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MAJORITY RULE 2Our Bodies Are Respected

The healthcare system takes our needs seriously, from medical treatment to making decisions about if and when to start a family.

Every year, approximately 700 women die from pregnancy or its complications.

The fight to realize the second Majority Rule may be the most salient and bold endeavor of our time. Right now, lawmakers across the country are seeking to restrict the freedom of women to access the education, resources, and care that we deem necessary for our health and wellbeing. One thing is abundantly clear — these policies are not about healthcare. They are about controlling women and people who can become pregnant.

For there to be true bodily autonomy, our healthcare system must respect the dignity and bodily autonomy of all women. The second Majority Rule also demands that we name and combat systemic inequities which prevent Black, Indigenous, and other women of color, pregnant people, and trans women from attaining equitable access to high-quality healthcare and health outcomes. Every year, approximately 700 women die from pregnancy or its complications, and the maternal mortality crisis is deadliest for women of color.

State lawmakers can protect our right to bodily autonomy by:

Click to hear from Colorado State Senator Julie Gonzales

Case Study: The Reproductive Health Equity Act, Sen. Julie Gonzales (Colorado)

Immediately after passage of Texas SB 8, Coloradans organized a rally outside the state capitol to voice their concerns over laws hindering abortion rights. Constituents after the rally approached State Senator Julie Gonzales (District 34, Denver) and asked her what she and the legislature planned to do in Colorado to uphold reproductive rights.

Sen. Gonzales, State Representative Meg Froelich (District 3, Arapahoe) and State Representative Daneya Esgar (District 46, Pueblo) then introduced the Reproductive Health Equity Act (RHEA – HB 1279) in March 2022. The bill declares that “every individual has a fundamental right to use or refuse contraception; every pregnant individual has a fundamental right to continue the pregnancy and give birth or to have an abortion; and a fertilized egg, embryo, or fetus does not have independent or derivative rights under the laws of the state.” The bill was signed into law in April 2022.

Read more about this case study