It’s now been over a year since the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade. Since that day, politicians on the far-right have gone after women’s rights at an alarming pace. In the last year alone, we’ve seen these extremists try to stop women in our military from getting the health care they need, limit access to birth control, and even support a federal ban to outlaw abortion care in all 50 states.

Not only have several states moved to ban abortion care entirely, they are also working to prohibit women from exercising their constitutional right to travel to a pro-choice state to get the health care they need. Extremists in these anti-choice states are trying to punish women as well as anyone who helps them, including their doctors and their employers.

These laws are dangerous and unconstitutional, and I will continue doing everything in my power to fight back and protect women’s rights. I stand with the vast majority of Nevadans who believe that a woman’s health care decisions should be between her and her doctor, not politicians. 

In Nevada, we moved to codify abortion protections in 1990. I remember how women of all different backgrounds came together to encourage their neighbors to vote “Yes” on the ballot referendum, guaranteeing that in Nevada, a woman would always have the right to choose. The measure overwhelmingly passed, and it was a momentous day in our history that cemented Nevada’s status as a pro-women, pro-choice state. 

In the 33 years since, Nevadans have continued to lead the rest of the country in supporting and protecting reproductive freedom. Today, nearly 70% of Nevadans believe the government should stay out of a woman’s health care decisions, and that includes a majority of Republicans, Democrats, and independents. And just this year, our state legislature passed a bill to ensure that Nevada will not assist in out-of-state efforts to prosecute women coming to our state for abortion care. 

Despite these protections, politicians on the far-right are actively working to prevent women from coming to our state to access care. To them, this is about controlling women, and I won’t stand for it.

That’s why last month, to commemorate the anniversary of the Supreme Court striking down Roe v. Wade, I introduced the Freedom to Travel for Health Care Act. This bill reaffirms that women have a constitutional right to travel between states for any reason, and it makes it crystal clear: states cannot prosecute women – or anyone who helps them – for going to another state to get the critical reproductive care they need. I’m fighting every day to get this bill passed and guarantee that our health care workers can continue assisting women and providing essential abortion care in Nevada.

In the year since Roe v. Wade was struck down, women in Nevada have stood up to extremists trying to tell us what to do with our bodies. I’ve been with them every step of the way, and I’ll keep working to make sure Nevada remains a safe place for women’s health care.