Submitted by Trevor Crow, Democratic candidate for State Senate, 36th district
On this July 4, I – like many patriotic American women – am mourning the loss of personal freedom and bodily autonomy following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned the constitutional right to abortion after 50 years. It is the first time in history the Court has taken away a fundamental right. The progress women have made towards equality has been dealt a stunning blow. With its decision in Dobbs, the Court sent a message that women are second-class citizens.
The late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said abortion”is something central to a woman’s life, to her dignity. It’s a decision that she must make for herself. And when government controls that decision for her, she’s being treated as less than a fully adult human responsible for her own choices.”
In our post-Roe America, people in many states cannot legally access abortion care. And, in some states the restrictions on abortion are so cruel that the procedure is banned without exceptions for rape or the life or health of the pregnant person. Becoming pregnant in our post-Roe America can be life threatening. Those who can travel to another state for an abortion will, while those who cannot will be forced to give birth or seek an illegal abortion that is potentially deadly.
We are already experiencing the costs of this unconscionable rollback of fundamental rights. A 10 year old girl and rape victim in Ohio had to travel to Indiana to end her pregnancy. Consider a law that forces a 10 year old child rape victim to carry a child to term. How utterly cruel and heartless is it to force a child who has experienced trauma to bear a child? A woman in Texas had to wait nine hours, while her doctor consulted with lawyers, before treating her for an ectopic pregnancy. She almost died.
Without access to abortion and the freedom to decide when, whether, and how many children they will have, women are not equal. We cannot participate fully in the social and economic life of this country without control over our own reproductive futures.
Make no mistake, abortion access is an economic issue. Women who are able to go to school, earn degrees and put off childbearing make more money and contribute to a healthy economy and the financial security of their families.
I am grateful to live here in Connecticut, however, I am not naive enough to pretend that the current laws guaranteeing abortion access can’t be ripped away from us in the future. On the heels of Dobbs, Republicans in Congress are already planning to enact a nationwide abortion ban if they take control of both chambers. And, the law here could change, depending on which party controls the legislature and who is governor. I promise to uphold existing laws supporting abortion access and to work with my colleagues to expand people’s economic and educational opportunities, as well as to protect our personal freedoms and civil rights, when I am elected.
My opponent claims he would not “change the law”. His voting record however tells a different story. He voted against abortion access this legislative session and refuses to go on the record about his position on abortion rights. We all know now that Brett Kavanaugh lied to the US Senate and the American people when he said Roe was “settled law.”
Kavanaugh told people what they wanted to hear to get the job. I get that same feeling from my opponent. He is not to be trusted with our rights.