As I talk to voters across Montgomery and Elmore Counties, I hear the same thing again and again: people want leaders who focus on what actually matters in their daily lives.
For many Alabama families, that includes something basic but essential—the ability to make their own decisions about contraception.
This isn’t abstract. It’s about whether a woman can manage a serious health condition, whether a couple can decide when they’re ready to have a child, and whether someone can stay on track at work or in school without their life being thrown off course. For working families, it’s about stability—the ability to plan for the future, stay healthy and keep moving forward.
That stability no longer feels guaranteed.
When the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in a concurring opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that the Court should “reconsider” precedents protecting the right to contraception. That raised real concerns for families across Alabama who had every reason to believe this right was secure.
Alabama should not wait for that uncertainty to turn into a crisis.
Alabama House Bill 642 would protect the right to contraception and IVF and ensure individuals can make personal health decisions without political interference.
For many women, contraception is not just about family planning. It plays a critical role in managing conditions such as endometriosis and polycystic ovarian syndrome, and can even reduce the risk of certain cancers.
Studies have shown that when women can plan their pregnancies, they are more likely to complete their education, advance their careers and achieve economic independence.
When that stability is undermined, families pay the price. Women are forced to miss work, parents struggle with unplanned expenses, and doctors see more preventable medical crises in emergency rooms. These disruptions ripple through households, workplaces and local economies.
This should not be up for political games—it’s about whether families can make their own decisions and plan for the future.
Polling shows that 90 percent of the public supports the right to contraception, including strong majorities across party lines—this isn’t controversial, it’s common sense.
Protecting the right to contraception reflects values Alabamians already share—personal responsibility, limited government and respect for private medical decisions. The question comes down to whether the government works for regular people or keeps interfering in choices it has no business making.
As a committed Christian and pastor’s wife, I know how these decisions relate to our moral convictions and spiritual commitments. The government should not be interfering in the individual’s right and obligation to make such decisions in accordance with those convictions and commitments. People of all faiths – and no faith – want this freedom protected, not debated.
Alabama families need lawmakers to act.
Momentum is already building across the state, and lawmakers now face a clear choice. Families, healthcare providers and community leaders have made clear they want certainty, including at a recent Huntsville forum led by Representative Marilyn Lands, where advocates emphasized protecting the right to contraception and IVF.
Political leaders in Montgomery should move the legislation protecting the right to contraception and IVF out of committee and advance it without delay.
Alabama has an opportunity to show that when it comes to fundamental freedoms and basic healthcare, we can come together and get it right. Delaying action only prolongs uncertainty. Acting now provides clarity and peace of mind for families across our state.
This issue is not complicated. It comes down to whether people in our state can make their own decisions about their own lives—today and in the future.
