What's on Our Mind 1-20-2023

It took the Supreme Court eight months in 1973 to change the lives of millions of womenacross this country when they handed down their ruling in Roe v Wade. It was a bittersweet moment. Women could finally take charge of their own health care decisions, but many women had already suffered the consequences from illegal abortions.
 
Immediately the fight began to gut this newly protected right, at first from outside the Court and then from within. As expected, this summer Roe was struck down. However, there had been a steady erosion of abortion rights prior to that across the nation. When the Supreme Court repealed the protections under Roe, there were already many states where women found it incredibly hard, if not impossible, to obtain an abortion. 
 
The GOP House continues to want to punish women. Their first order of business when Congress finally convened was to introduce more antichoice legislation. A women’s body is their political football.
 
JAC’s important work that helped elect a pro-choice Democratic Senate is now our only defense against the antichoice House. With Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) chairing the Judiciary committee, President Joe Biden’s court nominees will finally get approved, which will help. These justices will be voices of reason against states’ increasingly more punitive antichoice legislation. 
 
For JAC, the fight for abortion rights began long before last summer’s SCOTUS ruling. JAC has been working to safeguard abortion rights since the 1989 SCOTUS Webster ruling, which allowed states to legislate abortion restrictions, thereby beginning the unraveling of Roe.
 
At that time, Justice Harry Blackmun said: ’I fear for the future. The signs are evident and very ominous, and a chill wind blows.’’ JAC agreed and immediately incorporated reproductive rights into our mission and has been tirelessly working ever since to elect pro-choice candidates to Congress.
 
On Sunday, we mark the 50th anniversary of Roe v Wade. Today our world looks frighteningly similar to the one before Roe. We may be weary in this fight, but we must continue. Change will come when we change Congress. That takes constant commitment and effort — and it takes your support. Elections have consequences. Donate to JAC. Stay involved. Let’s keep the momentum going until every woman everywhere can make their own reproductive health care decisions freely and safely.