Pro-Choice Students Travel to Saint Paul to Caution Governor & Lawmakers
Students highlight concerns about restrictions on family planning services, promote prevention alternatives. Saint Paul, Minnesota—-Pro-choice students from eighteen greater Minnesota and metro area colleges are at the Capitol today to express their concerns about lawmakers’ ill-advised reproductive health care policies. Students question the wisdom of the social conservative agenda, which in addition to restrictions on abortion rights, also includes restricting family planning funds, and not supporting pregnancy prevention initiatives. Earlier, students participated in tours of Minnesota family planning clinics where they learned about the vital services clinics provide. Students heard about the consequences of eliminating or severely cutting these services. “The ‘Super Gag Rule’ (H.F. 436, S.F. 431) is dangerous. Making health care providers and social service agencies choose between receiving funding to serve low-income women and offering responsible health care is bad public policy and unfair to Minnesota women,” said Jessica Crary, an international public health graduate student at Minnesota State University Mankato and a NARAL Campus Intern. “During such a huge budget crisis, lawmakers should remember that every one dollar spent on family planning saves the state three dollars,” commented Marta Ruohoniemi, Macalester College communications student and Minnesota NARAL Campus Intern. “Lawmakers should focus on programs that are proven to prevent unintended pregnancies and ensure women have real choices for safe and legal reproductive health services, including contraceptives and unplanned pregnancy options.” As students caution lawmakers against restricting family planning funding, they also support legislation that would proactively improve women’s health and reduce the number of unintended pregnancies. The “Emergency Care for Sexual Assault Victims Act of 2003” would require hospital emergency rooms to make emergency contraception available to survivors of sexual assault. Students are participating in a petition campaign to support this responsible bill at www.ECminnesota.org. Minnesota NARAL 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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