The Reproductive Health and Education Coalition of Alabama (RHECA) Calls on Alabamians to Join the Effort to Stop Extreme Abortion Bill
April 11, 2007
MONTGOMERY – The Reproductive Health and Education Coalition expressed deep concern today about the effects of Senate Bill 59, an extreme bill that would ban virtually all abortions. Senate Bill 59 is one of five bills banning or restricting access to safe and legal abortion pending in the Alabama Legislature.
“This extreme ban will threaten the health and lives of women in Alabama,” said Olivia Turner, executive director of the ACLU of Alabama. “History has shown us that when women are denied access to abortion care, they may resort to desperate measures.”
The bill, which would prohibit abortion except in the extreme case of the life of the mother, is pending committee action in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Although since 1995, states have enacted more than 450 measures restricting women’s access to reproductive health care, the United States Supreme Court has consistently concluded that there are limits to how far a state may go in restricting reproductive freedom. This ban would take the attack on reproductive freedom to a new level, threatening to end abortion access for all women.
RHECA urges Alabama legislators to focus their efforts not on banning abortion, but on ensuring that women have access to the full range of reproductive health services. Abortion is a part of fundamental health care for women, along with contraception and medically accurate sexuality education.
RHECA is a coalition composed of member groups and individuals committed to advancing reproductive rights in the state of Alabama. Member groups include ACLU of Alabama, Alabama NOW, Equality Alabama, and Women’s Health Initiative.
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