NARAL Pro-Choice America Launches Commemoration of the 35th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade

Washington, D.C. - NARAL Pro-Choice America launched RoeAt35.org, a webpage designed to energize pro-choice activists and reinforce the important role elections play in protecting a woman’s right to choose.  The organization unveiled the new site 35 days before January 22, the date that marks the 35th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s landmark decision, Roe v. Wade.

"NARAL Pro-Choice America is proud to celebrate the 35th anniversary of Roe v. Wade and pledges to continue protecting the fundamental American values of freedom and privacy that this landmark Supreme Court decision represents," said Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America. "We launched RoeAt35.org to reinforce the importance of the 2008 elections in protecting a woman's right to choose for future generations. We are using the latest technology to develop and build the next generation of pro-choice activists." 

RoeAt35.org will provide the following resources for pro-choice activists:

• Tools to contact their members of Congress, including a petition urging Senators to oppose Richard Honaker, whom President Bush has nominated for a lifetime position on a federal court in Wyoming;
• A downloadable action kit with sample letters to the editor, a pledge to protect choice in their state's primary or caucus, and tips for hosting a Roe anniversary celebration of their own; and
• Access to the Roe Anniversary Facebook Group and other social-networking opportunities.

In 1973, the Supreme Court ruling in Roe v. Wade recognized that the constitutional right to privacy protects women's access to safe, legal abortion care. Marking this key anniversary, NARAL Pro-Choice America pledges to continue using the political process to achieve its vision of a country where all women have the ability to make private, personal medical decisions without interference from the government or politicians.

In addition to launching RoeAt35.org, NARAL Pro-Choice America and its state affiliates are planning a series of events to commemorate this landmark decision.  On January 15, NARAL Pro-Choice America will release the 17th edition of Who Decides? The Status of Women’s Reproductive Rights in the United States, which includes an analysis of choice-related trends at the federal and state levels as well as a state-by-state report card.  On January 17, Keenan will go to the state where the Roe case originated and deliver a major speech on the future of the pro-choice movement at the University of Texas at Austin. Also in January, NARAL Pro-Choice America will publish the 2007 Congressional Record on Choice, which will document the key reproductive-rights votes taken during the first session of the 110th Congress.

Keenan also is slated to speak on January 22 in Colorado, a state where anti-choice groups are pushing a ballot measure that, if adopted, could lead to bans on abortion, birth control, stem-cell research, and assisted reproductive technology, such as in-vitro fertilization.

Contact:
Ted Miller, 202.973.3032