Abortion opponents have told us what’s next — but are Michiganders listening? | Opinion

This month marks two years since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, stripping away federal protections for abortion care. Since then, Michiganders have worked to protect reproductive freedom, while more than 20 states have banned some or all abortions, doing everything in their power to make care difficult or impossible to access.

Anti-abortion activists have relentlessly attacked reproductive freedom, pushing for bans, restrictions and erosion of rights. They've weaponized the courts to attack medication abortion and emergency room care for pregnant people and are now targeting contraceptives and IVF. It's clear that their agenda has always been to shift the political landscape into dangerous ideological territory. As we stand at a critical juncture, we must ask ourselves, "When will the next ominous shoe drop?"

Despite our hard-fought victories for reproductive rights in Michigan, anti-abortion extremists threaten to undo all progress. While we've done grueling work and made historic gains for Michiganders over the last several years, anti-abortion extremists will destroy it all if they win the upcoming presidential and congressional elections, which hold the power to shape the future of the Supreme Court and consequently, our nation's trajectory for generations. We cannot dismiss dire predictions as "exaggerated"; time and again, anti-abortion extremists and politicians have revealed their intentions — and then followed through on their attacks.

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Recall the promises made by Donald Trump in 2016, vowing to appoint anti-abortion justices to the Supreme Court. He delivered on that promise, appointing three justices who could potentially re-examine long-standing decisions protecting contraception and marriage equality. Justice Clarence Thomas openly expressed the court's willingness to revisit these issues. And recently, Justice Samuel Alito and his spouse have come under fire for signaling support for the Jan. 6, 2021 rioters and expressing disdain for the LGBTQ+ community.

They're telling us again what their next steps are, but the question is — are we listening?

Are abortion rights safe in Michigan?

Connecting the dots lets us see where our nation is headed — if we let it. With four of the nine Supreme Court justices in their 70s by the end of the next presidential term, a Republican victory would likely lead to retirements and the appointment of young, far-right justices. This would solidify a conservative majority on the Supreme Court for decades, endangering reproductive freedom and health equity in Michigan and beyond.

But Michigan is safe, right? Absolutely not. Michigan, despite all of our efforts to advance reproductive freedom and health equity here in Michigan — our tens of thousands of volunteer hours, record-breaking 750,000 signatures to put Prop 3 on the ballot and enshrining abortion access in our state constitution, and other historic legislative wins — are hanging on a precipice right now. All it takes is a slight shift in the national political landscape in November for abortion opponents to take away our hard-won rights in an instant. We must not underestimate the seriousness of their intentions.

That's why we must keep fighting. When individuals and groups openly declare their intentions to curtail our rights, we must take them seriously. As Maya Angelou wisely said, "When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time."

We are now living through the intensifying chaos that losing Roe has unleashed. Some candidates for national office have said they will pass some form of abortion ban if they retake power. State legislators are pressuring hospitals to deny pregnant patients lifesaving abortion care and threatening IVF, leaving hopeful parents in limbo. Others are introducing laws preventing people from crossing state lines to access health care and charging their family and friends as human traffickers if they dare to drive them to an appointment. Medical students and OB-GYNs are uprooting their lives and moving to other states to avoid prosecution for simply doing their jobs. Parents of LGBTQ+ kids are trying to find safe places to raise their families, help their children access gender-affirming care, and avoid the threat of being labeled child abusers for simply being loving parents. The nightmares we feared are our reality.

Stay engaged, pay attention

While we may have scored a momentary reprieve with the recent SCOTUS decision on mifepristone, it offers little cause for celebration. The justices ruled on a technicality, leaving the door wide open for new challenges to medication abortion. Instead of providing a roadblock to anti-abortion opponents, the court provided them with a roadmap.

Advocates, activists, healthcare professionals and legislators have been sounding the alarm about what lies ahead. Extreme positions that were once unthinkable are now being framed as political compromises. Our rights are firmly in the crosshairs of anti-abortion politicians who have vowed to restrict them. If they succeed, it won't be long before related lawsuits find their way to a Supreme Court openly hostile to our values.

We are all exhausted from the relentless battles of the past years, but we cannot succumb to apathy. Our nightmares can only hold power over us if we remain asleep. I implore you to stand with us, to stay engaged and to pay attention. Our collective future depends on it. Your future depends on it. We cannot afford to lose in November — the stakes are simply too high.

Paula Thornton Greear is the President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Michigan.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 2 years after Dobbs, 'we must keep fighting' for abortion rights | Opinion