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The reproductive control debate has trumped serious inequality in access to affordable healthcare. However, women’s fundamental right to make reproductive decisions has been chipped away by moral and political activists who refuse to recognize women’s health and safety as the priority. This became particularly evident on April 18, 2007, when the Supreme Court, in Gonzalez v. Carhart, voted to uphold a ban on an abortion procedure found medically necessary and proper in certain cases, with no exception safeguarding a woman’s health.

Our landmark survey, Progress and Perils: New Agenda for Women, documents a distinct increase in support for restrictions on abortion rights. Women cited keeping abortion legal as a low priority.

We discovered that:

• 41% of women say keeping abortion legal should be a top priority.


• 30% say abortion should be generally available.


• 51% of women say more restrictions should be applied.


• Regarding a possible reversal to Roe v Wade, women are about twice as likely to say the Supreme Court will make abortion harder rather than easier (26% v. 14%)

Media Exposure:
Listen to Faye Wattleton speak on reproductive rights today, immediately after the recent April 2007 Supreme Court ruling on XM Radio.

Then listen to President Faye Wattleton, when Progress and Perils was first released, address the issue of the shifting attitudes towards abortion.

Coming Up:
Attitudes about reproductive rights and decisions will be examined in Progress & Perils II: A New Agenda for Women. The updated findings will be published in 2008.  Through mass dissemination of these facts, we’ll work to get the information to activist organizations and through our multi-media programs, to ensure 2008 presidential contenders are committed to preserving reproductive rights and access to services for all women. 

News:  [ archives ]

August 21, 2008
August 19, 2008
August 14, 2008