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Federal Policy Issues
Overview (Last update August 2004)
In 1973, the Supreme Court handed down its decision in the landmark case of Roe v. Wade. In doing so, the Court recognized, for the first time, that the decision whether or not to terminate a pregnancy should reside with the woman, not politicians or the government.
Today, opponents of choice have tremendous power. They sit in county courthouses and on hospital boards. They run medical schools. They write state laws. They govern statehouses. And they hold the balance of power in the United States Congress and the White House.
Congress has banned access to abortion for virtually every woman who depends on the federal government for her health care, including Medicaid recipients, women in the military and military dependents stationed overseas, women in federal prisons, Native American women, federal employees, and even Peace Corps volunteers. Anti-choice lawmakers have used the appropriations process to restrict access to reproductive health care, here and abroad, at virtually every turn.
The policy issues currently debated by Congress include:
- The "Unborn Victims of Violence Act"
- The Freedom of Choice Act
- Educating the Public About Emergency Contraception
- Ensuring Rape Survivors Access to Emergency Contraception in the Emergency Room
- The Global Democracy Promotion Act
National issues recently in the news include:
- International Family Planning Gag Rule; disqualifies
pro-choice organizations from receiving much needed
funding
- Partial Birth Abortion law challenged; ruled unconstitutional;
decision appealed by Attorney General John Ashcroft
- Federal Attorney General's office has subpoenaed
women's health care records; violating women's privacy
Federal Policy Issues Archive :
 2004
For more information on these and other issues, please
visit these national pro-choice websites:
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