OP-ED: Sen. Baldwin’s Reproductive Health Travel Fund Act is a Necessary Next Step

Fresh off championing the newly signed into law Respect for Marriage Act – a bill that protects the freedom to marry who we love – Sen. Tammy Baldwin’s introduction of the Reproductive Health Travel Fund Act could not have come at a more critical time in the fight for another freedom: abortion rights.

The Reproductive Health Travel Fund Act would distribute grants to help those in need of an abortion pay for travel, childcare, lodging, and other expenses related to the medical procedure.

According to the bill, grants would prioritize patients living in areas where abortion access is severely restricted or not available at all. This includes Wisconsin, where legal abortions have ceased since Roe v. Wade – the decision that declared our right to abortion under the constitution – was overturned this year and an archaic 1849 state abortion ban – with no exceptions for rape or incest – went into effect.

While every person who can become pregnant has been severely impacted by a lack of access to abortion, it’s the marginalized members of our communities, people of color, and those with lower-incomes who have seen the harshest impacts – both before and after Roe v. Wade was overturned.

Sen. Baldwin’s proposed travel fund would help close those gaps and mitigate unequal access to abortion care not just in Wisconsin, but across the country.

No matter a person’s zip code, everybody deserves the freedom to make decisions about growing their families, about what is best for their own bodies, and we shouldn’t have to go broke in order to seek a safe and legal abortion.

Call your federal representatives today at (202) 224-3121 and let them know Wisconsinites support the Reproductive Health Travel Fund Act.