ICYMI via Newsweek: It's on All of Us to Protect a Woman's Right to Choose
Last week, New Democrat Coalition (NDC) Chair Suzan DelBene (WA-01) penned an op-ed in Newsweek about the negative economic impacts of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and the steps the private sector as well as federal and state governments must take to protect Americans’ fundamental freedoms. As New Dem Chair, a Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus leader, a former businesswoman, and a former Washington State official, Rep. DelBene understands that preserving a woman’s right to choose will take an all-hands-on-deck approach.
Newsweek: It's on All of Us to Protect a Woman's Right to Choose
By New Dem Chair Suzan DelBene
July 21, 2022
For a half-century, American women had the freedom to make their own health care choices and to decide if, when, and how they wanted to start a family. In those 50 years, women's independence and meaningful participation in our workforce has increased exponentially, greatly benefitting our people, country, and economy. At the same time, radical Republicans hatched and meticulously executed a plan to confirm far-right judges who would overturn Roe v. Wade and turn our country backwards. The contrast is clear: while Democrats are fighting to protect Americans' freedoms, Republicans are fighting to control American's lives.
Voting for pro-choice Democrats this November is essential to enshrining the right to abortion into federal law, but it's not the only action we can take. As chair of the New Democrat Coalition, a congressional pro-choice caucus leader, and former businesswoman, I know that protecting Americans' freedom requires an all hands-on-deck approach with Congress, state legislatures, courts, and the private sector working to reverse the damage of the Supreme Court's decision.
In the days leading up to and following the overturning of Roe, Republicans have taken extreme measures to ban abortion in all cases without exceptions for rape, incest, or the physical health of women. Women in many Republican-led states who could access reproductive care just a few weeks ago are being turned away at clinics, with few alternatives. Abortion is a critical health care service, but it is also so much more. Access to reproductive care opens countless doors for women, increasing the probability of graduating college by 72 percent, expanding the opportunity to work outside the home by 38 percent, and raising wages by 11 percent on average. Denying women abortion access severely limits their ability to achieve economic mobility and creates lasting economic hardship. It's been proven time and time again that legal access to abortion and family planning services enable women and our economy to succeed.
State-level abortion bans make states less attractive to employees and employers alike, making some workers move to places where they can access necessary health care services. Denying abortion also damages America's standing on the global stage. We want to innovate and lead in the 21st century, but we cannot attract new companies to the U.S. if entrepreneurs and workers are unable to access critical health care services.
There are critical steps both the government and the private sector can take to protect access to abortion care now.
At the federal level, Congress must pass legislation to enshrine the right to abortion in federal law, protect the right travel across state lines to access abortion care, ensure Americans' privacy to personal reproductive health information, and preserve access to birth control. In states that currently protect abortion access, elected officials should ensure abortion rights are protected by state law, and where possible, state constitutions. States where abortion access is legal must also work to offer protections for doctors and medical professionals and increase capacity to help women traveling from states that ban abortion. At the same time, we must build stronger pro-choice majorities in Congress and state legislatures, fight bans by championing legal battles in courts, and mobilize grassroots networks of support.
The private sector also has an important role to play in the fight for abortion access. Companies can create policies to assist women by providing support to access care out-of-state and critical privacy protections. Many companies have already stepped up to assist employees seeking safe abortion access. Businesses should also advocate for the right to abortion and work with legislators to hammer home the economic case for a woman's right to choose. Companies have a powerful voice in this conversation and a lot at stake if women cannot fully participate in our economy.
Overturning Roe v. Wade is only one part of an ongoing attempt by far-right extremists to undermine individual freedom and our democracy. And this latest attack isn't the end. That's why it's on all of us to fight tooth and nail to guarantee a woman's right to choose and stop the wide-ranging negative impacts of overturning Roe. There is a moral, political, and economic imperative to act quickly. When we lift up women, we lift up families, communities, and society overall. Though the challenges may seem daunting and overwhelming, just as pioneers of the feminist and equal rights movement paved the path for Roe v. Wade—we will pave the path forward after Roe.
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