Today, threats to the right to choose are greater than at any time since Roe v. Wade legalized abortion in 1973. Since President Bush took office in 2001, he and his administration have taken numerous steps to restrict reproductive freedom, including banning safe abortion procedures, limiting access to contraception, and gutting sex education. In Ohio we have a 2/3 anti-choice majority in both the House and Senate and faced a full abortion ban in 2006.
State legislatures across the country have enacted 335 anti-choice laws since 1995. Over the last decade, access to abortion services has steadily declined in Ohio and across the US. While abortion is legal, barriers to reproductive health services make it virtually impossible for many low-income women, women of color, and young women to get the care they need. Furthermore, anti-choice forces have actively opposed initiatives that would reduce the number of unintended pregnancies, such as expanding access to emergency contraception and comprehensive sex education.
|