WASHINGTON – In response to voters affirming abortion rights via ballot measures in Vermont, California, Kentucky, Michigan and Montana, Health Care for America Now Executive Director Margarida Jorge released the following statement:
Around the country, voters sent a clear message that extremist politicians should not interfere with anyone’s freedom to make their own health care decisions. The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade after 50 years of guaranteed abortion rights and access was a wake up call to many Americans. Voters of all political persuasions stepped up in this election to signal their support for abortion rights and access and to repudiate the anti-abortion extremists who are seeking to make abortion a crime and to punish, shame and stigmatize those who provide and procure abortions.
Most Americans recognize that the right to safe, legal abortion is critical for the freedom, dignity and economic security of their families and communities. Access to abortion, like any other health care procedure, should not depend on where you live or how much money you make, nor should it depend on the personal beliefs or judgements of any elected official.
In fact, the job of lawmakers at every level is to guarantee that everyone facing the decision about whether to continue or terminate a pregnancy has the right to make that personal decision in consultation with their family and their doctor and without undue interference from politicians. No matter who controls Congress next year, federal lawmakers must take action to restore legal access to abortion in law so that everyone, no matter what state they live in, has control over their personal destiny and the size of their family.
