Mylan Hawkins on Reno: “Our Senate race will determine the future of reproductive justice in Nevada and across the country.”

In Case You Missed It, a campaign coordinator for the campaign to codify a woman’s right to choose in Nevada blasted Adam Laxalt as an “anti-abortion extremist” on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade.

In an op-ed in the Reno Gazette-Journal, Mylan Hawkins writes that Laxalt is out of touch with the majority of Nevadans – Democrats, Independents, and Republicans alike – who support access to reproductive health care. With the future of Roe in jeopardy, Hawkins underscores the importance of the upcoming election, warning that Laxalt would pave the way for a Republican Senate majority to gut abortion access nationwide.

Reno Gazette-Journal: The Stakes for Roe Have Never Been Higher

By Mylan Hawkins // January 22, 2022 // This opinion column was submitted by Mylan Hawkins, the campaign coordinator for Campaign for Choice – Vote Yes on 7 in 1990.

Saturday marks the 49th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that upheld a woman’s right to have control over her own body. It also commemorates the beginning of the decades-long struggle against anti-abortion extremists who want to take that right away, including here, in our home state of Nevada.

Since Roe was established, Nevada made great strides to protect abortion access. In 1990, I was part of a broad coalition that founded the campaign to vote “Yes” on 7, the referendum that enshrined a woman’s right to choose into our state law. Nevadans approved the measure by an overwhelming 64% majority.

Since then, we have seen the country move backward, restricting reproductive rights. Texas and Mississippi have passed bans on abortion early in a woman’s pregnancy and these laws, though unconstitutional, are sitting in other states waiting to be enacted. Anti-choice activists want Roe overturned, and by passing these abortion bans, they have forced the Supreme Court to take up new cases that could help them achieve their goal.

Without Roe, millions of women across the country will lose access to reproductive health care. The overwhelming majority of Nevadans support a woman’s right to choose, but we cannot take our state’s protections for granted when anti-choice extremists have made it clear they won’t stop until abortion is outlawed nationwide.

Take Dean Heller, Nevada’s former senator who is now a leading Republican candidate for governor. Heller said he would bring a six-week style Texas-style abortion ban to Nevada if he were elected.

Adam Laxalt, who is running against Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, is even more extreme. Laxalt has spent his whole political career working to limit access to abortion. During his term as attorney general, he flouted the will of Nevadans and signed our state on to lawsuits that would dismantle reproductive rights and place undue burdens on women seeking abortions.

With the Senate currently split 50-50, Republicans need to flip just one seat to regain control of the chamber. Laxalt is campaigning as an anti-abortion extremist, which means our Senate race will determine the future of reproductive justice in Nevada and across the country.

As our senator, Catherine Cortez Masto has fought to protect a woman’s right to choose, helping lead the Women’s Health Protection Act to federally codify Roe. She actively fought against the Trump administration’s efforts to limit access to reproductive health care and worked to block federal court nominees who would roll back a woman’s right to choose. She stands with Nevadans of all political parties who believe women should have access to a full range of health care services.

The vast majority of Nevadans support women’s reproductive rights, but we must remain vigilant. If the Supreme Court overturns Roe, it would open up the door for a Republican Senate majority led by Mitch McConnell to pass federal legislation gutting abortion access. Adam Laxalt would help McConnell get there.

With the future of Roe v. Wade uncertain, the stakes of this election could not be higher. Nevadans should be especially concerned about Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health, regarding Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban. If the Court allows that state-level ban to stand, it will effectively gut Roe v. Wade, threatening abortion access nationwide.

Women throughout our nation are looking to Nevada to defend their right to make their own health and reproductive decisions. Now is the time to step up, make our voices heard, and vote — because Roe could be gone before reaching 50.

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