As state after state moves to ban or dramatically restrict abortion, Sen. Elizabeth Warren is calling for Congress to act. This Republican Senate won’t, obviously, but Warren is pointing out that a Congress could have a role in ensuring women’s reproductive freedom even after Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have packed the courts with far-right judges.
What could Congress do? It could, Warren argues, “Create federal, statutory rights that parallel the constitutional right in Roe v. Wade”; “Pass federal laws to preempt state efforts that functionally limit access to reproductive health care”; “Guarantee reproductive health coverage as part of all health coverage”; and “Ensure equal access and reproductive justice.” That means states couldn’t get between a woman and her doctor. It means no forced ultrasounds and no clinics closed by regulations designed not for women’s safety but to close clinics. It means contraception and abortion coverage no matter where women get their health coverage.
“The women of color who have championed the reproductive justice movement teach us that we must go beyond choice to ensure meaningful access for every woman in America—not just the privileged and wealthy few,” Warren writes. “We must go beyond abortion, to ensure access to contraception, STI prevention and care, comprehensive sex education, care for pregnant moms, safe home and work environments, adequate wages, and so much more. We must build a future that protects the right of all women to have children, the right of all women to not have children, and the right to bring children up in a safe and healthy environment.”
It will not happen with Donald Trump in the White House or Mitch McConnell in control of the Senate, but this is an equality and justice issue that doesn’t have to be left fully in the hands of the Trump-McConnell courts.
