Bush Takes Away Women's Reproductive Rights - Feminists Promise to Vote Him Out of Office

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Bush Takes Away Women's Reproductive Rights—Feminists Promise to Vote Him Out of Office

November 5, 2003

Statement of NOW President Kim Gandy

NOW President Kim Gandy spoke to activists in Washington D.C. on Nov. 5 as Bush signed the so-called Partial Birth Abortion Ban. Photo by Lisa Bennett

Today George W. Bush sends a message to every woman and girl in the United States—your reproductive rights are not guaranteed. By signing the deceptively-named Partial-Birth Abortion Ban into law, Bush confirms that his administration and Congress have both the power and the will to overturn Roe v. Wade, one step at a time. This is the first ban on an abortion procedure since abortion became legal in 1973, but it will not be the last if George W. Bush remains in office.

Supporters of women's rights protested in Washington D.C. as Bush signed the so-called Partial-Birth Abortion Ban. Photo by Lisa Bennett

NOW activists are here today to bear witness to this travesty—the theft of our reproductive freedom and our constitutional rights, and this administration's complete disregard for the welfare of women across this country. The so-called Partial-Birth Abortion Ban is a dangerous piece of legislation that ultimately seeks to outlaw even the safest abortion procedures. The truth is that the term 'partial birth abortion' doesn't exist in the medical world—it's a fabrication of the anti-choice machine. The law doesn't even contain an exception to preserve a woman's health and future fertility, and it will have a chilling effect on the ability of physicians to offer women the best, most appropriate medical care at all times.

Activists protested in Washington D.C. as Bush signed the so-called Partial-Birth Abortion Ban.

Photo by Lisa Bennett

The federal courts and, ultimately, the Supreme Court, may be our only recourse to invalidate this regressive law. Our courts are not yet controlled by conservative extremists, but that is Bush's goal. Right now, the Supreme Court narrowly supports a woman's right to make her own reproductive decisions. By the time the challenge to this law reaches the Supreme Court, we could have one or two new justices who do not believe in a woman's constitutional right to abortion. Once that final piece of the puzzle is in place—and the right-wing controls all three branches of government—Roe v. Wade will only be a memory.

Women's rights activists across the country are recommitting ourselves to keeping abortion safe, legal and accessible. We will not allow Bush and his buddies to erode our rights. We will take our case to the courts, to the streets and to the ballot box. We will restore women's right to privacy and their access to critical medical procedures; we will march on Washington next year on April 25 to Save Women's Lives; and we will remember in November.

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For Immediate Release
Contact: Mai Shiozaki, 202-628-8669, ext. 116; cell 202-641-1906

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