OPINION: How Trump’s Supreme Court set women’s rights back 50 years

FILE - A person holds up a sign as abortion-rights activists and Women's March leaders protest as part of a national day of strike actions outside the Supreme Court, Monday, June 24, 2024, in Washington. A growing number of women said they've tried to end their pregnancies on their own by doing things like taking herbs, drinking alcohol or even hitting themselves in the belly, a new study suggests. Researchers surveyed reproductive-age women in the U.S. before and after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

When Trump-appointed Supreme Court justices provided the margin to overturn Roe v. Wade on June 24, 2022, women’s rights in our country were set back 50 years. Back then, women couldn’t get credit cards or birth control without their husbands’ permission. Careers for women were limited and women did not have equality in sports or income. Women had to resort to back-alley abortions even if the pregnancy was the result of rape or incest.

But this is the 21st century, and the U.S. is a global leader in many aspects, including economic strength, democracy and freedom. Our progress has been a model for many other nations, and a key part of that success has been the recognition of women’s rights, including the right to make decisions about their bodies. Until recently, this was a right upheld nationwide, advancing equality and opportunity for women across the country.

Women’s health is intertwined with the economy. Access to reproductive health care leads to greater economic security for women and their families. For women to be part of a strong engine of economic growth, we need access to health care including reproductive health care. In short, when more women work, our economy is stronger. The converse is also true.

Why is abortion now illegal in 20 states? Donald Trump appointed three Supreme Court justices who voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark case that generally protected the right of women to have abortions. Trump says he is proud of killing Roe v. Wade and proud to be “the most pro-life president in American history.”

Leaving women’s health care to the states means a woman’s health care choices are a function of where we live. This change is leading to many women becoming very ill or even dying because we can’t get the health care we need in their state. Leaving it to the states means one in three women of reproductive age now live in a state with a Trump abortion ban. And don’t believe Trump when he says he is not in favor of a national abortion ban. When Congress tried to pass a national abortion ban in 2017, Trump endorsed it and promised to sign.

Every day, we witness the devastating impacts of the Dobbs decision – teenagers forced to carry a child due to incest or women bleeding out in hospital parking lots because of scared doctors. States across our nation have passed laws to criminalize doctors, punish women and threaten them with prison time, simply for reproductive care. Several of these laws have no exceptions for rape or incest.

Taking away women’s rights harms our economic health, our democracy and our freedom. This is a fight for our freedom — the fundamental freedom to make decisions about our bodies — and not have the government tell women what we can and can’t do. Kamala Harris trusts women to know what is in their best interests. If Congress passes a law that restores the protections of Roe nationally, Harris will sign it.

Please join us in voting for Kamala Harris. She will work to protect women’s rights in our country, wherever you live.

Monica Anderson, Eleanor Andrews, Sarah Barton, Carla Beam, Clare Bertucio, Deborah Bonito, Judy Brady, Kay Brown, Nina Brudie, Becky Bunde, Donna Burch, Susan Clark, Diane DiSanto, Linda Duck, Lyn Franks, Michael Fredericks, Patty Ginsburg, Donna Goldsmith, Trish Gorman, Marilyn Heiman, Kimberly Homme, Barbara Hood, Susan Humphrey Barnett, Bonnie L. Jack, Linda Janidlo, Mary Ann Kerosky, Sarah Kleedehn, Janie Leask, Riki Lebman, Ilona Leider, Debra Lowney, Guadalupe Marroquin, Donna Matthews, Kimberly Metcalfe, Dana McAlpine, Molly McCammon, Jo Michalski, Diane Moxness, Angie Newby, Vickie Otte, Alia Parker, Patrice Parker, Irène Persson-Gamble, Margaret Pugh, Ann Rappoport, Susan Reeves, Mary Ann Renkert, Diana Rhoades, Leslie Ridle, Beth Rose, Elise Rose, Marilyn Russel, Meg Simonian, Veronica Slajer, Beth Snyder, Susan Soule, Carolyn Strand, Schawna Thoma, Cindy Thomas, Kate Troll, Fran Ulmer and Wendy Wolf are Alaska women in support of Kamala Harris for U.S. President.

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