March 3rd, 2023 Newsletter
Message from our executive director
As 2022 ballot initiative measures in Michigan, Kansas, Kentucky, and several other states demonstrate, abortion remains a top, persuasive issue for voters across diverse states and of all demographic backgrounds. However, there were also losses in the last election cycle that serve as a reminder that our work is long-term. The harmful, life-endangering barriers to reproductive healthcare that anti-choice forces have erected will likely take decades to dismantle.
As we look to the future, we have a unique opportunity to build upon current momentum and to ensure the 2022 election was not a one time response to the overturning of Roe. Project 50 aims to support and lead in this effort, utilizing our unique perspective, collaborating with others who are on the ground advocating for reproductive rights, and fighting to recruit and elect compassionate, pro-choice candidates.
With this new momentum, Project 50 has also, for the first time since its inception, opened the doors for new leadership to join its Board of Directors. I have spent the first two months of the year connecting with leaders across the country to identify reproductive rights champions who Project 50 would like to invite to serve at the helm of our nation-wide movement. Our long-term goal is to have representation from each of our most “at-risk” states. If you are interested in being considered to join Project 50 leadership, please contact me at info@project50.net.
I hope you will join our fight.
Bryan Howard, Executive Director
Where We Are Today
Less than one year after Roe v. Wade was overturned, 16 million women in 13 states have lost the right to access reproductive healthcare and determine their future.
Before Roe was overturned, 200,000 women in the 13 states sought abortion healthcare annually, over 10,000 of whom were minors. They now must travel out of their home states to access this healthcare.
As such, many pregnant people will not receive the care they need. They may not have the necessary money, access to childcare, or ability to take time away from work, and as a result, their lives will change irrevocably.
We can’t acquiesce to this new “normal.” But in too many states, supporters of reproductive rights do not have the political power to change the situation. In fact, the relative political power of reproductive rights advocates continued to erode in 2022 in most of the states that have already banned abortion healthcare.
Map Of The 13 States With Abortion Bans
Where We Are Going:
The good news among so much bad is that the foundations are being laid to turn the tide and build political power for reproductive rights state by state.
Community leaders – who know the opportunities and threats in their states – are beginning to form local pro-choice PACs, raise money, and identify candidates to support. These activists are mostly young professional women in their 20s, 30s, and 40s, and their programs are ripe for growth. However, while they know their turf, they are also isolated, disconnected from similar groups in other states, and ineligible for the technical assistance that national organizations reserve for their own local chapters. Project 50 is already in the beginning stages of engaging with potential partners with groups in Arkansas, Indiana, and Oklahoma, with more on the horizon. We aim to serve as a convener, fostering inter-state collaborations and remedying the lack of connection between abortion rights efforts from state to state.
A second opportunity to engage: pro-choice advocates in several states are exploring ballot initiatives to codify reproductive rights despite the opposition of anti-choice politicians. So far, conversations ranging from exploratory to public launch are taking place in:
– Montana
– Nebraska
– North Dakota
– Ohio
– Oklahoma
– Arizona
– Arkansas
– Florida
– Missouri
– South Dakota
Project 50’s 2023 Goals Are To:
Build out a master “playbook” that provides guidance on how to identify, recruit, and train candidates, communicate with voters, and hold electeds accountable.
Survey all of the at risk states to identify groups that can benefit from opportunities to collaborate and may welcome access to tested and proven strategic resources like those pioneered by Personal PAC in Illinois.
Establish priorities for 2024 elections investments.
Grow our Board of Directors.
The success of Project 50 is contingent upon large-scale support across the nation. We hope you will consider supporting our consequential work by either donating here or contacting us at info@project50.net to discuss other ways in which you might help steward our efforts across the country. Thank you.
Paid for by Project 50 (project50.net) and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.