Women of Color Will Keep Fighting to Protect Our Care

Editor’s Note: Statement by Cristina Aguilar, Executive Director of the Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights (COLOR) on Senate vote on a motion to proceed in debate on a bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act:

On July 25^th, the United States Senate voted on a motion to proceed with yet another debate on yet another bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and take care away from hundreds of thousands of people here in Colorado and millions across the country. It is unconscionable that so much time is being wasted on legislation that would harm so many people when our lawmakers could be eliminating barriers to care and creating positive solutions to the issues that face our country.

We have children living in poverty and women of color are facing a maternal health crisis, but our supposed leaders aren’t dealing with that. Instead, they are looking at slashing Medicaid and taking away protections for people with pre-existing conditions and stripping away health coverage so that many people simply will not be able to afford to see a doctor no matter how sick they get.

It seems ridiculous that we have to come together for rallies and organize people to make phone calls and hold lobby meetings to get lawmakers to understand that healthcare is not only necessary to the safety of the people they represent, but also a basic human right. How can they possibly believe that they are serving their constituents by taking away healthcare?

There are many Latinas who have health insurance for the first time. Losing this much-needed access to care would have wide reaching and devastating impacts. A lack of information and services to manage chronic health problems and a lack of affordable preventative care has taken its toll on our community making the threat of losing much needed health insurance that much worse. That is why we are going to continue to RISE UP!

Today’s vote was a close one. Vice President Pence had to come in to break a tie. Our activism is working. They have had to re-write the bill over and over. Republic members cancelled town halls in fear of hearing from angry constituents who don’t want to see their healthcare access taken away. We cannot stop fighting. It is not over!

We must do all we can to ensure that Latinas and our families are each able to live our lives with dignity and have access to the support and health care we need to thrive. We will continue to call and write and protest and rally. We will not stop. We will keep fighting because let’s be real – our families have a lot to lose and too many of our lives are riding on this vote.

Join us at the Colorado Lives on the Line Rally, Saturday, July 29^th, at 10am-11am, at Denver City Park, 2001 Colorado Blvd., Denver. For more info: http://bit.ly/2tHVeix.

Cristina Aguilar, Executive Director of the Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights (COLOR).