Loosing the Right to Choose
By Catlin Cahil
With the re-election of George W. Bush, along with Republican majorities in both the House and Senate, and an aging supreme court, the future of women’s reproductive rights is uncertain. Many pro-choice and other women’s rights activists fear an attack on a woman’s right to choose and other issues, in the next four year. Much to the delight of pro-choice opponents there are not many barriers to prevent President Bush and his conservative cohorts from overturning Roe v. Wade, and effectively ending a woman’s choice to have an abortion. Bush no longer has to be concerned with his re-election, and he is backed by a Republican majority in both houses of congress. The only thing keeping a women’s right to choose in place is the Supreme court. Having been decided by a 5-4 majority, Roe v. Wade could easily be overturned by one of the pro-choice justices on the Supreme court retire or pass away. Given the age of d the justices, both scenarios are possible. President Bush has all ready stated that he would replace any justice with one who is conservative, if such a situation allow states to put restrictions on women’s reproductive rights and even ban abortions out right, with out any thought to circumstances where it is a health related issue. There is evidence that if Roe were overturned such restrictions would occur. In 2004 alone. 714 anti-choice measures were considered in state legislatures; of those, 29 were enacted. For states with regular legislature sessions, k e was the only state not to consider anti-choice legislation. According to NARAL, the Pro- Choice America Foundation, this is a 28% increase from 2003. NARAL also predicts that if Roe v. Wade were overturned, 19 states would quickly ban abortions, with 19 other states likely to follow suit. So in this time where a woman’s reproductive rights are being chiseled away at and the right to choose an abortion is hanging in the balance, it is important for Pro- Choice believers to stand for their beliefs and made their voice heard. The least we can do is put up a fight. For more ” information on protecting women’s reproductive rights visit: www.prochoiceamerica.org and www.now.org.