Freedom of Choice Act
Pro-choice members of the House and Senate introduce federal legislation to protect women from the anti-choice movement’s divisive attacks on reproductive freedom.
NARAL Pro-Choice America has announced its support for legislation introduced by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) that would secure a woman’s right to choose. The Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) would protect women’s reproductive rights even if President Bush and his anti-choice allies in Congress and the state legislatures continue to dismantle Roe v. Wade.
“After years of quietly chipping away at Roe v. Wade, the South Dakota ban on abortion exposed the anti-choice movement’s true agenda: to overturn Roe,” said Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America. “Today, a woman’s right to choose hangs by a very thin thread.”
In the 33 years since Roe v. Wade was decided, the right to choose has been systematically dismantled by anti-choice legislators. In fact, in some places around America, it is more difficult now than before 1973 to access safe, legal abortion care. States have enacted more than 450 anti-choice measures since 1995 alone. These measures make the right to choose a right in name only for many American women.
The overall picture is even more alarming: Women in 19 states could face sweeping bans on abortion if the Supreme Court reverses Roe and allows states to re-criminalize abortion, menacing doctors and their patients with the threat of criminal investigation, prosecution, and even imprisonment.
“Americans don’t want to see this landmark decision overturned,” continued Keenan. “I applaud Senator Boxer and Representative Nadler for their leadership in supporting women’s reproductive freedom and personal privacy, and I urge all members of Congress to support this bill.”
If passed, FOCA would establish a federal law guaranteeing reproductive freedom for future generations of American women. FOCA would ensure that women’s rights remain intact, even if President Bush, Congress, and the courts are successful in reversing Roe v. Wade or imposing even more restrictions on our right to choose.
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