There is no doubt that it’s a hard time for all that we hold dear in America. The vision and policies Donald Trump has proposed for America are a clear and present danger to women, our bodies, our freedoms and our economic stability.
The fight for progress is never over and never easy. We will overcome this, because that’s what our movement has always done. From the fights for women’s suffrage, civil rights for African Americans, and LGBT equality, we know that the road for movements like ours is long and full of challenges. The setbacks we face along the way only confirm how much is truly at stake; they are cues that tell us when it is most important to stand up and fight back.
Our work did not start with this election, and it was never going to end with it.
NARAL was founded before Roe v. Wade made it possible to even think about women having the right to legal abortion in this country. Through organizing support and demanding change, our movement has proven that we can win historic victories even against a determined opposition. In good times and bad, we have always fought to expand abortion access and defend our reproductive freedom and that will never change.
In 2016, the election result may have turned on many things, but with seven in 10 Americans supporting safe and legal abortion, it cannot be read as license to ban abortion and roll back our rights. Yet we know that’s exactly what anti-choice extremists will try to do as they seek to use the Trump administration to push their dangerous agenda forward. And we will be there to fight back.
But we can’t do it alone. We need your support now more than ever. Here’s how you can help:
- Sign up to march, knock, and call. We’ll need you by our side when we defend the Supreme Court, fight back against nationwide abortion bans, and organize in every community to support our basic rights. Become a volunteer with NARAL Pro-Choice America — we’ve got work to do year round, not just during election years. And we need your help.
- Donate. Every single dollar counts. We need support to make our work happen, and we’ll be working harder than ever before over the next four years.
- Share your story. Sharing your story is a powerful way to speak out for choice. Your story can also bring about real change. It can inspire another person to speak out, and it could even help pass a pro-choice bill.
- Follow us on Facebook and on Twitter. Organizing in this day and age happens online. Show your friends and loved ones on your feeds how they can get involved, or how you are standing up for reproductive rights yourself.
- Talk to your friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors. Engage with people who cast a ballot for Trump. Hear their concerns. We know that regardless of how someone voted, the majority of Americans don’t want our elected leaders to ban abortion or make birth control more expensive. We need everyone — even Trump supporters — to stand with us in the coming years as we rally to defend our most basic rights.
- Call attention to the issues you care about by attending events with other advocates and participating in town halls and local government.
- Get NARAL’s updates on where and when we need you in the coming months. We’re holding a series of upcoming events and volunteer opportunities. Get our updates so you know when and where to be.
- Call your member of Congress and voice your support of reproductive freedom.
- Vote in local and state elections next year, and every year, because change happens at every level of government.
The opportunity to determine our nation’s future didn’t end when the polls closed. So if you’re angry or upset about what happened on Election Day, this is for you. Don’t give up. Speak up and speak out. We have the power to make sure we build an America where diversity is our strength, respect is our mandate, and no person is forced to live in fear.
