A woman’s right to choose is fundamental and must be protected. That’s why I’m outraged that the Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade and ended 50 years of critically important protections for women’s health and the right to choose.
This decision will not end abortion in America, it will only end safe abortion. It will also disproportionately impact the poorest, most vulnerable women in our country. Those without the resources to travel to states where abortion is legal will be forced to make the incomprehensible choice between an unsafe abortion or carrying a pregnancy to term that may pose a significant health risk to the mother or the baby. Overturning Roe is a heartless decision that endangers the health and well-being of women nationwide and will exacerbate gender-based disparities in healthcare. We now live in a nation where abortion is effectively illegal for millions of women. The impacts of this are devastating and far-reaching.
The consequences of the Supreme Court’s decision extend far beyond federal protections for abortion. By overturning Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court is paving the way to end all federal protections for birth control, marriage equality, and interracial marriage—Justice Thomas said as much in his concurring opinion to overturn Roe. We can’t accept a country without Roe as the new norm. That’s why I voted to pass the “Women’s Health Protection Act” in the United States House of Representatives. This bill would—at last—protect abortion rights across the country by making the protections in Roe v. Wade federal law.
Unconscionably, every single Republican in the U.S. Senate voted against these crucial protections and paved the way for the Supreme Court to criminalize abortion for millions of Americans. An overwhelming majority of Americans support Roe v. Wade. In a democracy, it is up to elected officials to carry out the will of the voters. That’s why we cannot give up. I, along with my Democratic colleagues, believe it is our responsibility to keep up the fight and continue building momentum in the weeks and months ahead to enact bills like the “Women’s Health Protection Act” into law.
American freedoms and protections are under assault, and the end of Roe affects us all. Our intensely personal decisions belong to us; they have no place at the whim of political extremists and ideologues. It is unconscionable that my grandchildren could live in a country with fewer rights and protections than the one I grew up in. We must fight back, and we must stand up for what is right. We must stand up for Roe v. Wade.
Rep. John Garamendi represents California’s 3rd Congressional District, which includes portions of Solano County
Editors Note