Hell no. A Letter to Democrats.
by Patrick Hanley, NTD Board Member
Monday night, POLITICO obtained a draft text written by Supreme Court Justice Alito indicating the Court will overturn precedents from Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. “We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled,” he writes, in the majority draft circulated inside the court.
Intellectually, many of us knew this day was coming. We suspected the consequences when the Republican Senate denied President Obama his nomination to the court; when a “moderate” Republican senator accepted the nomination of a deeply flawed judge who spoke in bad faith about his perspective on Roe; and when the Republican Senate rushed through the nomination of a far-right activist judge despite losing, badly, the presidential election weeks before. Intellectually, the writing was on the wall in December.
Emotionally, we are devastated.
We are devastated because we know that if Roe is overturned, as early as this summer, millions of lives and livelihoods will be placed in serious jeopardy. People will get hurt. People will die. Women’s liberties will be severely restricted.
Meanwhile, we know that abortion bans and restrictions do not reduce abortions. We know that abortion bans punish women who are poor, often victims, and far more often than not, Black women or women of color. Perhaps Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton says it best: “I am absolutely furious. Making abortion illegal doesn't mean women will stop getting abortions. It just means more will be at risk.”
Abortion bans and restrictions penalize women and families who need help the most, at one of the most intimate, vulnerable, terrifying moments of their lives. What’s more, we know that abortion bans have precious little to do with religion or ethics, and everything to do with patriarchy, with control. Alito’s reasoning can be easily extrapolated to invalidate other federal rulings around contraception, same-sex marriage, and LGBTQ protections. Once again, states will be empowered to strip American citizens of their rights.
That’s why, in Illinois, Democratic leaders and advocates put in place one of the strongest protections for women in the country, through the enactment of the Reproductive Health Act in 2019. Due to effective and humane Democratic policies, Illinois honors and respects women. We are a literal safe haven in the Midwest. In the words of our Governor, JB Pritzker, “in Illinois, we trust women. We cannot let their most profound and personal rights be violated.”
Well said, JB. We stand behind you.
And yet, we know that’s not enough. Democrats will not turn our backs on women in Missouri or Texas. We’ll continue to fight for families in Oklahoma and Wisconsin. That’s why the Democratic-led House of Representatives has already passed the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would enshrine the protections afforded by Roe. We hope Democrats in the Senate will rise to the occasion and do the same. If not, we must redouble our efforts and elect more Democrats in November.
Meanwhile, from the insurrection to book banning to hateful anti-LGBTQ, anti-teacher laws and newly enacted (militia-enforced) abortion bans, the Republican Party has abdicated it’s onetime association with ‘liberty’ - in any sense of the word. It may be the great tragedy of our time that that Grand Old Party, the party of Eisenhower and Reagan, of our parents and grandparents, has now turned decisively away from liberty, from the constitution, and from women’s and civil rights, once and for all.
Once again, the Democratic Party has inherited the mantle of personal freedom, decency, and human dignity.
We fight for the freedom to go on a run in the park, without fearing for your life. We fight for the freedom to love whoever you choose to love. And we’ll fight for your freedom to make decisions about your body and your family in your own way, no matter who you are.
We are outraged, but we continue to fight.
If able, consider a donation today to Planned Parenthood, NARAL, or the National Network of Abortion Funds as these national organizations organize, advocate for, and serve women who need our support right now.
