Laxalt is not the leader Nevada women need

By Caroline Mello Roberson

Friday, Sept. 10, 2021 | 2 a.m.

Last month, former Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt announced he was running for U.S. Senate.

For anyone wondering, you’re not dreaming and we are not stuck in 2018. He’s running again, despite being rejected by voters two short years ago in his bid for governor, in part because of his extreme anti-choice views on reproductive freedom.

It’s 2021, and this year it truly matters the most where our candidates stand on reproductive freedom. Why? Because this year, the U.S. Supreme Court announced it would take up Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, a case about Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban that directly challenges Roe v. Wade.

And last week, Texas’ draconian anti-choice law (SB8) went into effect after the Supreme Court failed to blockit. SB8 makes it nearly impossible to access abortion for millions of people in Texas. By not blocking it, the Supreme Court has allowed Texas to effectively renderRoe v. Wade meaningless in the state. Make no mistake: While the Supreme Court has gutted Roe v. Wade in Texas, abortion remains legal in Nevada.

Overturning Roe threatens our fundamental freedom to make personal decisions about if, when and how to start or grow a family. And here is what’s terrifying: If Roe were to fall tomorrow nationwide, 24 states would likely take action to prohibit abortion outright. Twelve states already have “trigger bans” in place, which would ban abortion immediately if Roe were overturned.

Nevada is not one of those states. In fact, we are the opposite. In 1973, Nevada enacted a law affirming the right to decide. In 1990, Nevada voters overwhelmingly approved a referendum — Question 7 — that locked protections for abortion access into state law. Then, in 2019, we updated our state laws to remove outdated criminal penalties for abortion (including a $10,000 fine or 10 years in prison). This change was part of the Trust Nevada Women Act, one of the country’s most significant pieces of proactive legislation on reproductive freedom. This would not have been possible if Adam Laxalt was our governor.

Let’s talk about perpetual candidate Laxalt’s record, so there is no confusion about where he stands. As Nevada’s former attorney general, Laxalt joined an amicus brief in the Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt Supreme Court case in support of a Texas clinic shutdown law that the court ultimately found unconstitutional. In 2018, Laxalt joined an amicus brief in the NIFLA v. Becerra case, supporting a network of anti-choice fake health centers that intentionally lie to people about abortion. Laxalt also supported a lawsuit that challenged the Affordable Care Act’s birth control benefit in an amicus brief with the Supreme Court in Zubik v. Burwell in 2016.

But that’s not all: When running for governor in 2018, Laxalt told KOLO8 that he would “look into” repealing the 1990 referendum vote, undoing the will of the majority of Nevada voters. The Laxalt campaign attempted to walk back these comments, claiming his remarks were taken out of context. The news station then released the full interview to prove his comments were presented in context and that the campaign was spreading falsehoods.

With Roe under threat of being overturned by the Supreme Court, we are looking at the possibility of state laws becoming more crucial for protecting women, pregnant people and families. Nevadans need a senator who values reproductive freedom, like Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., whom Laxalt is aiming to unseat.

If Roe falls, we will need a leader on reproductive freedom representing Nevada. Laxalt is not that leader. That’s why NARAL Pro-Choice America has endorsed Cortez Masto for reelection.

Last week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that the House of Representatives would soon vote on the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would protect the right to abortion by creating a right for health care providers to provide abortion care and a corresponding right for people to receive that care, free from medically unnecessary restrictions. Cortez Masto consistently supports reproductive freedom and is a cosponsor of this bill, critical legislation that is needed now more than ever.

Nevadans know the importance of proactively safeguarding reproductive freedom. Nevadans rejected Laxalt’s extremist views in 2018; now, we need to do it again in 2022 when the stakes are higher than ever.

Caroline Mello Roberson is the Southwest regional director of NARAL Pro-Choice Nevada, a nonprofit advocacy organization that works to advance reproductive freedom.