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Right-wing lawmakers in Alabama just enacted the most extreme abortion ban in over 40 years, the latest in a wave of abortion bans across the country in states like Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Ohio. Republicans are on the march to overturn Roe v. Wade.
They’re hoping the Supreme Court will back their radical play, and it might work. Donald Trump packed the courts with extreme, anti-choice judges. Senate Republicans stole a SCOTUS seat & rammed through Justice Kavanaugh’s confirmation in order to cement an anti-choice majority.
Our next President can begin to undo some of the damage by appointing neutral and fair judges who actually respect the law and cases like Roe instead of right-wing ideologues bent on rolling back our rights. But Congress has a role to play as well.
We should pass new federal laws that protect access to reproductive care from right-wing ideologues in the states and ensure access to birth control and abortion care. Laws that will stand no matter what the Supreme Court does. Here’s what that looks like: medium.com/@teamwarren/co…
First, Congress should create federal, statutory rights that parallel Roe’s protections. We must prohibit states from interfering in the ability of a health professional to provide medical care—including abortion care—& from interfering in the ability of a patient to access care.
Popular new federal rights that parallel Roe would preempt state laws like the AL, GA, & OH bans. They'd end the political games played by right-wing courts to narrow Roe’s protections. And they'd ensure that choice remains the law—even if the Supreme Court overturns Roe.
Next, Congress should pass federal laws to preempt state efforts to pass Targeted Regulations on Abortion Providers (TRAP) laws, which are designed to functionally limit and eliminate women’s access to abortion care with medically-unnecessary restrictions.
Congress must guarantee reproductive health coverage as part of all health coverage. That starts with repealing the Hyde Amendment. Congress must also pass the EACH Woman Act, which would also prohibit abortion restrictions on private insurance.
Finally, we must ensure equal access to health care and support reproductive justice. Systemic barriers have made it especially difficult for low-income women and women of color to get the access to reproductive care they need.
And the women of color who have led the repro justice movement teach us that these issues are bigger than Roe. We must go beyond abortion to ensure access to contraception, STI prevention & care, sex ed, care for pregnant moms, safe home & work environments, good wages, & more.
When I was growing up, people still got abortions. Some were lucky—others weren't. They all went through hell. The overwhelming majority of Americans don’t want to return to that time. Congress should act to ensure that the will of the people remains the law of the land.
