To The Editor:
Reproductive rights just won a major victory as the Supreme Court struck down a medically unnecessary Louisiana abortion restriction in a 5-4 decision in June Medical Services v. Russo. Rightly so, the court ruled that it is unconstitutional to impose medically unnecessary laws that burden a person’s right to safe, legal abortion. While we can breathe a sigh of relief and access to safe, legal abortion in Louisiana is protected for now, attacks on reproductive rights continue.
The court’s ruling left the door open for politicians to continue to pass abortion restrictions across the country. While abortion is still safe and legal in every state in America, we need more access to health care, not less. Politicians have made it clear they will stop at nothing to interfere with our ability to control our own bodies, lives and futures.
Here in Vermont, access to abortion is protected by state law. Vermont is also on its way to preserving reproductive liberty in the state constitution with Prop 5, which will further solidify reproductive rights in our state. With cruel abortion bans on the rise in other states, we can’t always rely on the Supreme Court to protect us. People who call Vermont home deserve to be protected no matter what, and we could be the first state in the country to guarantee reproductive liberty in our constitution with Prop 5.
Prop 5 would protect our freedom to become pregnant, carry a pregnancy to term, use contraception, get a vasectomy or have an abortion, and it would keep politics out of our personal health care decisions. I support Prop 5 in Vermont and I hope you’ll join me.
Carole Crossman
Warren
