In 1970, Hawaii became the first state to legalize abortion access, three years before Roe v. Wade protected abortion nationwide. On March 11, we celebrate the elected officials’ political courage resulting in 50 years of safe, legal abortion in Hawaii.

This milestone couldn’t come at a more important moment as states across the country and the federal government continue their unrelenting assault on reproductive health and rights. Right now the U.S. Supreme Court threatens to gut Roe v. Wade in June Medical Services v. Russo, a Louisiana case about a medically unnecessary restriction designed to make abortion inaccessible.

While the court could seek to overturn Roe v. Wade, it is more likely that it will render it virtually meaningless by allowing states to restrict abortion for any reason.

Here in Hawaii, we’ve had 50 years to ensure that the right to abortion is not just a right in name. However, many legislators have been loath to even talk about abortion, much less stand up for legislation to ensure that people across the state have meaningful access to reproductive health care. Their fear has resulted in people on islands other than Oahu and in geographically isolated and rural areas suffering the injustice of hearing about how “progressive” Hawaii is while finding themselves unable to exercise even basic rights to health care.

Legislators may continue to pat themselves on the back for our reputation as a progressive state, but unless and until they actually exercise leadership and make real progress toward ensuring reproductive health and rights, this reputation will be undeserved.

Even with a Democratic supermajority and overwhelming public support for abortion and reproductive health care access, legislative leadership continues to placate fearful legislators, at the expense of their constituents’ ability to access the health care they need. With all the attacks at the federal level, the people of Hawaii need our legislators to channel the courage of the past and protect access to reproductive health care.

This legislative session alone, a bill that would allow qualified providers like nurse practitioners to provide abortion care was not even scheduled for a hearing. While the Senate passed a health equity bill that will require insurance companies to cover the full range of sexual and reproductive health care with no copays, we need the House to build on that effort and make reproductive health care more accessible, not less.

While Gov. David Ige came out strong in 2018 against the Trump administration’s unethical federal family planning program gag rule, the Hawaii Legislature must now lead and lean into its values by fully funding a state family planning program that covers affordable reproductive health care. The funding currently proposed in the budget is woefully inadequate and the Legislature has the duty to protect the health and lives of people in Hawaii who are at risk, especially for communities that already face historic barriers to health care.

Without leadership and political courage, we will never see meaningful progress. The Legislature needs to muster courage and act to protect access to reproductive health care.

It’s been 50 years since Hawaii enshrined abortion rights in state law — a monumental opening leap that has only been followed by decades of minimal progress. It is time to stand up for what is right and remember when Hawaii was a leader; being first means nothing if we don’t continue to make our state better every day that follows. We must continue to make progress — lives depend on it.

Laurie Field is the Hawaii state director for Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest and Hawaii.