“Women’s Equality Day is a time to assess the status of women in our society and to consider whether women of all races and income levels are making progress. By those measures, there is little to celebrate this Women’s Equality Day.

“The U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade has caused immense suffering, with women and pregnant people in state after state being denied not just abortion care but also care after miscarriages and for life-threatening pregnancies, contraception, and medications for lupus, eczema, rheumatoid arthritis, and other diseases. This very week, as we observe Women’s Equality Day, laws in Idaho, Tennessee and Texas are taking effect that ban abortion or heighten penalties for physicians who perform them, and Idaho asked a court to block a federal guidance that health care providers must provide abortion care when the woman’s life or health is at stake.

“All this after Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act, which includes some very significant advances that will make health care more affordable but has none of the care infrastructure components – paid family and medical leave, child care, and home- and community-based services – that are vitally important to moms and families. They all fell victim to united Republican opposition. At the same time, badly needed legislation to improve maternal health care is stalled, as are the PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, and the Paycheck Fairness Act.”

– Statement of Ruth Martin, Senior Vice President, MomsRising

“In June, the well-respected pollster, Cornell Belcher, suggested that this will be the year of the angry mom at the polls. He was talking about guns and abortion, but you can add child care, paid leave, home-based services, and maternal health care to the list. And moms are disgusted that conversations about our schools focus not on helping kids overcome the isolation and learning loss that COVID brought, but rather ostracize and demonize kids and teachers who are LBGTQ+, censor free speech, discount historic race discrimination, and ban books.

“There are indications – from Kansas, from New York’s 19th congressional district, and elsewhere – that Belcher may be right. Women’s Equality Day should be a time to take stock. For women who are energized and determined to make change, this is a great time to make sure your voter registration is up to date, and to plan your vote for this fall. This year more than ever, we all need to vote like our futures and our lives depend on it.”

– Statement of Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, Executive Director and CEO, MomsRising