Supreme Court Decision Marks Setback for Women’s Health and Privacy
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 18, 2007
Contact: Tamara Murray, 415.890.1020 Supreme Court Decision Marks Setback for Women’s Health and Privacy Court’s ruling opens door for more political interference in personal, private medical decisions SAN FRANCISCO – Amy Everitt, state director of NARAL Pro-Choice California, issued the following statement in response to today’s Supreme Court decision in the Federal Abortion Ban cases. “Today’s decision shows Bush’s appointees have moved the Court in a direction that undermines Roe v. Wade and protections for women’s health. Residents of California should know that today’s decision means a Bush-backed anti-choice law now trumps our state’s greater protections for choice. “Elections matter. California voters have consistently elected state leaders who have stood up for—not attacked—our freedom and privacy. Today’s decision shows how an anti-choice Congress and anti-choice president can use the political process to push this ban all the way to the Supreme Court and make it the law of the land, overriding our state’s pro-choice laws that protect women’s health. “The Court has disregarded the medical opinion of leading doctors who oppose the ban. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists—which represents 90 percent of the OB GYNs in this country — says the ban is harmful to women’s health and interferes with medical decision making. “This case is about more than abortion. This decision means the Court is willing to side with the Bush administration and uphold laws that interfere with personal decisions that should be left up to a woman and her family. “Indeed, this is a setback for all Americans who believe politicians should not make private, personal medical decisions for the rest of us.” Background The Supreme Court struck down an almost identical state law as unconstitutional in 2000, and every court to hear a challenge to this first-ever federal ban on abortion declared it unconstitutional. Since the Court’s decision in 2000, President Bush appointed Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court and abortion foes see these appointments as an opportunity to undermine the Roe v. Wade decision. NARAL Pro-Choice America and its affiliate network lobbied strongly against the law and submitted an amicus brief to the Court arguing that the only appropriate remedy for the ban’s constitutional flaws was to bar its enforcement entirely. Media Availability Amy Everitt, state director of NARAL Pro-Choice California, is available for interviews regarding today’s Supreme Court ruling on the Federal Abortion Ban. Please call Tamara Murray at 415.890.1020. California’s Pro-Choice Community Responds The following issue experts and organizations are available for interviews regarding today’s Supreme Court ruling on the Federal Abortion Ban: Planned Parenthood Golden Gate Contact: Liz Haas, 415.720.3353 California Medical Association Contact: Karen Nikos, 916.551.2069 Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health
Contact: Libby Benedict, 415.947.0680 American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, District IX Contact: Margaret Merritt, 916.920.8100 Law Students for Choice Contact: Jill Adams, 415.890.1020 ChoiceUSA, Mills College Chapter Contact: Erin Mowlds, 541.280.6400 ###
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