Today marks the 35th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that established a woman’s right to access safe, legal abortion care.
When a social justice movement commemorates an anniversary, it is an opportunity for reflection about how far we have come and what is left to accomplish. So today, many of us will think about our history—about American women in the pre-Roe days who went to desperate lengths to control the size of their families—and about our present, when millions of women around the world suffer death and debilitating injury as a result of the inadequate reproductive healthcare available in their countries.
And right here at home, no fewer than twelve anti-choice bills have been introduced so far in the 2008 General Assembly session. They include efforts to immediately outlaw abortion in Virginia if Roe is overturned; designs to place medically unnecessary regulations on clinics that provide abortion services in an effort to close those clinics down; and attempts to prevent Virginia’s young people from accessing medically accurate, comprehensive sexuality education in our public schools. To my continued amazement, the same politicians and their allies who want to outlaw abortion also oppose commonsense ways to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies, and therefore reduce the need for abortion.
In doing this work, I often think about the women and men who came before me who struggled to protect the basic dignity of women. But on this day, I choose to think about the future—and reaffirm my commitment to move toward a world where reproductive freedom and justice are a reality for all.
I hope you’ll join me in making that commitment by attending Pro-Choice Lobby Day at the state capitol in Richmond on January 31. It is more important than ever that pro-choice Virginians stand up for their values. More information is available at http://www.naralva.org/instate/prochoicelobbyd.shtml.