While it is not surprising that the leaked Supreme Court draft majority opinion effectively overturns Roe v. Wade, it is still shocking. Let’s call it what it is: an all-out assault on women, our rights, our autonomy, our freedom.
As we sit with the heaviness and devastation of all that this moment means, here at Emerge California, we are also looking toward tomorrow. Tomorrow brings another opportunity to stand up, take action, and reclaim our rights.
For us, that means continuing our work to elect more Democratic women in California who will be on the frontlines of the fight for reproductive justice – not just here, but across the country.
California has a major role to play in ensuring millions of people still have access to the abortion care they need and to which they have a fundamental human right. It is our responsibility not only to ensure protections for all Californians, but to extend these protections, access, and funding to people from other states.
Emerge California alums are already doing this work. Though today is impossibly difficult, we feel so much pride in our alums serving in the State Legislature who are leading this fight.
Currently, Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (Class of 2018) is sponsoring a bill to protect patients and providers of reproductive healthcare from other states. And Assemblymember Mia Bonta (Class of 2021) is sponsoring a bill to enhance privacy protections for out-of-state patients’ records related to abortion care.
This is the bold leadership we see when Emerge California alums are elected. We know that with alums Lt. Governor Eleni Kounalakis, Board of Equalization Chair Malia Cohen, and newly-elected Assemblymember Lori Wilson also serving at the state level, we will continue to see decisions that bend the moral arc towards justice, equity, and freedom. We look forward to seeing our impact grow, with fourteen alums currently running for the State Legislature and hundreds more serving and running for local seats up and down the state.
Emerge California takes our role in this fight seriously. Thank you for standing with us in this movement to elect Democratic women we can count on.
In solidarity,
Melanie V. Ramil
Executive Director
Emerge California