As we enter the election season with candidates for office attending local events, the Supreme Court Dobbs decision, that returned the regulation of abortion to the states, should be top of mind in Washington despite our current reproductive freedom.
One of the primary reasons for the decision in Roe v. Wade was to ensure that women have the right to make decisions about their own bodies, free from undue government interference. New and expanded anti-abortion laws, emerging from the same Southern states that fought for the overturning of Roe v. Wade, demonstrate the intent of groups in this country to enact a national abortion ban which will affect all women. Many Republican candidates will vote for such a ban.
I believe that access to legal abortion is a critical component of reproductive health care and a fundamental human right. The decision in Dobbs undermined this right and opened the door to more attempts to restrict women and their right to live the lives they choose.
We need to ask every candidate running for office in Washington how they will ensure that women have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness through reproductive freedom if they are elected to represent us.
