What you can do right now about the Federal Abortion Ban
The Supreme Court just issued its decision to uphold the Federal Abortion Ban. The ban, which has no exception for women's health, opens the door for further political interference in our personal, private medical decisions.
Here are several things you can do right now to help fight back and protect a woman's right to choose as recognized under Roe v. Wade.
2. See how real women are affected. Read the story of a woman whose health would have been in danger under the Federal Abortion Ban. Then, share this story with your friends.
Pro-choice Americans took to the steps of the Supreme Court hours after the decision was handed down. Click here, or on the images below to see more.
Background about the Federal Abortion Ban
The Supreme Court struck down an almost identical state law as unconstitutional in 2000, and every court to hear a challenge to this first-ever federal ban on abortion declared it unconstitutional.
Since the Court's decision in 2000, President Bush appointed Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court and abortion foes see these appointments as an opportunity to undermine the Roe v. Wade decision.
For the first time since Roe, this ban has no exception for the health of the woman.
Any doctor who violates this ban would face criminal penalties of up to 2 years in prison, even if he/she was acting to protect the woman's health.
This ban rolls back key protections that have been guaranteed since the days of Roe v. Wade.
The Court, with the addition of Bush's appointees, has disregarded the medical opinion of leading doctors who oppose the ban. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists - which represents 90 percent of the OB GYNs in this country - says the ban is harmful to women's health and interferes with medical decision making.
Federal Law Trumps State Law
Currently, 16 state constitutions provide greater protection of a woman's right to choose than federal law. However, this federal law will apply to all 50 states.
Citizens in traditionally pro-choice states, including states where legislators or voters through ballot initiative have specifically chosen not to enact such bans or have affirmatively made state law more protective of choice than the federal constitution, will suddenly see their states' protections trumped by President Bush's Federal Abortion Ban.
Political Landscape
Since the Supreme Court has upheld the Federal Abortion Ban in its entirety, anti-choice politicians throughout the country will view this decision as a "green light" to interfere further in personal, private medical decisions.
In many states, anti-choice politicians control the governor's office and both chambers of the state legislature. This decision gives anti-choice advocates in these and other states hope that a new Court will uphold additional restrictions on a woman's right to choose.
