Minnesota NARAL Marks 30th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade
Saint Paul, Minnesota—-As reproductive rights supporters celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision that legalized a woman’s right to terminate a pregnancy, Minnesota NARAL warns the pro-choice movement of threats to come. "Women have had 30 years of the right to make their own decisions affecting their reproductive health," said Tim Stanley, executive director of Minnesota NARAL. "Unfortunately, at no other time has the right to choose been endangered as much as today. The public must recognize this threat with the urgency it deserves." "Today we are celebrating 30 years of this basic American right, but we must remember that both in Minnesota and at the national level, women’s ability to access safe and legal abortion is not guaranteed," said Stanley. "I call on pro-choice Minnesotans to demand protection of a woman’s right to choose before it is too late." The threats to the future of reproductive rights include: America faces a White House and a majority in Congress that oppose a woman’s right to choose whether to have an abortion or not. Roe v. Wade is in peril. In the last abortion-related case, the Supreme Court was split 5-4. It has been seven years since a vacancy on the Supreme Court ¾ the longest period in 178 years. George W. Bush will likely nominate 2 or 3 individuals who will serve as Supreme Court Justices.In Minnesota, anti-choice forces have already indicated their intent to push for a variety of initiatives that will further erode reproductive rights, including: cutting all or some family planning funds or attaching a gag rule that effectively paralyze family planning clinics, forcing women to wait 24 hours before receiving an abortion and requiring that she be read a state-mandated script prior to the procedure, a ban on certain types of abortion procedures, and attacking minors’ ability to consent to their own contraceptive care.In Minnesota, anti-choice forces are also likely to introduce constitutional amendments that would strike down the greater protection of the right to choose in the Minnesota Constitution, paving the way for making abortion illegal in this state if the Supreme Court overturns or rolls back the Roe v. Wade decision.Minnesota NARAL (National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League) is an affiliate of NARAL Pro-Choice America and is the largest grassroots pro-choice group in Minnesota. Contact: Tim Stanley - 651-602-7655 ###
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