Roe v. Wade became precedent in 1973, when the constitutional right to abortion access became the established law of the land. And it remained, despite being under constant attack, for nearly 50 years. 

Even though those rights were protected, they certainly weren't accessible for everyone in need of abortion care. For women in northern Wisconsin, the closest abortion access has been and continues to be in Minnesota.

If you live where Kelly does, that's at least an hour and a half, up to a four-hour drive each way. If you can't afford time off work, the cost of travel, child care, or the procedure itself, then abortion access was already out of reach. But at least you wouldn't be criminalized for pursuing it. 

Since the leaked Supreme Court opinion came out, we have heard countless heartbreaking stories about women's experiences with abortion. Women in abusive relationships, women who were trafficked, women with dangerous or inviable pregnancies. These women should not be demonized or criminalized for making the impossibly difficult decision that was right for them. 

We've also heard stories from before Roe v. Wade was established. Women who lost their mothers or sisters when desperate circumstances and botched abortions took their lives too soon. Women who were traumatized because they were forced to carry a pregnancy to term after the initial trauma of rape. 

It is on all of us to do what we can to resist this theft of our constitutionally-protected freedom to decide whether or not to have children, when, and how many. 

As your State Senator, Kelly will do everything in her power to codify these protections in the law, rather than leaving the women of Wisconsin subject to an outdated and unjust law that was passed before women even had the right to vote.