Statement from the Reproductive Freedom Leadership Council on the 46th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade
The Reproductive Freedom Leadership Council is the only national, cross-state cohort of pro-choice state legislators in the country, with 326 members from 46 states. The RFLC is a project of State Innovation Exchange (SiX).
The 46th anniversary of the United States Supreme Court’s landmark decision Roe v. Wade comes at a critical time in our country. While we are experiencing a hostile federal government and a highly-politicized judiciary comprised of opponents of reproductive rights and justice who are emboldened to test the powers of their political reach, we also see the rising of voters and elected officials intent on centering the clear majority of Americans who support our constitutional right to reproductive freedom.
As a cohort of 326 state legislators from 46 states, we recognize the urgency of this moment and the obligation we have to protect our constitutional right to abortion, to recognize where the rights established under Roe v. Wade have fallen short for many of our communities, and to take action to ensure all people can access the reproductive health care they need with dignity and respect. Where some see a political opportunity to erode or dismantle Roe v. Wade, we see a duty to fight back against the ongoing assaults on our rights and a chance to re-envision what reproductive health, rights, and justice should look like in the United States.
While abortion has been legal for 46 years, anti-abortion politicians have already pushed abortion out of reach for poor women, young people, and people of color by enacting more than one thousand state-level restrictions in that time. States have a choice. We can align with those who wish to take us backwards and criminalize a health care procedure that nearly one in four women will receive in her lifetime, or we can rise to reclaim our government for the people and in pursuit of gender, racial, and economic justice, including reproductive health care and rights for all. We won't just fight back against the ongoing assaults, but will fight for more than the protections established in Roe v. Wade. We will create a future where all Americans, have access to reproductive care.
Our country is at a crossroads. We boldly accept the challenge before us. We commit to raising our voices and using our platforms as state legislators to continue advancing the reproductive health care services that our communities deserve, in 2019 and beyond.
Signed,
Legislators in the Reproductive Freedom Leadership Council
| Representative Geran Tarr | Alaska |
| Representative Isela Blanc | Arizona |
| Senator Andrea Dalessandro | Arizona |
| Representative Rosanna Gabaldon | Arizona |
| Representative Daniel Hernandez | Arizona |
| Senator Juan Mendez | Arizona |
| Representative Athena Salman | Arizona |
| Senator Joyce Elliott | Arkansas |
| Representative Vivian Flowers | Arkansas |
| Assemblyman David Chiu | California |
| Assemblymember Laura Friedman | California |
| Majority Leader KC Becker | Colorado |
| Senator Lois Court | Colorado |
| Senator Jessie Danielson | Colorado |
| Representative Daneya Esgar | Colorado |
| Senator Steve Fenberg | Colorado |
| Senator Rhonda Fields | Colorado |
| Senator Joann Ginal | Colorado |
| Representative Chris Hansen | Colorado |
| Representative Leslie Herod | Colorado |
| Representative Edie Hooton | Colorado |
| Representative Dominique Jackson | Colorado |
| Senator Pete Lee | Colorado |
| Representative Susan Lontine | Colorado |
| Representative Barbara McLachlan | Colorado |
| Representative Dafna Michaelson Jenet | Colorado |
| Senator Brittany Pettersen | Colorado |
| Representative Mike Weissman | Colorado |
| Majority Leader Bob Duff | Connecticut |
| Representative Joshua Elliott | Connecticut |
| Senator Mae Flexer | Connecticut |
| Representative Jillian Gilchrest | Connecticut |
| Representative Gregory Haddad | Connecticut |
| Representative Susan Johnson | Connecticut |
| Representative Roland Lemar | Connecticut |
| Senator Matthew Lesser | Connecticut |
| Senator Marilyn Moore | Connecticut |
| Representative Caroline Simmons | Connecticut |
| Representative Edwin Vargas | Connecticut |
| Representative Paul Baumbach | Delaware |
| Senator Lori Berman | Florida |
| Representative Anna Eskamani | Florida |
| Senator Gloria Butler | Georgia |
| Representative Park Cannon | Georgia |
| Representative Patricia Park Gardner | Georgia |
| Representative Deborah Gonzalez | Georgia |
| Representative Sheila Jones | Georgia |
| Representative Dar'shun Kendrick | Georgia |
| Representative Bee Nguyen | Georgia |
| Senator Nan Orrock | Georgia |
| Representative Kim Schofield | Georgia |
| Representative Renitta Shannon | Georgia |
| Senator Nikema Williams | Georgia |
| Senator Rosalyn Baker | Hawaii |
| Representative Della Au Belatti | Hawaii |
| Senator Donna Mercado Kim | Hawaii |
| Representative Nicole Lowen | Hawaii |
| Representative Roy Takumi | Hawaii |
| Representative Sue Chew | Idaho |
| Representative Carol Ammons | Illinois |
| Senator Omar Aquino | Illinois |
| Representative Kelly Cassidy | Illinois |
| Representative Sara Feigenholtz | Illinois |
| Senator Laura Fine | Illinois |
| Representative Robyn Gabel | Illinois |
| Representative Jehan Gordon-Booth | Illinois |
| Representative Will Guzzardi | Illinois |
| Senator Don Harmon | Illinois |
| Representative Greg Harris | Illinois |
| Senator Mattie Hunter | Illinois |
| Senator Toi Hutchinson | Illinois |
| Representative Camille Lilly | Illinois |
| Representative Theresa Mah | Illinois |
| Representative Robert Martwick | Illinois |
| Representative Rita Mayfield | Illinois |
| Representative Anna Moeller | Illinois |
| Senator Elgie Sims | Illinois |
| Senator Heather Steans | Illinois |
| Senator Patricia Van Pelt-Watkins | Illinois |
| Representative Emanuel "Chris" Welch | Illinois |
| Representative Ann Williams | Illinois |
| Representative Sam Yingling | Illinois |
| Representative Marti Anderson | Iowa |
| Representative Liz Bennett | Iowa |
| Senator Joe Bolkcom | Iowa |
| Representative Vicki Lensing | Iowa |
| Representative Dennis "Boog" Highberger | Kansas |
| Representative Annie Kuether | Kansas |
| Representative Joni Jenkins | Kentucky |
| Representative Mary Lou Marzian | Kentucky |
| Representative Attica Woodson Scott | Kentucky |
| Senator Shenna Bellows | Maine |
| Senator Catherine Breen | Maine |
| Representative Dale Denno | Maine |
| Representative Donna Doore | Maine |
| Representative Michelle Dunphy | Maine |
| Representative Richard Farnsworth | Maine |
| Representative Drew Gattine | Maine |
| Speaker Sara Gideon | Maine |
| Representative James Handy | Maine |
| Representative Erik Jorgensen | Maine |
| Representative Jay McCreight | Maine |
| Senator Rebecca Millett | Maine |
| Senator Dave Miramant | Maine |
| Representative Matt Moonen | Maine |
| Representative Margaret O'Neil | Maine |
| Representative Lois Reckitt | Maine |
| Representative Deane Rykerson | Maine |
| Representative Rachel Talbot Ross | Maine |
| Representative Denise Tepler | Maine |
| Representative Charlotte Warren | Maine |
| Delegate Shelly Hettleman | Maryland |
| Senator Cheryl Kagan | Maryland |
| Delegate Ariana Kelly | Maryland |
| Delegate Robbyn Lewis | Maryland |
| Delegate Karen Lewis Young | Maryland |
| Delegate Brooke Lierman | Maryland |
| Delegate David Moon | Maryland |
| Delegate Pamela Queen | Maryland |
| Delegate Ana Sol-Gutierrez | Maryland |
| Delegate Jheanelle Wilkins | Maryland |
| Senator Mike Barrett | Massachusetts |
| Representative Carmine Gentile | Massachusetts |
| Representative Patricia Haddad | Massachusetts |
| Representative Natalie Higgins | Massachusetts |
| Representative Jack Patrick Lewis | Massachusetts |
| Representative David Linsky | Massachusetts |
| Representative Jay Livingstone | Massachusetts |
| Representative Tram T. Nguyen | Massachusetts |
| Representative Alice Peisch | Massachusetts |
| Representative Denise Provost | Massachusetts |
| Senator Becca Rausch | Massachusetts |
| Representative Lindsay Sabadosa | Massachusetts |
| Minority Leader Jim Ananich | Michigan |
| Senator Winnie Brinks | Michigan |
| Minority Floor Leader Stephanie Chang | Michigan |
| Senator Erika Geiss | Michigan |
| Minority Leader Christine Greig | Michigan |
| Senator Curtis Hertel | Michigan |
| Representative Kara Hope | Michigan |
| Senator Jeff Irwin | Michigan |
| Representative Donna Lasinski | Michigan |
| Senator Jeremy Moss | Michigan |
| Representative Kristy Pagan | Michigan |
| Representative Rebekah Warren | Michigan |
| Representative Robert Wittenberg | Michigan |
| Representative Jamie Becker-Finn | Minnesota |
| Representative Raymond Dehn | Minnesota |
| Senator D. Scott Dibble | Minnesota |
| Representative Mike Freiberg | Minnesota |
| Representative Frank Hornstein | Minnesota |
| Speaker Melissa Hortman | Minnesota |
| Representative Fue Lee | Minnesota |
| Representative Carlos Mariani | Minnesota |
| Representative Sandra Masin | Minnesota |
| Representative Rena Moran | Minnesota |
| Representative Liz Olson | Minnesota |
| Senator Sandy Pappas | Minnesota |
| Representative Dave Pinto | Minnesota |
| Representative Kathy Sykes | Mississippi |
| Representative Richard Brown | Missouri |
| Representative Sarah Unsicker | Missouri |
| Representative Cora Faith Walker | Missouri |
| Representative Mary Caferro | Montana |
| Representative Mary Ann Dunwell | Montana |
| Representative Jessica Karjala | Montana |
| Representative Andrea Olsen | Montana |
| Senator Jennifer Pomnichowski | Montana |
| Senator Diane Sands | Montana |
| Senator Frank Smith | Montana |
| Senator Sara Howard | Nebraska |
| Assemblywoman Sarah Peters | Nevada |
| Senator Julia Ratti | Nevada |
| Assemblywoman Ellen Spiegel | Nevada |
| Assemblyman Steven Yeager | Nevada |
| Representative Susan Almy | New Hampshire |
| Representative Debra Altschiller | New Hampshire |
| Representative Christy Bartlett | New Hampshire |
| Representative Amanda Bouldin | New Hampshire |
| Representative Renny Cushing | New Hampshire |
| Representative Edith DesMarais | New Hampshire |
| Representative Charlotte DiLorenzo | New Hampshire |
| Representative Daniel Eaton | New Hampshire |
| Senator Martha Fuller Clark | New Hampshire |
| Representative Chuck Grassie | New Hampshire |
| Representative Timothy Horrigan | New Hampshire |
| Representative Mark King | New Hampshire |
| Representative Peter Leishman | New Hampshire |
| Representative Patricia Lovejoy | New Hampshire |
| Representative Sharon Nordgren | New Hampshire |
| Representative Allison Nutting-Wong | New Hampshire |
| Representative Lee Oxenham | New Hampshire |
| Representative Marjorie Porter | New Hampshire |
| Representative Katherine Rogers | New Hampshire |
| Senator Cindy Rosenwald | New Hampshire |
| Representative Kris Schultz | New Hampshire |
| Minority Leader Stephen Shurtleff | New Hampshire |
| Senator David Watters | New Hampshire |
| Assemblyman Raj Mukherji | New Jersey |
| Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle | New Jersey |
| Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg | New Jersey |
| Representative Deborah Armstrong | New Mexico |
| Representative Andrea Romero | New Mexico |
| Senator Elizabeth Stefanics | New Mexico |
| Senator Mimi Stewart | New Mexico |
| Representative Elizabeth Thomson | New Mexico |
| Representative Christine Trujillo | New Mexico |
| Assemblymember David Buchwald | New York |
| Assemblymember Deborah Glick | New York |
| Assemblymember Richard Gottfried | New York |
| Senator Liz Krueger | New York |
| Assemblymember Felix Ortiz | New York |
| Assemblymember Dan Quart | New York |
| Senator Gustavo Rivera | New York |
| Assemblymember Nily Rozic | New York |
| Assemblymember JoAnne Simon | New York |
| Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins | New York |
| Assemblymember Latrice M. Walker | New York |
| Representative Johnnie Newton Autry | North Carolina |
| Representative Sydney Batch | North Carolina |
| Representative Mary Belk | North Carolina |
| Representative Cecil Brockman | North Carolina |
| Representative Deb Butler | North Carolina |
| Senator Jay Chaudhuri | North Carolina |
| Representative Christy Clark | North Carolina |
| Representative Susan Fisher | North Carolina |
| Senator Valerie Foushee | North Carolina |
| Representative Rosa Gill | North Carolina |
| Representative Pricey Harrison | North Carolina |
| Representative Verla Insko | North Carolina |
| Senator Floyd McKissick | North Carolina |
| Representative Graig Meyer | North Carolina |
| Representative Marcia Morey | North Carolina |
| Senator Terry Van Duyn | North Carolina |
| Representative Julie Von Haefen | North Carolina |
| Senator Mike Woodard | North Carolina |
| Senator Nickie Antonio | Ohio |
| Representative Erica Crawley | Ohio |
| Representative Tavia Galonski | Ohio |
| Representative Stephanie Howse | Ohio |
| Representative Adam Miller | Ohio |
| Representative Kent Smith | Ohio |
| Representative Emilia Strong Sykes | Ohio |
| Representative Thomas West | Ohio |
| Representative Emily Virgin | Oklahoma |
| Representative Julie Fahey | Oregon |
| Senator Lew Frederick | Oregon |
| Senator Sara Gelser | Oregon |
| Senator Laurie Monnes Anderson | Oregon |
| Representative Carla Piluso | Oregon |
| Representative Karin Power | Oregon |
| Majority Leader Jennifer Williamson | Oregon |
| Representative Brad Witt | Oregon |
| Representative Tim Briggs | Pennsylvania |
| Senator Maria Collett | Pennsylvania |
| Representative Carolyn Comitta | Pennsylvania |
| Representative Mary Jo Daley | Pennsylvania |
| Representative Tina Davis | Pennsylvania |
| Representative Austin Davis | Pennsylvania |
| Minority Leader Frank Dermody | Pennsylvania |
| Representative Dan Frankel | Pennsylvania |
| Representative Ed Gainey | Pennsylvania |
| Senator Art Haywood | Pennsylvania |
| Representative Sara Innamorato | Pennsylvania |
| Representative Leanne Krueger-Braneky | Pennsylvania |
| Representative Summer Lee | Pennsylvania |
| Representative Steve McCarter | Pennsylvania |
| Senator Katie Muth | Pennsylvania |
| Representative Chris Rabb | Pennsylvania |
| Representative Mike Schlossberg | Pennsylvania |
| Representative Peter Schweyer | Pennsylvania |
| Senator Lindsey Williams | Pennsylvania |
| Representative Edith Ajello | Rhode Island |
| Senator Dawn Euer | Rhode Island |
| Senator Gayle Goldin | Rhode Island |
| Representative Evan Shanley | Rhode Island |
| Representative Teresa Tanzi | Rhode Island |
| Representative Gilda Cobb-Hunter | South Carolina |
| Representative John King | South Carolina |
| Senator Margie Bright Matthews | South Carolina |
| Representative Steven McCleerey | South Dakota |
| Senator Susan Wismer | South Dakota |
| Representative G.A. Hardaway | Tennessee |
| Representative Jessica Farrar | Texas |
| Representative Mary Gonzalez | Texas |
| Representative Jennifer Dailey-Provost | Utah |
| Representative Elizabeth Weight | Utah |
| Representative Tim Briglin | Vermont |
| Majority Leader Sarah Copeland Hanzas | Vermont |
| Representative Maxine Grad | Vermont |
| Majority Leader Jill Krowinski | Vermont |
| Representative James McCullough | Vermont |
| Representative Mike Mrowicki | Vermont |
| Representative Ann Pugh | Vermont |
| Representative Barbara Rachelson | Vermont |
| Delegate Jennifer Boysko | Virginia |
| Senator Barbara Favola | Virginia |
| Delegate Eileen Filler-Corn | Virginia |
| Delegate Elizabeth Guzman | Virginia |
| Delegate Mark Keam | Virginia |
| Delegate Kaye Kory | Virginia |
| Senator Jennifer McClellan | Virginia |
| Delegate Marcia Price | Virginia |
| Representative Eileen Cody | Washington |
| Senator Jeannie Darneille | Washington |
| Representative Beth Doglio | Washington |
| Representative Joe Fitzgibbon | Washington |
| Senator Karen Keiser | Washington |
| Senator Emily Randall | Washington |
| Representative Mike Sells | Washington |
| Representative Tana Senn | Washington |
| Representative Derek Stanford | Washington |
| Representative Gael Tarleton | Washington |
| Senator Lisa Wellman | Washington |
| Senator Claire Wilson | Washington |
| Delegate Danielle Walker | West Virginia |
| Senator Janet Bewley | Wisconsin |
| Senator LaTonya Johnson | Wisconsin |
| Representative Debra Kolste | Wisconsin |
| Senator Chris Larson | Wisconsin |
| Representative Melissa Sargent | Wisconsin |
| Representative Christine Sinicki | Wisconsin |
| Representative Lisa Subeck | Wisconsin |
| Representative Chris Taylor | Wisconsin |
| Representative JoCasta Zamarripa | Wisconsin |
| Representative Cathy Connolly | Wyoming |