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| Join the 2011 Roe v Wade Blogathon |
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by Julia Reticker-Flynn, Manager, Youth Activist Network
Did you know? 1 in 3 women in America will have an abortion in her lifetime. Despite the precedent of Roe v. Wade, it has been necessary to constantly defend women's rights to abortion care in America. No other safe, legal medical procedure has experienced the same kind of constant legal and cultural attacks. Check out the blogathon today! In 1976, Congress prohibited federal funding for abortion services by passing the Hyde Amendment. Since then, social conservatives have worked tirelessly to pass state and federal laws that restrict a woman's right to decide when and if to become a mother. Last year alone, states enacted more than 30 new laws designed to limit women's reproductive rights and access to abortion — and Congress followed suit by including new restrictions on insurance coverage for abortion care in the health care reform law. As usual, the rights of young women (particularly minors) are most at risk. Did you know? In the years before Roe v. Wade, estimates of unsafe and illegal abortions reached 1.2 million per year. Just yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives introduced the "No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act" — and we expect literally dozens of new attacks on abortion rights at the state level in the coming weeks and months. In many parts of the world, abortion is still completely banned, leaving women to seek dangerous, underground treatments that often put their health — and their very lives — at risk. Thankfully, a new generation of activists is committed to standing up for reproductive justice here in the United States and across the globe. This blogathon is a time to tell our stories — of activism, friendship, and shared purpose — and reaffirm our desire for a society that trusts and supports women's access to safe, legal abortion care without stigma, persecution, or judgment. Click here to join the blogathon now! In solidarity, Julia Reticker-Flynn Youth Activist Network Coordinator Advocates for Youth |
