Monday night, our worst fears about reproductive rights were validated as we learned the United States Supreme Court is on the brink of overturning Roe v. Wade. Just like that, the constitutional right to an abortion would be erased. And abortion will be illegal in more than a dozen states overnight, with more likely to follow.
In response, Tenth Dems, Lake Dems, and the Democratic Party of IL sponsored a protest/rally Monday night at the Vernon Township Community Services Center in Buffalo Grove!
There are a couple of really important things to keep in mind:
First, a large reason why Illinois has been able to pass laws over the last several years to protect reproductive freedom, which is critical if Roe is overturned by the Supreme Court, is because of the work we have all done together. We’ve elected pro-choice legislators across the 10th District and Lake County, defeating several anti-choice zealots along the way. When Tenth Dems started some years back, most of the representatives our area sent to Springfield and Washington were Republicans who didn’t support the right to choose. We’ve organized election after election to flip seat after seat. That organizing made the difference. It literally created the votes necessary to overturn trigger language in Illinois law that would have made abortion illegal the moment Roe was overturned.
Second, everything we’ve worked so hard for to protect choice is on the line in 2022. This isn’t an exaggeration. It’s a fact. Just because we’ve passed laws in Illinois doesn’t mean that Illinois will remain a pro-choice haven in a sea of anti-choice red states, as it is right now. The Illinois Supreme Court currently has a narrow pro-choice majority, but there are two races for the Supreme Court that could swing it the other direction, to an anti-choice majority. One of those Supreme Court races on the ballot is in Lake County. The right-wing, anti-choice extremists who worked so hard at the national level are doing it in state courts too. You better believe they are ready to do it in Illinois when Roe is overturned, and are eager to see a radical Illinois Supreme Court turn back the clock on women.
Now, I want you to know that the same organizing energy we’ve used to defeat anti-abortion legislators and install pro-choice champions over the last decade+ will be employed to ensure that we elect an Illinois Supreme Court that will protect choice. And pro-choice Democrats up and down the ballot. We will do everything we can to block any effort by the radical fringe in this state from sending us back to the days before Roe. Our rights are on the line and we will not back down for a single moment.
This issue has impacted the lives of so many of us who had access to safe and legal abortion. We must protect this fundamental right. We organized before and we are certainly not backing down now. Our commitment to protect reproductive rights is unwavering.
Lauren Beth Gash
Lake County Democrats Chair
Tenth Dems Founder
