It is the 35th anniversary of the US Supreme Court's landmark decision, Roe v Wade, which recognized a women's right to privacy in making reproductive choices, including the right to an abortion. On January 22, 1973, the Supreme Court voted seven to two that a law in Texas that banned abortion, except to save a woman's life, was unconstitutional under the right to personal privacy.
Those opposed to this decision have been fighting it for 35 years, largely on religious and moral grounds. And while they have been successful in biting around the edges of the decision and attempting to make it more difficult for women to get an abortion, the right to choose in the US remains the law of the land.
However, the Clinton campaign and its surrogates have led many women in the primary states to question Barack Obama's strong record on reproductive health and women's rights.
Below, I would like to set the record straight.
There is no question that the next President may determine the fate of Roe v Wade. Roe v Wade has survived challenges by only the slimmest margins in recent supreme Court decisions. It is likely that the next President will have the opportunity to appoint a replacement on the Supreme court. If this appointment falls into the hands of the Republicans, it could spell the end of Roe v Wade for a generation or more.
That is why it is so critical that as women we stay united for reproductive rights and women's health issues.
However, in the last month, the Clinton campaign and its surrogates have tried to plant a question mark in the minds of many women, particularly in NH, about Barack Obama's record on reproductive rights. Their statements have been misleading and false and threaten to divide the pro-choice community. But we need to stand strong together now more than ever.
I want to put any doubt out of anyone's head about Obama's sterling record on women's reproductive health.
Barack has a 100% pro-choice rating by both Planned Parenthood and NARAL ProChoice America.
In 2006, when South Dakota passed a law banning abortions and asked for help from all US Senators, Barack Obama was on the ONLY Senator to join the fight and raise funds to successfully repeal the ban.
Senator Obama successfully supported a law in Illinois to require insurance plans to cover all FDA approved contraceptives.
Senator Obama recently co-sponsored a bill with Senator Claire McCaskill to make birth control for affordable for low-income and college women.
Senator Obama is a strong advocate for women's rights, reproductive rights, and women's health and his record is clear.
What was the basis for the smear on Obama's stellar record on choice? It was the fact that he voted "present" in the Illinois Senate on anti-choice legislation. The Clinton supporters have tried to frame this as a lack of courage to stand up to anti-choice legislation. But nothing could be further from the truth. The present votes were part of a political strategy by the pro-choice movement in Illinois to prevent anti-choice bills from going forward. Senator Obama and the other Democrats in the Illinois Senate were asked by the pro-choice advocates, as part of their political strategy, to vote "present" on these bills. So that the truth is that Senator Obama was helping the pro-choice movement in IL to fight anti-choice legislation with his present votes.
Testimonials from leaders in women's rights and reproductive health in Illinois praise Senator Obama's record on choice in Illinois and in the US Senate. These include representatives from both NOW and Planned Parenthood. And they have asked The Clintons to stop misleading the American people.
To direct this issue on the anniversary of Roe v Wade, Senator Obama released the following statement:
Senator Obama’s Statement
35th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade
Thirty-five years after the Supreme Court decided Roe v. Wade, it’s never been more important to protect a woman’s right to choose. Last year, the Supreme Court decided by a vote of 5-4 to uphold the Federal Abortion Ban, and in doing so undermined an important principle of Roe v. Wade: that we must always protect women’s health. With one more vacancy on the Supreme Court, we could be looking at a majority hostile to a women’s fundamental right to choose for the first time since Roe v. Wade. The next president may be asked to nominate that Supreme Court justice. That is what is at stake in this election.
Throughout my career, I’ve been a consistent and strong supporter of reproductive justice, and have consistently had a 100% pro-choice rating with Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice America.
While I was in the U.S. Senate, South Dakota passed a law banning all abortions in a direct effort to have Roe overruled; I am the only candidate for President to raise money to help the citizens of South Dakota repeal that law. When anti-choice protesters blocked the opening of an Illinois Planned Parenthood clinic in a community where affordable health care is in short supply, I was the only candidate for President who spoke out against it. And I will continue to defend this right by passing the Freedom of Choice Act as president.
Moreover, I believe in and have supported common-sense solutions like increasing access to affordable birth control to help prevent unintended pregnancies. In the Illinois state Senate, when Congress failed to require insurance plans to cover FDA-approved contraceptives, I made sure those contraceptives were covered for women in Illinois. In the U.S. Senate, I've worked with Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) on a bill that would make birth control more affordable for low-income and college women, and introduced the Senate version of Representative Hilda Solis’ bill to reduce unintended pregnancies in communities of color. As President, I will improve access to affordable health care and work to ensure that our teens are getting the information and services they need to stay safe and healthy.
But we also know that Roe v. Wade is about more than a woman’s right to choose; it’s about equality. It’s about whether our daughters are going to have the same opportunities as our sons. And so to truly honor that decision, we need to update the social contract so that women can free themselves, and their children, from violent relationships; so that a mom can stay home with a sick child without getting a pink slip; so that she can go to work knowing that there’s affordable, quality childcare for her children; and so that the American dream is within reach for every family in this country. This anniversary reminds us that it’s not enough to protect the gains of the past – we have to build a future that’s filled with hope and possibility for all Americans.
It is clear that Senator Obama will be a leader we can trust not just to preserve the rights that women have earned, but to pursue equality and equity for women in all aspects of our lives.
To use Senator Obama's (or rather MLK's) words, there is a fierce urgency of now to elect a president who will protect a woman's right to choose.