GREENBERG: An urgent letter to Greenwich Republicans

Submitted by Ken Greenberg, Vice-Chairman, Greenwich Democratic Town Committee

Radical Republicans who have seized control of the U.S. Supreme Court told Americans not to worry before they took the bench. They assured senators that Roe v. Wade was settled legal precedent. Now we know that was a lie. Our Greenwich Republican representatives to the Connecticut state legislature are using much the same language today.

So, you Republican “normals” out there should wonder if stripping womens’ fundamental right to reproductive freedom in some states is the end of it.

Justice Clarence Thomas is not reassuring anyone. In his mind this is just the beginning of the Republican radical right’s assault on our fundamental freedoms. Thomas wrote in his concurring opinion on Roe, that the court should consider allowing states to also ban birth control.

You may say, “It can’t happen here in Connecticut.” But that’s not true. The very case that recognized Americans’ right to use contraception was the Supreme Court case Griswold v. Connecticut.

Under Thomas’ approach, a Republican majority in the Connecticut legislature or any U.S. state could eliminate contraceptive freedom, just as the ruling last week put reproductive rights up for grabs state-
by-state.

Could this happen here? Just read the statement released by the Greenwich Republican Party. They applauded overturning Roe. “States that wish to … [ban abortion], now have the right to do so.” When asked about preserving a woman’s right to choose, our local Republican representatives sent out crafty statements dancing around the issue, just like the Supreme Court members who voted to overturn Roe last week.

In fact, when a bill aimed at expanding reproductive freedom in Connecticut came to vote earlier this year, our Republican representatives voted against it. The latest developments prove we can’t trust the radical right’s words.

Only Democrats have unequivocally pledged to protect a woman’s reproductive freedom.

So, what can you do? Come November, vote for Greenwich’s Democratic candidates to state and national office (meet them at www.greenwichdemocrats.org). Maybe you’re among the many Republicans and independents who are shocked by the Supreme Court’s curtailment of basic freedoms.

You don’t have to wait until November, either. Register your disapproval with the radical right’s agenda by changing your registration to the Democratic Party today. For more information on how to change your registration, go to www.greenwichct.gov/faq.aspx?TID=40.There isn’t a better way to signal that a radical, anti-freedom agenda isn’t your agenda either.