----- Original Message ----- From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> NOW and NARAL on Supreme Court Abortion Ruling
1. Supreme Court Upholds Abortion Procedure Ban "Most Political Decision Since Bush v. Gore" 2. Supreme Court Decision Marks Setback for Women's Health and Privacy === National Organization for Women http://www.now.org/press/04-07/04-18.html Supreme Court Upholds Abortion Procedure Ban "Most Political Decision Since Bush v. Gore" Statement of NOW President Kim Gandy April 18, 2007 Today the Supreme Court upheld this nation's first abortion procedure ban-a ban enacted by George W. Bush and conservatives in Congress. Five justices, including Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Samuel Alito-both installed by Bush and a Republican-majority Senate-ruled that the law does not violate a woman's constitutional right to abortion. Not since Bush v. Gore has the Supreme Court made such a political decision, or one that so completely distorts the law and disregards the U.S. Constitution. The law is so vaguely written that it may ban the most common abortion procedure used after 12 weeks of pregnancy, and there is no exception to allow its use if the woman's health is in serious danger. The joint ruling in Gonzales v. Carhart and Gonzales v. Planned Parenthood is a major step in the campaign to outlaw all abortions, first by chipping away at and then by fully overturning Roe v. Wade. Bush used his allies' control in Congress to push through anti-abortion legislation, and he used their power to confirm anti-abortion justices to the Supreme Court-justices who have now upheld that same legislation. The National Organization for Women and other advocates predicted as much, and fought tooth and nail against the confirmation of Roberts, and even more passionately against Alito, who replaced Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. Now we see that apparently, everything Roberts and Alito said at their confirmation hearings about respecting precedent was a pack of lies. When the time came for women's rights supporters in the Senate to prevent confirmation of Sam Alito, the "fifth vote" against abortion rights, only 25 senators stood up for women. And indeed he was the fifth vote for the majority in today's decision. The senators who voted to end the Democratic filibuster, thus allowing Alito to join the court, must be reminded that their failure led to this day. We must stop the stacking of the federal courts and work toward a congressional majority that supports women's rights. Tellingly, seven years ago in Stenberg v. Carhart, the Supreme Court ruled against an almost identical ban enacted in Nebraska. The clear precedent set by Stenberg in 2000 was the reason three U.S. Courts of Appeal declared the federal ban unconstitutional. But last year the Bush administration pressed on with appeals to the Supreme Court by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. So why did Gonzales forge ahead when a clear precedent had been set only six years earlier? And why did the court uphold this ban, effectively undoing that precedent? In the dissenting opinion, Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg explains it quite clearly: "Though today's opinion does not go so far as to disregard Roe or Casey, the Court, differently composed that it was when we last considered a restrictive abortion regulation, is hardly faithful to our earlier invocations of the 'rule of law' and the 'principles of stare decisis.'" In other words: The Supreme Court changed, stupid! This is a clarion call for feminists, progressives and everyone who cares about justice, equality and democracy. We must link arms and say "No more." We must elect a Congress that will repeal this ban and a president who will sign the repeal. November 2008 can't come soon enough. ### For Immediate Release Contact: Mai Shiozaki, 202-628-8669, ext. 116; cell 202-641-1906 Sign up to receive press releases by email | by RSS Copyright 1995-2007, All rights reserved. Permission granted for non-commercial use. National Organization for Women (This was printed from http://www.now.org/press/04-07/04-18.html) === FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 18, 2007 Supreme Court Decision Marks Setback for Women's Health and Privacy http://www.naral.org/news/press-releases/2007/pr04182007_scotus.html Court's ruling opens door for more political interference in personal, private medical decisions Washington, DC Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro- Choice America, 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 could further undermine Roe v. Wade and protections for women's health. The door is now open for politicians like George W. Bush to interfere even more in our personal, private medical decisions. The Court has given anti-choice state lawmakers the green light to open the flood gates and launch additional attacks on safe, legal abortion, without any regard for women's health. "The bottom line is clear: elections matter. An anti- choice Congress and an anti-choice president pushed this ban all the way to the Supreme Court. In fact, the same politicians behind this abortion ban also block stem-cell research and interfered in the Terri Schiavo case. We need to elect more pro-choice members of Congress and a president who will stand up for-not attack-our fundamental values of freedom and privacy. "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 partner 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. Many pro-choice lawmakers, including presidential candidates, opposed the Bush Federal Abortion Ban. These leaders are right to remind the public that President Bush's appointees to the Court are taking women's reproductive rights in a dangerous direction." 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. Contact: Ted Miller, 202.973.3032 == Submit via email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe: www.portside.org/subscribe Search the archives: www.portside.org/archive *** University of Venice Teach-In on the war, and its impact on our community 2-6 PM, Sunday, April 22 Venice Methodist Church, 2210 Lincoln Blvd. Celebrate Earth Day by stopping the war refreshments * music * 310-399-2215 * [EMAIL PROTECTED] * www.venicepeaceandfreedom.org $10 Donation (Students $5) * Sponsor: Venice Peace & Freedom The featured speaker is Dr. Dahlia S. Wasfi, an Iraqi-American activist, who is speaking out against the war in Iraq. Born in 1971 to a Jewish mother, and an Iraqi father, Dr. Wasfi spent her early childhood in Iraq, which was then under Saddam Hussein. In 1977, she returned with her family to the United States. She graduated from Swarthmore College in 1993 with a B.A. in biology, and from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in 1997. Dr. Wasfi was recently in Iraq, and based on her experiences, she is speaking out to end the occupation. Videos on YouTube.com (search for Dahlia Wasfi). Plus short presentations and discussions: * The War and Women - Kamala Lopez-Dawson, Actress, and Director and Producer of A SINGLE WOMAN, a new film about the life of Congresswoman Jeannette Rankin. * The War and the Religious Community - Pastor Tom Ziegert, Venice United Methodist Church. * The Next War: Iran? - Faramarz Nabavi, Peace Advocate. * The War and the Israel-Palestine Conflict - TBA * The War and Militarism in the Schools - Gregory Sotir, Campaign Against the Military in Schools (CAMS) * The War and the Environment - Professor Karl Abrams, Author and former candidate for state Assembly. * The War and Racism - Yolanda Miranda, Union organizer and immigration activist. * The War and Politics - Jim Smith, Writer and former candidate for Congress. * The War and Social Needs - Dr. Alice Stek, OB/GYN and HIV/AIDS specialist. 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