The Supreme Court lets all of us down
June 25, 2022
Dear DemOC PAC Members and Friends,
We knew the day was coming but waking up this morning, seeing that the Supreme Court had overturned Roe v. Wade, was a huge slap in the face, like being doused by freezing water. I've had so many calls already, one with a friend whose life work has been for abortion rights and to save Roe, with sobbing activists who cannot believe this day has come.
I was lucky enough to be included in a White House zoom where they underlined what the President said ... that today, the Supreme Court took away a constitutional right and that has never been done before. It is a right that directly affects women but it can affect the rights of all. The President did two things within his power...he promised that women who travel to get an abortion will be protected and that all women will have access to available drugs, including birth control. But women of color, low-income women, and young girls are especially at risk.
Deputy Chief of Staff Jen O'Malley Dillon summed it up perfectly when she said, "This was expected but it feels so much worse." Yes it does.
What can we do? My first call was to my activist friend, the woman who helped us set up DemOC Pac, my mentor. Her first words? "This is a call to action. EVERYONE MUST VOTE!" She told me that there will be a Constitutional Amendment on California's November Ballot (it is currently on it's way) that will put Roe in the California State Constitution. It is already California State law.
Even more critical, as the President said, Congress can and must codify Roe. It has already passed the House, but must pass the Senate. What does that take? Today, there are more than 50 votes to pass it (including Manchin, Murkowski and Collins), but not enough to end the filibuster. So again, we MUST elect a Democratic House and Senate, and those Democratic Senators must be committed to ending the filibuster once and for all.
It is a sad, sad day. Our work is ahead of us, to protect our daughters and our granddaughters. And with this "corruptly seated majority on the Court" in the words of Congresswoman Madeline Dean (D-PA) we have to protect all of our rights, because right-wing extremists are not just after women.
I do look forward to coming together with you next Wednesday, to talking about what is happening and how we are going to proceed. "Today", as Rep. Dean said, "girls and women have been stripped of their fundamental rights." We need to work together to build a brighter future, again.
Lita
We knew the day was coming but waking up this morning, seeing that the Supreme Court had overturned Roe v. Wade, was a huge slap in the face, like being doused by freezing water. I've had so many calls already, one with a friend whose life work has been for abortion rights and to save Roe, with sobbing activists who cannot believe this day has come.
I was lucky enough to be included in a White House zoom where they underlined what the President said ... that today, the Supreme Court took away a constitutional right and that has never been done before. It is a right that directly affects women but it can affect the rights of all. The President did two things within his power...he promised that women who travel to get an abortion will be protected and that all women will have access to available drugs, including birth control. But women of color, low-income women, and young girls are especially at risk.
Deputy Chief of Staff Jen O'Malley Dillon summed it up perfectly when she said, "This was expected but it feels so much worse." Yes it does.
What can we do? My first call was to my activist friend, the woman who helped us set up DemOC Pac, my mentor. Her first words? "This is a call to action. EVERYONE MUST VOTE!" She told me that there will be a Constitutional Amendment on California's November Ballot (it is currently on it's way) that will put Roe in the California State Constitution. It is already California State law.
Even more critical, as the President said, Congress can and must codify Roe. It has already passed the House, but must pass the Senate. What does that take? Today, there are more than 50 votes to pass it (including Manchin, Murkowski and Collins), but not enough to end the filibuster. So again, we MUST elect a Democratic House and Senate, and those Democratic Senators must be committed to ending the filibuster once and for all.
It is a sad, sad day. Our work is ahead of us, to protect our daughters and our granddaughters. And with this "corruptly seated majority on the Court" in the words of Congresswoman Madeline Dean (D-PA) we have to protect all of our rights, because right-wing extremists are not just after women.
I do look forward to coming together with you next Wednesday, to talking about what is happening and how we are going to proceed. "Today", as Rep. Dean said, "girls and women have been stripped of their fundamental rights." We need to work together to build a brighter future, again.
Lita