“We support access to reproductive health, including access to a safe and legal abortion. And we stand united as women, women of color, LGBTQ+ folks, as immigrants, as working class, as women, against restrictions to our body and [in support of] free agency to make our own personal, private medical decisions. My pregnancy is personal, and is between a woman, her family, her doctor, her faith– and not politicians.”
These words echoed through the halls of the Florida Legislature in May 2019, passionately delivered by a newly inaugurated Representative who was determined never to allow anti-choice legislators to attack abortion access, and this demonstration was just the beginning of an outstanding term of fighting for reproductive rights in the State House.
In 2018, Anna V. Eskamani ran unapologetically as an abortion rights advocate because she felt that it was her duty to be one hundred percent herself if she was going to ask for the support of House District 47. Eskamani led a campaign with the mindset of protecting safe, legal, and affordable abortion, rather than suggesting that abortion should be “rare.” The Representative said that in order to remove stigma around the procedure, we must change the way discussions are held about abortion so that policy change can be made.
While this election season is hurtling towards the finish line, there are many battles to be fought after November third, most ignantly the fight for reproductive justice. Following the passing of legendary Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the subsequent nomination of a Republican, abortion access is sure to be attacked in the highest court in the land. Also, here in Florida, the Republican majorities of the State House and Senate, alongside the Governor, constantly undermine the right to a safe and legal abortion. More than ever, we need to elect pro-choice public servants and push back against these attacks. One elected official which must be sent back to Tallahassee to take the lead on reproductive justice is State Representative Anna V. Eskamani.
In the last legislative session, Republicans decided to take aim on abortion access in the state. While Representative Eskamani successfully fought back against the failed proposed bill to ban abortion after six weeks, the majority did take home some victories. Under the new law signed by the Governor this year, minors seeking an abortion must acquire consent from a parent before the procedure may occur. This adds yet another significant roadblock in the path to an abortion and lays the groundwork for future attacks on abortion rights for all, jeapordizing the wellbeing of those who can become pregnant all across the state.
Although progressives lost that fight, Anna Eskamani mobilized and has already begun her preparation for next session by working to elect State Representatives who embody pro-choice values. Representatives Kim Daniels and Al Jacquet, both Democrats, voted in favor of the parental consent bill. So, Rep. Eskamani turned to Angie Nixon and Omari Hardy’s campaigns and fought to unseat the incumbents by electing Black, young, progressive, pro-choice candidates. And she won.
However, Eskamani herself also has an election to win. Reproductive rights are under attack, and if the pro-choice movement wants to stand a fighting chance in Tallahassee, then former Planned Parenthood Director Anna V Eskamani must be decisively sent back for a second term so that she can lead this fight alongside her expanding progressive network. Health care is a fundamental human right and access to an affordable, safe, and legal abortion must be granted to all who seek one. Representative Eskamani is the leading voice for reproductive justice in our State Legislature and individuals with uteruses must not lose the right to decide what happens to their own bodies, so it is imperative that the representative is re-elected and pro-choice policy is passed in Tallahassee.
References:
https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/abortion-florida-anna-eskamani/