I’m here to strongly oppose your resolution to restrict a woman’s right to make her own healthcare decisions.

I’m a 30 year resident of San Clemente. However, I am speaking on behalf of the League of Women Voters of Orange Coast – which has 25 members living in San Clemente.

As a reminder, The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization working to protect and expand voting rights and ensure everyone is represented in our democracy. We were founded over 100 years ago and have over 700 state and local Leagues throughout the country.

Our members serve as watchdogs in city, county, and state meetings throughout the nation. Thus we are a force to be reckoned with.

The League’s Nation-wide Position is quote: “Every US resident should have access to affordable, quality health care, including birth control and the privacy to make reproductive choices.”

In June of this year, the Supreme Court ruled to overturn the constitutional right to abortion. The League of Women Voters, like millions of Americans, will not stand for this. Neither will our partners in the reproductive rights movement. We were active in Kansas – and we’ll be active on this issue in any state and any city.

Women’s freedom to choose — their jobs, names, lifestyles, and their healthcare — have been hard-won in this country. We’re not giving them up. We fear the dangerous consequences of this decision.

Women hold the power to create a more perfect democracy. We will not stand by as constitutional rights are stripped away, one by one. Women’s rights are human rights, and we will continue to fight until the right to abortion is restored. Our lives – and our democracy - depend on it.

And Finally: According to Pew Research, among other research sources, women vote in larger numbers than men. So we will remember your actions - and those of candidates with similar views to limit the rights of women - in November.
THANK YOU