of anti-abortion activists has happened in part because too many people took reproductive rights for granted. That was understandable for some in Oregon because we have the strongest protections for reproductive rights in the country. But the rest of America isn't like Oregon.

We all ought to be outraged right now. We have seen this coming. The reality is sinking in.

This threat to Roe v. Wade has the potential to dramatically change the political landscape with significant implications for Congress, the state legislatures, and local jurisdictions across the United States.

We need people from all states, in all communities, to engage in the fight for reproductive freedom.

People are asking me what they can do right now. We need people to broadly engage:

1). This Congress passed the Women's Health Protection Act that would codify the right to abortions on a federal level. Now, like the majority of the American people, I am frustrated that this bill is stalled in the Senate because they are unable to break the 60-vote filibuster. It's time for the Senate to END THE FILIBUSTER and VOTE IMMEDIATELY on the Women's Health Protection Act.

2). We all must take this fight to the ballot box. Remember that banning access to abortion is wildly unpopular – there is not a single state where a federal ban on abortion has more than 30% public support. We must be prepared to fight at every level of government, even here in Oregon, for school board members who fight for comprehensive sex education to district attorneys who refuse to prosecute abortion cases. Talk to friends, family, and personal networks; recruit, support, and elect pro-choice candidates up and down the ballot — this year, and every year.

3). Remember that abortion is still safe and legal in Oregon and the vast majority of states. People needing reproductive services should seek help at Planned Parenthood. And even if they don't need these services, they can support Planned Parenthood to ensure these services remain available to others.

A ban on abortions won't stop people from having them, it will only make it more inaccessible and dangerous, especially for those without support. Every person, every family, deserves the right to make their own reproductive health care decisions.

I won't stop fighting to keep federal abortion legal, and make sure that Oregon upholds the strongest possible protections for reproductive freedom. It will take ALL OF US. Whether this draft is adopted, which in all likelihood it will, it might be just the spark to ignite a backlash politically that helps us gain the upper hand.

Courage,

Earl