Alliance For Choice condemns Bush’s ‘War on Women’!

international | rights, freedoms and repression | press release Thursday April 22, 2004 21:26 by Niav - Alliance For Choice allianceforchoice at yahoo dot com

‘Alliance For Choice’ is a diverse group of pro-choice activists who are campaigning for free, safe and legal abortion services in Ireland.

Alliance For Choice, have signed on to the ‘March for Women’s Lives’ in order to express our solidarity and support with women worldwide. On Sunday 25th April, hundreds of thousands of American Pro-Choice activists will take part in the ‘March for Women’s Lives’ in Washington D.C. This massive mobilisation is taking place in order to protest against the dangerous policy restrictions and cuts in funding for reproductive health services in the USA that have been implemented by President George Bush. The organisers of this demonstration include the American Civil Liberties Union, Black Women’s Health Imperative, Feminist Majority, NARAL Pro-Choice America, National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, National Organisation for Women and the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Many celebrities have backed the demonstration including Academy award-winning actress Helen Hunt, Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Aniston, Glen Close, Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg.

Although the right to choose is guaranteed by the 1973 Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade, US state legislatures have moved aggressively to restrict women's access to reproductive health services. Often, those restrictions are challenged on a legal basis, making the court system one of the most important fronts in the ongoing struggle to protect the right to choose. President George Bush has waged war on women’s reproductive rights constantly since his election in 2000. He has prohibited any federal aid from going to international family planning organisations that provide abortion counselling, referrals, or services with their own funds. He has also selected Dr. W. David Hager to head up the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA makes decisions on matters relating to drugs used in the practice of obstetrics, gynaecology and related specialities. Dr. Hager, who is deeply religious and pro-life, has refused to prescribe contraceptives to unmarried women. In his book, co-written with his wife, “Stress and the Woman’s Body”, Dr. Hager suggests that women who suffer from premenstrual syndrome should seek help from reading the bible and praying!

Commenting Niav Keating said, “Like successive Irish governments, President George Bush mixes religion and politics in an inappropriate and dangerous way that seriously threatens women’s lives and health. We condemn Bush’s visit to Ireland in June and will be participating in the protests when he arrives.”

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