Hi friend,

As we wrap up our final week of votes before August recess, I am reflecting on the ways the Republican party has taken our legislative process hostage in order to advance their culture war issues and prevent every single American woman from accessing the medical care they need and deserve.

A few weeks ago, the House voted on the National Defense Authorization Act – a historically bipartisan bill to fund our military. Unfortunately, the Republican majority turned that bill into a wishlist of the far-right, and their latest piece of a larger campaign to enact a nationwide ban on abortion.

The NDAA Republicans in the House ultimately passed – which I voted against – included an amendment that would restrict the Pentagon from providing women servicemembers with paid leave to go to another state to receive abortion healthcare.

Don’t be fooled: This isn’t just about whether or not a woman in the military can get a bus ticket to go get an abortion – this is part and parcel of a larger campaign to impose a nationwide ban on abortion. The Dobbs decision, that got rid of a federal right to abortion, wasn’t enough. In legislation, in appropriation, and in state law, the GOP continues an all out attack on choice because Dobbs was the beginning, not the end.

The authors of many of these amendments are from Alabama and Texas, states that ban abortion even in the case of rape or incest. In the Senate, Senator Tommy Tuberville (AL-R) is holding up key military promotions and nominations over this issue, including for critical positions like the Commandant of the Marine Corps, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and Chiefs of Staff of the Army and Navy. In total, it’s over 250 3-stars and 4-stars who are intended to lead our armed forces.

And House Republicans latest efforts extend even further. Right now, Republicans are working to insert language into our federal budget that would ban people from getting the abortion-inducing drug mifepristone – which can be used up to 10 weeks after conception – through the mail rather than via in-person visits to providers. Even in states where abortion is legal.

While women in New York or California may not have felt a change in their rights, the lives of women in 24 states, mostly in the middle and south of the country, have significantly changed. Women who live in the 24 states that have banned or heavily restricted abortion or are likely to do so feel left behind. And they explain the flood of women coming to Michigan from Ohio and Indiana to queue for an abortion.

What these Republicans are telling us – and every American woman – is that they will not stop with Roe. They will not stop when states like Michigan organize and vote to codify protections for women. They want a federal abortion ban, legislated through the House and the Senate, and they are willing to threaten even our national security. They are starting here.

We need to believe what these Republicans are telling us, and plan accordingly. Not only have I stood against these efforts, but I have pushed for strategic planning to do better in protecting our rights. And as a U.S. Senator I will continue to champion the rights of women and the issues of national security.

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Elissa Slotkin

PAID FOR BY ELISSA SLOTKIN FOR MICHIGAN

P.O. Box 4145
East Lansing, MI 48826

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Elissa Slotkin served in the Central Intelligence Agency and the Department of Defense. Use of her job titles and photographs during service do not imply endorsement by the Central Intelligence Agency OR the Department of Defense.