Anti-choice politicians and groups want to outlaw abortion regardless of the woman’s situation. They want bans on safe abortion methods without exceptions – even if the woman’s health is threatened. As long as Roe v. Wade remains the law of the land, they will try again and again to test Roe in the courts. They want to chip away at it until there is nothing left of the law.
The Challenge
Some types of abortion bans harm women in heart-breaking circumstances. Something may have gone wrong late in her pregnancy. Or maybe her doctor told her that going forward with the pregnancy will endanger her health. Abortion bans take choices away from women.
The Federal Abortion Ban, signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2003, is a criminal ban on a safe abortion method. It is the first federal law ever to make safe medical procedures a crime.
- It has no exception to protect a woman's health.
- Doctors and medical groups oppose it.
- NARAL Pro-Choice America does not oppose restrictions on abortion after a certain point in the pregnancy as long as there is an exception to protect the woman’s health. However, this bill lacked such an exception. It does not leave the decision of viability to a doctor.
Our Solution
The decision whether to have an abortion should be made by a woman, with her doctor and her loved ones. Politicians should play no part in this decision.
Still, it's certain that similar attempts to reverse Roe v. Wade will continue.
We must not take Roe v. Wade for granted. We must work to ensure that politicians don't overstep. We must fight back when they do.
