[dc-zaps] URGENT: Action on Weds., Nov. 5

URGENT ACTION NEEDED!

Please forward this message to everyone you know in the Washington,
D.C., area who cares about keeping abortion safe and legal: 

On Nov. 5, President George W. Bush will sign into law the first
federal ban on abortion procedures since the 1973 Supreme Court decision
in Roe v. Wade made abortion legal.  This ban does not
include an exception for women's health, and it will have a chilling
effect on the ability of physicians to offer women the best, most
appropriate medical care at all times.

Please join NOW and other pro-choice activists at 1:15 pm on Weds., Nov.
5, outside the Ronald Reagan Building at 1300 Pennsylvania Ave, NW (at
14th St.) to stand witness to this travesty. President Bush will be
holding a signing ceremony at the Reagan Building, signaling the
right-wing's long-term goal to overturn Roe v. Wade and outlaw all
abortion procedures.  The actions of Bush and his supporters
demonstrate their disregard for privacy rights and their willingness to
restrict women's access to critical medical treatment.

We need you there on Wednesday to stand up for women's reproductive
freedom.  You can join us during your lunch hour any time between 1
pm and 2 pm; bring your own signs if you like and bring your friends and
co-workers.  If possible, please reply to this message and let us
know if you plan to attend. 

Metro directions:  The Federal Triangle metro stop (blue and orange
lines) is connected to the Ronald Reagan Building by a covered
passageway. In addition, Metro Center (blue, orange, and red lines) and
Smithsonian (blue and orange lines) are within easy walking
distance.

More information on the bill:

Already passed by the House and the Senate, the so-called Partial-Birth
Abortion Ban is a dangerous piece of legislation that jeopardizes women's
health by banning a range of safe, life-saving abortion procedures that
are commonly used after the first trimester of pregnancy. Contrary to the
misinformation spread by the bill's supporters, the banned procedures are
frequently necessary to protect women's health and future fertility; in
fact they were developed to improve the outcomes for women whose
pregnancies have gone disastrously wrong. The Supreme Court struck down a
nearly identical Nebraska law in Stenberg v. Carhart, but the
bill's sponsors were evidently more interested in playing politics with
women's lives than in passing legislation that respects our fundamental
constitutional rights.