Last night’s debate—and the challenge we face with 33 days to go

Last night, Donald Trump was rude, loud, abusive, angry, incoherent, racist—and dangerous.  He once again refused to denounce white supremacy and made his intentions clear: he plans to pack the Supreme Court with a nominee handpicked to ratify his stolen election—and overturn both Roe v. Wade and the Affordable Care Act (ACA).  

Joe Biden warned the country and reminded us that the ACA and women’s legal right to abortion could be at risk with the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett, and Barrett will have the chance to deliver on more than one item on Trump’s wish list. On November 10, Donald Trump’s Justice Department will argue before the Supreme Court that the Affordable Care Act should be struck down in its entirety. In Amy Coney Barrett, Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell are assured they have a reliable vote against the ACA. 

Amy Coney Barrett is already on the record attacking the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the ACA, and NOW is working to block this nomination from being considered, in defiance of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s own dying wish. Here are some ways you can take action now: 

Justice Ginsburg knew that the ACA protects women from being denied or charged more for coverage if insurers determined they had a preexisting condition, as this article from the Center for American Progress and the National Partnership for Women & Families explains.  Pre-existing conditions have also been used to deny women coverage due to having a C-section, surviving breast or cervical cancer, or receiving medical treatment for domestic or sexual violence. 

Here’s a good article from the Atlantic about how gutting coverage for people with pre-existing conditions is the central feature of the Republican plan to repeal and replace the ACA.  And as this study from the National Women’s Law Center shows, “being a woman in America continued to be a pre-existing condition for becoming poor—and women of color are most at risk.”  

That’s part of the reason why women are so energized in this election.  NOW is working to turn out the largest feminist voting bloc in history to defeat Donald Trump, build the House majority, and replace Mitch McConnell’s Senate graveyard with a feminist majority intent on voting for lasting, overdue change.  In case you missed it, here’s a link to Stacey Abrams’ website and documentary, All In:  The Fight for Democracy, that includes detailed information about how to make your plan to vote.  

And finally, my poem for the week is “Elliptical,” by Harryette Mullen. Her poems have been described “as pointed as they are playful.”  I hope you enjoy it, and I’ll have more to share with you next week.