Opinion: America needs Sen. Murphy to lead once again

On June 24, Sen. Chris Murphy achieved what many thought was impossible — a bipartisan framework to address America’s gun violence epidemic. The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act broke a decades-long stalemate in moving the needle on gun reform.

Unfortunately, our senator’s greatest political achievement was overshadowed when the Supreme Court, on that very same day, overturned Roe v. Wade. In the immediate aftermath, we became a divided nation — one in which a woman’s right to bodily autonomy, privacy and personal freedom became determined by her residence. While the conservative movement is cheering that abortion will go through the democratic process as it should have prior to Roe, women and girls cannot afford to wait decades for progress on this perilous issue. It is imperative that Congress pass a bipartisan bill codifying abortion law in the United States — which is why we need Sen. Murphy’s respected leadership back on the national stage.

After the tragedies in Buffalo and Uvalde, Murphy made national headlines when he begged Republican colleagues to work with him to pass comprehensive gun reform. While tirelessly working towards a bipartisan compromise, Murphy went on record admitting he would not get everything he wanted; however, he defended this concession, stating, “I also know that it is a really bad strategy to wait until you can get everything you want. Because that moment almost never comes.” We need Murphy and his party to acknowledge that the moment to do something meaningful on reproductive choice at a national level may soon pass us by.

Democrats are facing an uphill battle this November. Americans are concerned about gas prices and how to put food on the table. Inflation rates remain the highest they have been since 1981. Many financial experts predict a recession. Historically, the economy has always been the top voting issue for Americans, and current polling suggests this will likely be the case in the midterms.

A recent Monmouth poll reported Americans are currently more inclined to vote on economic concerns and inflation over abortion access. Regardless of Roe “being on the ballot,” Democrats are at risk of holding onto their slim majority. The patriotic thing to do is for our senator to extend a hand across the aisle, once again, to create a bipartisan solution to America’s abortion laws.

Murphy has a unique opportunity, with other motivated colleagues, to reimagine how America can balance a woman’s right to bodily autonomy, respect for privacy in family planning, decrease maternal mortality rates, increase social and economic support for women choosing to continue a pregnancy, and respect the potential life of a fetus. It is a complicated and challenging endeavor, but for those who care deeply about being an America that champions human rights, this is a task worth pursuing.

I believe Murphy can find non-ideologues on both sides of the aisle to assemble in a good faith effort, along with experts from The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American Academy of Pediatrics, and RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network), to develop legislation that middle of the road Americans will support. Sens. Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins and Tim Kaine were previously working on the Reproductive Choice Act to codify Roe v. Wade. Connecticut residences must urge Murphy to restart those efforts and find others to bring along with him.

Republicans and Democrats would be wise to acknowledge that the majority of Americans are not absolutists on abortion access. A new survey by Pew Research Center on attitudes towards abortion shows 62 percent of U.S. adults believe abortion should be legal in all or most circumstances. When diving deeper into the data, it is clear Americans hold nuanced views regarding abortion depending on the stage of pregnancy, fetal health concerns and how the pregnancy was conceived (i.e., rape and incest).

The Pew data, along with the fact that 93 percent of abortions in America are performed at or before 13 weeks and 6.2 percent between 14 and 20 weeks, can serve as a guide for lawmakers to craft a sensible policy that works for a divided America. There are many peer countries that can serve as potential blueprints for a national law — France, Israel, and Australia to name a few. Even Ireland, with a near 80 percent Catholic population, repealed its abortion ban in 2018 and created new legislation protecting abortion until 12 weeks and up to six months in limited circumstances. Under Murphy’s stewardship, I believe America can adopt a federal law delicately balancing a national right to abortion and a state’s right to finesse the details — even if both sides must give up some of their wish list.

If Congress fails to codify the right to an abortion before November, I fear America’s unity and the dignity of women and girls hangs in the balance. The ramifications in the absence of a federal law has already sowed havoc: neighbors are being financially incentivized to turn on one another with so-called bounty laws; states are gearing up for legal battles over interstate travel; companies are being threatened with penalties for supporting employees seeking out-of-state abortions; and infertility treatments for hundreds of thousands of Americans are in jeopardy. Moreover, obstetricians will be further disincentivized to practice in states with strict abortion bans due to looming threats of fines and jail time — the same states suffering from the highest rates of death by pregnancy. Without a federal law providing consistency and protection for abortion access, sadly, the greatest consequences will fall most on low income, minority women and girls.

America is craving Murphy’s sensible and unapologetic leadership. He has the expertise in building consensus across party lines. He learned the hard way that the Democrats will not always get everything they want the first time around.

But he also understands the urgency to act when a rare moment presents itself. As he aptly noted when advocating for the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, a unified step towards progress is better than no progress. Women and girls throughout America are counting on leaders like Chris Murphy to find a path towards progress.

And while Connecticut residents and physicians remain protected under the newly signed Reproductive Freedom Defense Act, we have a collective responsibility to ensure that the United States of America is a safe and free country for all.

Jenna Diane, of Westport, holds a master’s degree in social work from Columbia University and facilitates support groups for Fairfield County moms with children receiving early intervention.