Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020 | 2 a.m.
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While the nation’s eyes were on Nevada last week for our Democratic presidential caucuses, the state also celebrated the anniversary of a monumental piece of legislation. One year has passed since the introduction of the Trust Nevada Women Act, a bill that protected reproductive freedom in our state.
This confluence of the anniversary and the state caucuses was a timely reminder that elections matter when it comes to preserving access to reproductive health.
In 2018, Nevadans did just that when we sent a clear rebuke to President Donald Trump’s anti-woman, anti-choice agenda by electing the first majority-female Legislature in the nation and sending Steve Sisolak to the governor’s mansion. This marked the first time in decades that Nevadans have been represented by a Democratic, pro-choice governor.
Still, our state has a long history of trusting women and protecting our reproductive freedoms. In 1973, Nevada enacted a law affirming the right to access abortion. And in 1990, Nevada voters overwhelmingly approved a referendum — Question 7 — that codified the framework established in Roe v. Wade in our state statute. However, despite this long history, there had not been a single piece of legislation protecting reproductive freedom in decades.
That changed in 2019. While 31 states pushed extreme restrictions or outright bans on abortion, Nevadans stuck to their values of trusting women to make their own decisions — in fact, they demanded it. The Trust Nevada Women Act, championed by state Sen. Yvanna Cancela, affirmed Nevadans’ commitment to protecting reproductive freedom in light of increasing attacks at the federal level and removed politicians from conversations between women and their doctors.
This major step forward couldn’t have been achieved without the power of the people. This included many NARAL Pro-Choice Nevada members who never stopped pushing for this legislation — embarking on monthly “Feminist Road Trips” from Las Vegas to Carson City, hosting weekly phone banking events, sending thousands of postcards of support, and packing hearing rooms (and overflow rooms) with supporters of reproductive freedom. Anyone near the Capitol during session couldn’t miss the Nevadans in their distinctive NARAL purple T-shirts, making the case for locking in the protections of Roe v. Wade with so much at stake for the future of reproductive rights at the national level.
In the fight for reproductive freedom, 2020 is a pivotal year. Since his inauguration, Trump has made it a priority to deliver on his promise to launch a full-scale assault on reproductive freedom. Trump threatened in the lead-up to the 2016 election that there needed to be “some form of punishment” for women seeking abortion care.
The way he’s spread disinformation about abortion and emboldened activists to push total bans on the procedure, particularly in the South and Midwest, is deeply troubling. While abortion is still legal in all 50 states and every ban has been challenged in court, confusion abounds and some women may be deterred from seeking the care they need. Nevadans know how important it is for women to be able to determine their own destinies and chart their own future, without politicians infringing in their personal decision-making or limiting their possibilities.
What’s more, Roe v. Wade — the landmark case that established the right to access legal abortion in the United States — is hanging on by a thread. Not only has Trump appointed two anti-choice justices to the Supreme Court (securing an anti-choice majority), Trump appointees make up a quarter of circuit court judges. That’s bad news for women, families and any American who believes the judiciary should uphold our basic freedoms.
This year, voters will again have a chance to reject the extremism of Trump and anti-choice Republicans across the country, who have shown time and again just out out-of-touch they are with Silver State — and American — values of trusting women to make their own reproductive health care decisions.
After turning out this past weekend and caucusing for candidates, Nevadans now have a responsibility to come back to the polls in November and back leaders who will uphold the fundamental freedom of every person to decide if, when and how to raise a family.
Caroline Mello Roberson is state director of NARAL Pro-Choice Nevada.
