Local opinion: The continued fight for our reproductive freedom

Two years ago, Donald Trump’s appointed Supreme Court justices voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, ripping away our reproductive freedom and unleashing extreme abortion bans across the country.

In Arizona, our fundamental freedom to make our own reproductive health care decisions remains under siege. Right now, we are living under an extreme abortion ban with no exceptions for rape or incest. Women across Arizona are being denied the care they badly need, and doctors are being driven out of our state for fear of prosecution and even jail time. So as we mark the second anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, June 24 is not a simple anniversary — it is a day of anguish for women across the country. It is a day to hold the people responsible for all this accountable — Donald Trump and, here in Arizona, Juan Ciscomani.

The abortion bans unleashed by Donald Trump represent a direct attack on the independence that Arizonans hold dear. These bans attack our freedom, with devastating consequences for women, families, and health care professionals. They are part of an extremist agenda supported by my opponent, Juan Ciscomani, who celebrated the overturning of Roe v. Wade and assisted Governor Ducey in appointing all four of the judges responsible for resurrecting Arizona’s 1864 abortion ban — a law reminiscent of a bygone era. And just this month, Rep. Ciscomani voted to kill an amendment to guarantee federal employees access to IVF, blocking guaranteed IVF access for tens of thousands of Arizonans.

The last few months have made crystal clear for Arizonans the direction that Republican extremists are headed. If given the chance, they will fight hard to ban abortion nationwide, dragging us backward. Look no further than my opponent, Rep. Ciscomani, who joined the Republican Study Committee, whose proposed budget endorsed a national abortion ban with no exceptions for rape, incest, or the life of the mother. The upcoming election in November is critical to restoring our abortion rights. Because extreme Republicans aren’t just stopping at abortion, they are targeting access to reproductive health care across the spectrum, including the right to birth control, fertility treatments, and medically necessary abortions to save women’s lives.

I am appalled by the direction Republican extremists like Trump and Rep. Ciscomani are steering our country. Their policies threaten to roll back decades of progress, jeopardizing women’s health and autonomy. The government has no place in making these deeply personal decisions that should be left to a woman and her doctor. Republicans’ abortion bans and their attacks on our rights are not just wrong; they are violent, dangerous, and harmful to women.

They believe that politicians like them, rather than Arizona women, have the right to make this choice. As a mother, I am devastated that my daughter has fewer rights than I had. I fear for her growing up with leaders like Trump and Juan Ciscomani who want to allow states to monitor pregnancies and who enabled the return of a cruel territorial abortion ban from 1864 — before Arizona was even a state. I am fighting to move our country forward, not backward.

The urgency of this issue cannot be overstated. Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, extreme politicians have exerted outsized control over women’s reproductive freedom. We must resist these regressive measures and elect leaders committed to safeguarding reproductive rights and healthcare access for all, ensuring a future where every woman can make her own healthcare decisions freely. It is now more critical than ever to elect representatives at every level of government who will protect our rights. This includes flipping our state legislature, defeating my opponent, and flipping the U.S. House. It means voting against Donald Trump and his allies, including Juan Ciscomani, and ensuring a Democrat remains in the White House. We must stand united to secure and expand reproductive rights for all women across the nation.