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