In defiance of Wednesday’s 30th anniversary of Roe v.
Wade, the White House declared last Sunday to be a day to honor the
“sanctity of life.” This serves as a reminder that
thirty years after abortion was legalized, reproductive rights are
still under attack.
In 2002 alone, states enacted 34 new measures that restrict
access to reproductive services including abortion, contraception
and sex education. One of the most egregious examples is a new bill
presented in the Georgia legislature that would require all women
seeking an abortion to first procure a “death warrant”
(a document the woman must stand trial to receive). Slowly but
surely freedoms we take for granted are being taken away with
measures that, for example, mandate parental consent forms for
minors seeking an abortion and forbid the mention of contraception
in sex education classes.
Ultra-conservative states like Georgia can now look to the
President and Congress to support their anti-abortion stance. Bush
has the power to nominate judges not only to the Supreme Court, but
also to the many federal courts. The recent conservative sweep in
November’s congressional election has facilitated the
confirmation of Bush’s judicial appointments.
Bush’s lack of regard for the pro-abortion-rights majority
in the United States is evident in his nomination of judges like
Michael McConnell (Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals) who is a known
advocate for overturning Roe v. Wade. Although Bush has not yet had
the opportunity to make Supreme Court appointments, the court does
not actually hear many cases, leaving the Court of Appeals with the
final say on many matters. Even though these Circuit Courts do not
have national scope, they can severely limit reproductive freedoms
and set a dangerous precedent should a case reach the Supreme
Court.
This new conservative majority in the federal government is not
limiting their agenda to eradicating a woman’s right to
choose. They have also put forward legislation that would ban stem
cell research. Stem cells gathered from embryos are necessary to
scientists in finding treatment for many diseases including
diabetes, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
They have also enacted laws that deny funding to any public
school sex education program that teaches students how to use birth
control. In fact, the Bush-appointed Attorney General John Ashcroft
has publicly stated his opposition to family-planning methods like
birth control and emergency contraception. Though unable to ban
access to family planning in the United States, Bush and Ashcroft
did successfully eliminate federal funding for family planning
agencies in other countries if they so much as mention
abortion.
Thirty years after the landmark Roe v. Wade case, polls show
that the majority of United States citizens believe that decisions
regarding abortion should be left to a woman and her doctor.
President Bush and the anti-abortion Congress are well aware of
this fact, which is why they downplay their continued attempts to
undermine the court’s decision.
Bush and Congress capitalize on the fact that abortion is a
touchy subject and although they claim to protect the
“sanctity of life,” they legislate measures that can
only serve to produce more abortions, like denying high schoolers
information about how to prevent pregnancy. For years, states have
passed laws that make access to reproductive services harder and
harder to get. Now, with a federal stamp of approval from Bush
appointees in the Circuit Courts, these laws ““ some of which
require a husband or boyfriend’s consent to get an abortion
““ can only become more abundant.
It is not the time for anyone who believes in reproductive
choices to become complacent. Roe v. Wade is only one Supreme Court
justice away from being overturned, and the limits that each state
can place on the decision are endless. We, as voters, cannot let
the President or the extremists in Congress make a mockery of that
decision. Now is the time to make our support for choice heard in
Washington. Take action, whether it is by organizing a rally or
writing a letter to your congressional representative. There are
many ways to get involved at UCLA, such as through clubs like Vox
(a newly formed club affiliated with Planned Parenthood) and the
Bruin Democrats. If you believe medical decisions can’t be
legislated, tell Congress you are for abortion rights.