The reality is chilling: if conservatives have their way, the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision could be overturned and the legal status of abortion could be decided state by state, leaving millions of women to cross state lines in order to access legal abortion care. The risk of the Supreme Court of the United States taking us backwards by 45 years is more real than ever.

As state legislators, we recognize the extraordinary stakes of this generation-defining moment and we pledge to do everything we can to protect Roe v. Wade and legal abortion. We stand for reproductive freedom and we envision a nation in which each of us can make our own decisions about our reproductive health, pregnancy, and parenting, free from political interference. Therefore, we stand against the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court and for a new era in state-based efforts to champion policies that support meaningful access to reproductive health care. 

With more than 400 new abortion restrictions passed in states in the last eight years, many women already experience what it is like when abortion is technically legal but needlessly difficult and stigmatizing to get. It’s clear opponents of women’s health have been preparing for this moment for decades. Right now there are 12 abortion cases moving through the federal court system that could come before the Supreme Court, and at least 20 states are poised to immediately seek to ban abortion if Roe v. Wade is overturned.

But as state legislators and members of the Reproductive Freedom Leadership Council, we strive to lead our colleagues into an era when, instead of standing by while new policies are enacted each year that restrict reproductive rights and health, we instead advance meaningful solutions to the health care needs, economic inequalities, and other challenges our constituents face. It’s not enough to oppose a Supreme Court nominee who could gut the right to abortion at the federal level; we must exercise leadership as state legislators to do our critical part in creating a world where people can exercise reproductive freedom.

Public support for the Roe v. Wade decision is higher than ever, and transcends political parties. But more important than polling data is what we know to be true: elected officials must uphold the sacred duty of public office by honoring our charge to act for a better future. We pledge to use our platforms as state legislators to advance the reproductive health care needs of the people we serve and to work with our communities to improve our state policies to protect and advance abortion rights and access.

Signed,