Yes, we’ve been reading for some time now that Roe v. Wade was in danger. (After all, Rebecca Traister has been talking about this for years.) But when the Supreme Court actually overturned the precedent that provides federal protection for a woman’s right to choose an abortion, it was a huge, weirdly unexpected, blow. Yes. There is much work to be done to offer access to all reproductive services to women throughout the country and yes, every little bit you can do matters.

But, there is a HUGE opportunity right now to ensure that each of us and the next generations of women have control over our lives by guaranteeing the right to contraception. It may seem crazy that this right could be in jeopardy, but that’s what so many folks thought about Roe. There is truly no downside to passing a law protecting this right.

Act Now to Protect the Right to Contraception

On the personal side

In grad school, I had an internship with the United Nations Population Fund in Guatemala. My work focused on maternal mortality and the spread of HIV/AIDS at the border of Guatemala and Mexico. During that time, I had the incredible opportunity to meet women who traveled over 8 hours on foot from their villages. Why? They walked to learn how to deliver babies safely. I heard a presentation from the mayor of a very small town. He spoke with enormous pride about the town’s program to ensure that a woman who was suffering from complications during childbirth could have a taxi to a hospital, if she needed it. The nearest hospital was an hour away and no one in the town had a vehicle. So each family chipped in one American dollar to the fund. Two years later, a woman in her twenties experienced complications and access from the fund saved her life. She came and spoke to us. To say it left an impact on me would be an understatement.

My first couple of years in college, I worked two part time jobs while I attended school full time. I made $4.25 per hour plus tips at one and $5.25/ hour at the other. Of course, I had no health insurance. This approach was too lucrative for support from Planned Parenthood and I had no intention of getting pregnant. So, I paid $30 out of pocket every month for birth control pills.

And now to act

There’s really no need to explain to any woman the need for contraception. But, for those of us who are close to or have already aged out of pregnancy risk, it’s easy to see this as just another one of the horrors of living in 2022. So many women I speak with feel defeated by it all and are really struggling to just get through the day. I hear that.

We hear so much about privilege now. It’s a complicated word with layers of meanings depending on the context. For any of us who have had access to legal contraception- even if paying for it was a hardship or the guidance wasn’t great or we had health complications from the contraceptive- we have extreme privilege.

It’s time to ensure that all women in this country have that privilege, too.

Next Steps

The right to contraception is in danger. WA Senator Maria Cantwell and Senator Patty Murray support H.R.8373 The Right to Contraception Act. The Right to Contraception Act was passed in the House of Representatives in July, 2022, despite unanimous opposition from republican house members. The bill was recently blocked in the Senate. It is in danger of not passing in the Senate.

Take Action

While Democrats support H.R.8373, they still need to hear that their constituents support the bill. Whether your Senator is a Democrat or Republican, please reach out to him/her/them to encourage them to support passing the bill and protecting the right to contraception. Take two minutes TODAY and voice your support for this bill. Just a quick call to the office or an email makes your voice heard.

Maria Cantwell

Patty Murrray

Contacting your US Senator

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