The realities of the war on reproductive freedom

Today should have marked 51 years since the right to choose was enshrined by the Supreme Court under Roe v. Wade. Instead, it's a reminder of the freedom that millions of Americans lost 19 months ago when Roe was overturned — and it's a moment to recommit to restoring those rights.

Since the Dobbs decision, headline after headline has exposed the reality of the far-right's war on reproductive freedom and the constitutional right to privacy

Today should have marked 51 years since the right to choose was enshrined by the Supreme Court under Roe v. Wade. Instead, it's a reminder of the freedom that millions of Americans lost 19 months ago when Roe was overturned — and it's a moment to recommit to restoring those rights.

Since the Dobbs decision, headline after headline has exposed the reality of the far-right's war on reproductive freedom and the constitutional right to privacy:

• Women denied the reproductive health care they need in emergency rooms

• Doctors refusing to provide care for fear of retribution

• Women forced to flee their home states in order to seek basic care in a state that will provide it

• People facing criminal investigations for miscarriages

The list of horrors goes on and on. And the forces behind Dobbs don't want it to stop. When it comes to the Republicans and their war on reproductive freedom, cruelty is the point.

The party that claims to be "pro-life" is the same party denying life-saving health care and forcing women to bring children into a country that denies families access to affordable child care, paid leave, and basic resources for working parents.

But I refuse to give up hope in our democracy's ability to correct course. An overwhelming majority of Americans support protecting the right to reproductive freedom – and we've seen it manifest itself at the ballot box repeatedly in the wake of Roe's repeal. States including Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Kansas, and Montana have either passed constitutional protections for reproductive health care or defeated proposed abortion bans. This is not a red-state-against-blue-state issue; this is a fundamental question about the right to live your life free from government intrusion, and voters have been delivering a clear message.

I'm proud to be from a state that has some of the strongest abortion protections in the nation. But I am never taking those protections for granted, and I am fighting every day for the people in other states who have lost their reproductive rights or will soon see them ripped away by far-right lawmakers.

I'm committed to electing a Congress in 2024 that will defend reproductive freedom at every level. That means expanding our slim Democratic majority in the Senate, and electing pro-choice Democrats here in Oregon and across the country to help flip back the House.

We must keep making our voices heard. Together, we can beat back anti-choice cruelty. Together, we can make it so that January 22 is once again a day of celebration for the rights we have — not the rights we lost.

Onward,

Ron