What we all feared has come to pass. The loss of liberty implied in the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade is utterly unjust and a strike against the hard-fought gains women have made regarding reproductive rights.
I am not a woman. I am not married. I do not have a daughter. I can never pretend, nor will I, to fully understand what a woman goes through. I was raised to care about my fellow human being, regardless of race, religion, or gender. My mother, may she rest in peace, taught me empathy. Her example taught me how much more difficult it is to be a woman than a man in our society.
When the draft of this decision leaked, I promised that as your next State Representative, I would fight for reproductive healthcare rights. I reiterate that promise today.
Though I still cannot fathom a scenario in which the government would intrude on my reproductive decisions as a man, the rights of women have just suffered a devastating setback. Our country was founded on the basic principles of liberty and that all were created equal in their unalienable rights. I once again pledge to fight to restore the rights, liberty and equality that have just been lost.
The decision of the U.S. Supreme Court takes an extreme position in opposition to those rights. In the days to come, we will reckon with what this decision means for reproductive healthcare in Michigan and nationally, but we must also be prepared for the precedent it sets for contraception, marriage equality, and civil rights. To think that some of these extremist jurists support banning abortions even when a child is victimized by rape and a woman’s life is at risk is utterly terrifying, and I’m more convinced than ever that we need legislative action at every level of government.
In Michigan, there is still hope. Currently there is an injunction blocking the implementation of Michigan’s draconian 1931 anti-abortion law, but as proven today reliance on the courts is a dangerous path. Now more than ever it’s imperative we support and pass the Reproductive Rights for All ballot petition.
It is my ardent belief is that women have the right to choose and that the services they require should be accessible, safe, private, and legal. These are personal decisions that should not be made by politicians. I will join with anyone who is ready to commit to a full mobilization to defend reproductive healthcare. I hope you’ll join the fight with me.
My heart hurts all over again, but in this dark hour I continue to look to the example of the brave women who have been fighting this fight for decades. They won important victories before; and together, we will win them again.