Long before threats to abortion access were fully realized, we knew how devastating the impact of the anti-choice movement would be across the nation. As we mark the first anniversary of a post-Roe America, it is as important as ever that we remain committed to protecting the rights that were hard-won by decades of activism.
Our future depends on it. As the first Black lieutenant governor of Illinois, and the first Black woman to be elected to a constitutional office in our state’s history, I would not be able to serve in this role if it weren’t for those who came before me who fought to uplift marginalized communities.
And as the mother of four daughters who now have fewer rights than I once had, it is abundantly clear the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe vs. Wade is not only about restricting bodily autonomy but controlling the trajectory of people’s lives.
The numbers show just how far abortion bans can roll back gains in racial equity. A brief of amici curiae filed by a group of economists in the Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Center decision detailed just how consequential abortion legalization may have been in improving outcomes for Black women and girls.
Since the 1973 Roe ruling, rates of Black maternal mortality dropped significantly across the country, declining between 28% and 40% in different states; the odds of young Black girls graduating high school and attending college increased; and in several studies that showed how all women’s earnings and workforce participation were impacted by abortion legalization, Black women saw greater impacts.
When there is so much at stake, I understand why many in our nation are fearful of what comes next. Seeing and experiencing the impact of regressive policies since Roe was overturned, especially as a young person, may even be enough for some to lose all hope.
On this anniversary, I want to offer a different perspective: We can be angry and mourn when others turn back the clock of progress. We can also remember that we have been here before, and the brave voices of our past provided us the groundwork to fight for our freedoms. We will not go back, because they showed us the way forward.
I stand on the shoulders of women — Black women, in particular — who faced imprisonment, beatings and risks to their livelihoods in the pursuit of justice. Today I recognize my duty to honor all they sacrificed as rights are stripped away from our most vulnerable, so that states like Illinois can do all we can to preserve the major strides made toward equity and justice for all.
‘In this fight together’
Our state is one of the few oases of reproductive care in the U.S. heartland. Under the leadership of my partner in this work, Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Illinois has been focused on not only being a bulwark for bodily autonomy, but also being a beacon of hope for Illinoisans and our neighbors nationwide.
Our administration and the Illinois General Assembly worked together to enshrine reproductive rights into state law through the Reproductive Health Act in 2019, which also expanded insurance coverage for reproductive health services including contraception.
Illinois didn’t always get it right in this decades-long journey for reproductive justice. It is up to us as state leaders to demonstrate we can continue to learn and grow together, by trusting women and ensuring the voices of all patients seeking care are at the center of our work.
It is not lost on me that there is also a concerted effort by Republican-led legislatures across the country to erase transgender people. The laws imposing restrictions on trans health care and criminalizing gender-nonconformity serve as a testament that overturning Roe was never the end goal. The cruelty has always been the point, because there is no power greater than the freedom to live proudly and safely as our authentic selves.
None of us are spared when reproductive rights come under attack. The reality is we all are in this fight together. That is why I was proud to stand with fellow state leaders and advocates to support the passage of the Patient and Provider Protection Act earlier this year. With the growing fervor to punish anyone who travels to seek an abortion or gender-affirming care — and the health care professionals who are doing their jobs even in states where these services are legal — this law bolsters protections so these intimidation tactics don’t stand in the way of essential medical attention.
The fight is still within all of us, and there are leaders who are dedicated to uplifting your collective power rather than diminishing it. That includes me and the countless trailblazers who tapped into that spirit well before any of us took on this battle.
Juliana Stratton is the lieutenant governor of Illinois.
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