#TakeActionTuesdays
Here at Power to Decide we believe that everyone has the power to activate and make a difference. Check back regularly for a new call to action. Make your voice heard!
January 31, 2023
Every person no matter where they live or how much money they make, deserves to be able to access the health care they need. But with the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which protected the nationwide right to abortion, many states have moved to ban abortion or make it less accessible.
Even before Roe was overturned, abortion care was not accessible for everyone. This is in part due to restrictions on coverage for abortion care in public health insurance, including the Hyde Amendment. The burden of these bans does not fall equally—more than half of those who lack coverage for abortion care in Medicaid are women of color.
On January 26, several champions in the House of Representatives introduced the Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Health Insurance (EACH) Act to address this issue. The EACH Act would ensure coverage of abortion for people enrolled in public insurance plans (including Medicaid, Indian Health Service, and the Veteran’s Administration) and their dependents. It would also protect against federal interference with private health insurance companies that choose to offer coverage for abortion care.
Rather than pursuing further restrictions on abortion coverage and access, Congress has a responsibility to help their constituents get the health care they need. Please contact your members of Congress today to urge them to support the EACH Act.
December 13, 2022
Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24, 2022, we have seen an influx of attacks not only on abortion, but on contraceptive and sexual and reproductive health care in general.
That’s why it is so important that Congress act now to provide the Title X Family Planning Program (Title X) with the funding it needs to keep up with the growing demand for family planning services.
In communities across the country, Title X funds help provide birth control and other family planning services to those who may otherwise struggle to afford such care. In doing so, Title X gives people the ability to lead healthy lives and achieve their goals. In addition to the attacks on reproductive health, this program has been underfunded for years—and communities across the country are at risk of not having a Title X clinic for birth control access if funding is not increased. Please take two minutes today to tell Congress to prioritize a funding increase for Title X.
Funding for Title X, and the rest of the federal government, runs out on December 16. In the meantime, Congressional leaders are negotiating a year-end deal. The strain on safety-net family planning clinics will only get worse if Congress does not include a significant increase in Title X funding.
By increasing this funding, clinics that rely on Title X will be able to continue offering high-quality contraceptive services, preventive screenings, and health education to low-income people, people lacking health insurance, young people, and more—as they have done for the last 50 years.
Please contact your member of Congress today!
October 4, 2022
Since the Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, states have sought to enact bans on abortion and restrictions on other forms of critical reproductive health care. This has threatened the ability of veterans living in states that ban abortion care to receive the care they need in their own communities. In response, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced its intention to allow VA physicians to provide the following to veterans and their eligible dependents: all options counseling, referrals, and abortion care in cases of rape, incest, and life endangerment.
All veterans, regardless of where they live, deserve comprehensive access to reproductive health care. Make your voice heard and submit a public comment in support of the VA’s proposal that would improve access to care.
March 22, 2022
Urge Your Senators to Fairly Consider Judge Jackson’s Nomination to the US Supreme Court
This week, the Senate Judiciary Committee will begin to consider the nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court. If confirmed, Judge Jackson will be the first African American woman to serve on the nation’s highest court. Judge Jackson presently sits on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, and previously served as a federal district court judge for the District of Columbia.
As we shared after President Biden announced Judge Jackson’s nomination, her background and experience—including her rulings protecting the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program—suggest that she understands the barriers women of color and people with low incomes face every day, such as accessing basic, reproductive health care. This is especially important given that this Supreme Court has signaled its willingness to revisit settled law and potentially roll back reproductive rights and health for generations to come.
Judge Jackson’s nomination is monumental, particularly for Black women and girls who may soon, finally, see themselves represented on the nation’s highest court. Moreover, it is another step toward having the highest court in the land better represent the country and the broad support for reproductive health care access that exists within it. On this Take Action Tuesday, we hope you’ll contact your Senators and urge them to fairly consider Judge Jackson as the next Supreme Court justice. You can find contact information for your Senators by clicking on your state name in the first drop down menu.
March 1, 2022
Urge Congress to Approve Crucial Funding Increases
Last week Congress passed a short-term spending deal—referred to as a continuing resolution (CR)—to fund the federal government through March 11, 2022, at current levels. This short-term deal includes level funding at $101 million for the evidence-based Teen Pregnancy Prevention (TPP) Program and $286.5 million for the Title X Family Planning Program.
The CR averted a shutdown of the federal government, but nearly five months into the fiscal year (FY) it’s important that Congress finalize an omnibus appropriations bill for FY 2022. Without it, the increases that the House and Senate have proposed for Title X and the TPP Program can’t become a reality. That’s why we need you to help us keep up the pressure on Congress.
Title X and the TPP Program experienced extensive attacks under the previous administration. The impacts of these coupled with the ongoing pandemic and inflation mean that funding increases are needed to ensure these programs can meet the needs of people who depend on them.
Please contact your members of Congress today. It’s important they hear from constituents as they work to reach a longer-term spending deal for fiscal year 2022 (October 1, 2021 – September 30, 2022).
February 22, 2022
Urge Your Senators to Vote Yes
In January, we marked 49 years since the US Supreme Court affirmed a legal right to abortion through Roe v. Wade. Nearly 50 years on, people across the country still can't access the abortion care they need.
What's more, the Court is currently considering a case that presents a direct threat to Roe v. Wade. If Roe falls half of the US states could act immediately to prohibit abortion entirely. We know that the right to abortion is not real if it only applies to a privileged few.
That's why we need to pass the Women's Health Protect Act (WHPA). WHPA would block abortion bans, reducing barriers to abortion care.
The Senate is scheduled to vote on WHPA on February 28 – and we need everyone to urge their senators to vote yes. Now is the time for your senators to hear that there's overwhelming support from their constituents to pass WHPA.
Please urge your senators to vote yes on WHPA. We cannot wait anymore.
