New Report Shows Harmful Restrictions on Women’s Reproductive Freedom
JANUARY 19, 2006 New Report Shows Harmful Restrictions on Women’s Reproductive FreedomMichigan’s Grade Remains an F; Nation’s Overall Grade is a D-(Washington, DC) – A new report from NARAL-Pro-Choice America shows Michigan earned an F in ability to protect women’s access to reproductive health services, compared to a D- for the nation. Earning the same grade for the second consecutive year, this report reflects an alarming trend in Michigan, and nationally, that puts women’s reproductive rights in jeopardy. Rebekah Warren, Executive Director for MARAL Pro-Choice Michigan, said she hopes the report will mobilize pro-choice Americans in Michigan to renew their commitment to the fight to protect women’s reproductive rights and freedoms. “MARAL Pro-Choice Michigan is poised to continue our efforts to protect women’s reproductive rights and freedoms. In the year ahead, we face some major battles, both here in Michigan and at the national level. MARAL Pro-Choice Michigan will continue to stand up to those who do not support the fundamental American values of personal freedom, personal responsibility and personal decision-making to protect our freedom of choice,” said Warren. MARAL Pro-Choice Michigan, an affiliate of NARAL Pro-Choice America, the nation’s leading advocate of personal privacy and a woman’s right to choose, released the 15th annual edition of Who Decides? The Status of Reproductive Rights in the United States. This comprehensive report summarizes the status of women’s access to reproductive healthcare nationwide, and exposes the unfortunate reality that many American women lack meaningful access to the full range of reproductive health services. The report grades each state and the District of Columbia on women’s reproductive rights and summarizes related state laws. Currently in Michigan:
- Women seeking abortions must read and sign a state-mandated “informed consent” packet which includes photographs of unborn fetuses and which has been criticized for its misleading information;
- The state gags public agencies from counseling on abortion as an option and prohibits them from providing the service or referring patients to an abortion provider;
- Women must abide by a 24-hour waiting period before getting an abortion, despite the fact that 83% of Michigan counties have no abortion provider so many women must travel long distances to get this medical treatment;
- Michigan has an unconstitutional and unenforceable law restricting post-viability.
“Instead of continuing to pass restrictions to reproductive health care, the Michigan Legislature should be focusing on ways to better improve women’s health care. Improving access for low-income women to reproductive and prenatal health care, assuring conceptive equity in insurance coverage, and improving medically accurate sexuality education to our young people would be a more responsible and appropriate allocation of the State’s money and resources,” Warren said. “If the Legislature has a goal of reducing the number of abortions in Michigan, focusing on preventing unintended pregnancies would be a better place to begin.” This timely report comes we celebrate thirty-three years of the Supreme Court’s landmark Roe v. Wade decision and as the Senate debates Samuel Alito’s nomination to the Supreme Court. The report shows that the anti-choice state strategy Alito developed in 1985 as a lawyer in the Reagan administration and did not refute in his confirmation hearings, is coming to fruition. “Samuel Alito was an architect of the far right’s strategy,” said Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America. “It is clear that with the direction of the Supreme Court is heading, if Roe v. Wade is overturned, 19 states are poised to overturn Roe v. Wade. It is also clear that the far right has gone too far. It won’t end there. The far right is moving the battle toward blocking women’s access to birth control.” Rebekah Warren said, “Alito’s confirmation could shift the Court in a direction that threatens to eviscerate the core protections for women’s freedom guaranteed by Roe v. Wade, or overturn the landmark decision altogether. As citizens of a state with a pre-Roe criminal ban on abortion and an extremely anti-choice state legislature, we are all too aware that the U.S. Supreme Court is our last line of defense when anti-choice laws are passed by state governments, Congress and the White House.” Warren added, “As citizens and voters, we demand that our leaders at all levels of government, from the President, the Courts, the Congress, and our state House and Senate halt their attack on Michigan women and their families.” The report is made available through NARAL Pro-Choice America. A link to the report can be found at www.prochoicemichigan.org. Contact: Kelly Hamilton at 517.327.4707.
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