Dear Women and Girls of America.
These last two years have been incredibly difficult. Overnight, women lost a right we’ve been counting on for nearly fifty years – and an entire generation lost the freedom to make their own decisions about their lives and futures.
If the news hears this Roe v. Wade It flipped and left you sad, scared, angry – maybe even all three – you were in good company. There were so many protests in the months following the Supreme Court’s disastrous decision, some people even dubbed it the “Summer of Rage.” Women my age were devastated. No mother in the world would want her daughter to have fewer rights than she did. Young people were angry that politicians they had no say in electing had unilaterally made a decision that would change the course of their lives.
And now, after two years of waiting, our moment has come. Together, we have the power to change the direction of this country. And we will do so by electing Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.
When Roe v. Wade We flipped, and we didn’t just sit down. We have channeled our anger into action. We spread the word about organizations like Plan C, which provides abortion pills through the mail in all 50 states. We donated to overtime abortion funds to support people suddenly forced to travel hundreds or even thousands of miles for basic health care. We organized the placement of abortion rights initiatives on state ballots. We’ve helped friends, family members, and strangers find their way to compassion and care.
And it made a difference: In nearly every state that has outlawed abortion, the number of people who have had abortions has gone up, not down. Today, the vast majority of Americans support legal abortion. In every state where abortion has been on the ballot since then roe was overturned – California, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana, Ohio, and Vermont – and abortion rights won.
And what really happened – what forever changed the way Americans think and talk about the issue of abortion – were the stories. Skinny, men, doctors, students, faith leaders, and family members came forward to share personal stories about how the abortion ban affected their lives, their communities, and their ability to care for their patients. In Louisiana, Kaitlyn Joshua described being turned away from not one but two emergency rooms in the middle of an abortion. In Texas, Ryan Hamilton described the horror of finding his wife bleeding and unconscious on the bathroom floor after being denied abortion treatment. In Mississippi, journalist Charlotte Alter relayed the story of Ashley, a 12-year-old girl who was sexually assaulted by a stranger in her front yard. Because Ashley’s mother was unable to take her to Chicago for an abortion, Ashley started seventh grade as the mother of a newborn baby.
For two years we have been living this reality. Now we have a chance to change it.
No one summarizes how we got here better than Donald Trump. In his own words: “For 54 years, they’ve been trying to get Roe v. Wade I got it done, I did it, and I’m proud that I did it.” If he is elected president again, make no mistake: He will sign a national abortion ban. He will go further, going after the birth control and fertility treatments that many Americans rely on to build their families. He will force states to monitor women’s pregnancies, abortions, and even come after a no-fault divorce. (Literally, this is in Project 2025, the Republican governing plan.)
Meanwhile, Kamala Harris has spent her entire career in public service, fighting for one thing: Freedom.
As vice president, she took on the issue of maternal mortality and led the administration’s response to the subsequent loss of abortion rights Roe. She became the first president or vice president to visit a Planned Parenthood health center. She spent hours listening to health care workers, pregnant women, abortion rights advocates, and people directly affected by the crisis caused by Donald Trump.
As president, Harris will proudly sign a law that restores reproductive freedom across the country. She will fight for affordable childcare, help launch women-owned small businesses, and invest in in-home care options for older or disabled family members – radically changing the lives of (mostly) women in caregiving roles.
Simply put: Kamala Harris gets it, and she will fight for us every day.
There is so much at stake in this election – for women, for families, for our democracy. Not just in the presidential race, but in lower-priced races and in the 10 states where abortion is literally on the ballot this year.
One day our children and grandchildren may ask us: When everything was at stake, what did you do?
The only acceptable answer is: Everything we could.
So, with just days to go until the most important election for reproductive freedom this country has ever seen, let’s do everything: Make calls, knock on doors, and talk to our friends and family about why their vote matters.
And then, with joy in our hearts and heads held high, let’s cast our votes for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.
I know we can do it.
Love.
Cecil