Anti-abortion activists and legislators are coming for Roe v. Wade, and as of this week, they are inching ever closer. On Tuesday night, the (nearly all-male) Alabama Senate voted to advance a draconian near-total abortion ban, without exceptions for rape or incest, which now heads to Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R). If Ivey signs the bill, it will become the most restrictive abortion law in the nation, coming on the heels of bills passed recently in Georgiaand Ohio that ban abortions after six weeks. Last year alone, 15 states adopted 27 new restrictions on abortion and family planning. And the ultimate goal of many of the architects of these laws, and the abortion bans passed in Ohio, Georgia and Alabama, is to use state legislation to get Roe v. Wade overturned by the Supreme Court, which is now stacked in conservatives’ favor. To be clear, this isn’t a goal that progressives have intuited, but one that legislators have come right out and stated on the record. “It is important that we pass this statewide abortion ban legislation and begin a long overdue effort to directly challenge Roe v. Wade,” Alabama Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth (R) said last week. Here is the ugly truth: Banning abortion is about restricting women’s freedom, autonomy, mobility, sexuality and self-determination. Laws like the ones passed in Georgia, Mississippi and Alabama ― laws that completely ignore things that actually decrease abortions, like comprehensive sex education, accessible birth control, and greater social services for parents and children ― are, quite literally, an attack on women’s lives.

ASSOCIATED PRESS Protesters rally outside of the Georgia State Capitol following the signing of Georgia's bill restricting abortions on May 7, 2019.

I just set up a monthly donation to @runforsomething, if only to feel a tiny bit less like this country is spinning ever more recklessly out of control. You can too. https://t.co/wX5h5HZYJ8 — mattie kahn (@mattiekahn) May 15, 2019

It’s important to remember that these laws didn’t just come out of nowhere. There has been a yearslong effort by the Republican Party to stack state legislatures with anti-abortion elected officials. Both Amanda Litman, co-founder and executive director of Run for Something, and Christina Reynolds, vice president of communications for Emily’s List, told HuffPost that progressives often focus on federal races (which are, of course, important!) at the expense of state and local ones. And now, those state and local legislatures are making decisions that directly affect the lives of millions of women.

Activism is critical, but at the end of the day, if there’s no opponent for voters to pick from, it’s all for naught. Amanda Litman, co-founder and executive director of Run for Something

Both Litman and Reynolds stressed the need to recruit and support candidates (specifically female candidates) who will run for these state and local seats. But building a pipeline takes time ― and money. “We have to force these guys (and they’re mostly guys) to defend their votes,” said Litman, whose organization specifically supports young progressive candidates at the local level. “Activism is critical, but at the end of the day, if there’s no opponent for voters to pick from, it’s all for naught. They won’t be afraid for their jobs, so they won’t change their actions. We have to recruit amazing progressive pro-choice women to run in these districts. Whether or not they win, they’ll hold the incumbents accountable, make them campaign, and force them to spend money.” Litman vowed that every donation to Run for Something would “go toward recruiting progressives to run in Alabama, Georgia, and every other state where our values are on the line.” You can donate to Run For Something here and Emily’s List here. Speak up, speak up, speak up. (Men ― that means you, too!) This one may feel less tangible, but history shows that political movements and public protest can create change. So make your opinions and your stories heard. “The bills in Georgia and Alabama threatening women’s reproductive rights and criminalizing abortion represent the culmination of a wave of regressive bills seeking to control women’s bodies and reproductive rights,” said Carmen Perez, executive director of The Gathering for Justice. “Women in our resistance movement need to call their state representatives to see whether they support laws that seek to roll back Roe v. Wade.” And although abortion is often spoken about as a “women’s issue,” these laws impact everyone. So, men, time for you to raise your voices, too.

Men, we must not be silent.



We must fight for the rights of women.



They shouldn’t have to fight this alone.



We have to show up. — Michael Skolnik (@MichaelSkolnik) May 15, 2019