Longhurst said there were some who questioned the necessity of taking such action four years ago.
“People were asking us, ‘Why do that now? Because you have Roe v. Wade.’ We took the precaution knowing that this was going to come forward,” she said. “We are fortunate to live in a state that values and defends reproductive freedom, but this freedom should not end at our state line when we know that these legislative attempts to interfere with reproductive rights can lead to disastrous consequences and often have the worst effects on marginalized communities.”
Earlier this year, abortion rights supporters like Sen. Kyle Evans Gay defeated a bill that would have required doctors to offer an ultrasound or fetal heartbeat monitor to patients seeking an abortion.
“Even in a state like Delaware, where we thankfully have codified Roe v. Wade, we see perennial attacks on the rights of women to access safe and legal abortions. Extreme laws like the Texas ban only emboldened players in other states, including our own, who will stop at no cost to limit access,” Gay said. “I can’t tell you that we can stop attacks on reproductive freedoms either here at home or in other states, but I can promise you that we will not stop fighting. I can promise you that we will not give an inch.”