Access to Abortion Pared at State Level

[MountainLaurel]

And note that not only is access to abortion limited, but more frighteningly, access to CONTRACEPTIVES. Anyone who says this isn't about total control of women's reproduction and spews about "if Roe is overturned, the issue will go to the states and only a few states will make it illegal" is living in denial.

This year's state legislative season draws to a close having produced a near-record number of laws imposing new restrictions on a woman's access to abortion or contraception.

Since January, governors have signed several dozen antiabortion measures ranging from parental consent requirements to an outright ban looming in South Dakota. Not since 1999, when a wave of laws banning late-term abortions swept the legislatures, have states imposed so many and so varied a menu of regulations on reproductive health care.

Three states have passed bills requiring that women seeking an abortion be warned that the fetus will feel pain, despite inconclusive scientific data on the question. West Virginia and Florida approved legislation recognizing a pre-viable fetus, or embryo, as an independent victim of homicide. And in Missouri, Gov. Matt Blunt (R) has summoned lawmakers into special session Sept. 6 to consider three antiabortion proposals.

While national leaders in the abortion debate focus on the upcoming nomination hearings of Judge John G. Roberts Jr. to the Supreme Court, grass-roots activists have been changing the legal landscape one state at a time. In most cases, the antiabortion forces have prevailed, adding restrictions on when and where women can get contraceptive services and abortions, and how physicians provide them.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/28/AR2005082800981.html

[HockeyMom]

1. Just look at the Bush Policy for Sex Education

Abstinence Only Until Marriage and Faithfulness in Marriage. Where do you see the mention of contraceptives, even IN marriage?

[MountainLaurel]

2. You've got it

Birth control is apparently only used by sluts trying to avoid their womanly duties.

[bliss_eternal]

3. You're right--women were in denial...

Women, men, anyone that bought into the bullshit--that this would become a state issue, wasn't seeing this issue for what it really was AT ALL.

Thank you for making this point.

[LiberalPartisan]

4. Color me guilty

I missed the impact on contracpetives entirely.

Does anyone have any links to news stories/sources describing legislation that has either passed or is proposed limiting or banning access to contraceptives? if so please post links - thanks.

[MountainLaurel]

5. Look at the literature

For any of the "pro-life" groups. Somewhere in there you'll find information about restricting contraceptives. Also consider the issue of pharmacists being able to refuse prescriptions: News articles have detailed pharms who look a woman's birth control prescription and refused to return it: Not just EC, not just medical abortion drugs, but regular birth control pills.

Sorry I can't do the research for you, but I just got back from vacation and having only gotten about 6 hours sleep in the last 72 has fried my brain.