The Freedom of Choice Act

Show Your Support for the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA)

Every American who values freedom and privacy should be troubled by the Supreme Court’s reckless decision to uphold the federal abortion ban.  And every American can fight back.  Wednesday, April 25, 2007, the third anniversary of the history March for Women’s Lives, is a national call-in day — a day for the pro-choice community to flood the phone lines of the U.S. House and Senate, urging our members of Congress to stand up for women’s health and safety and to co-sponsor FOCA.

CALL YOUR MEMBERS OF CONGRESS
APRIL 25 AT 202-224-3121

Tell them to co-sponsor
FOCA House Bill Number: H.R. 1964
FOCA Senate Bill Number: S. 1173

The Supreme Court's Reckless Decision

On April 18, 2007, the highest court in the country voted 5–4 to uphold the federal abortion ban.  The ban, passed by Congress and signed by President Bush in 2003, criminalizes abortion procedures employed in the second trimester of pregnancy that doctors say are safe and often the best to protect women's health.

The threat to women's health and safety posed by the U.S. Supreme Court’ decision in Gonzales v. Planned Parenthood is very real. To protect women’s health and guarantee the right to choose for generations to come, Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) is calling on Congress to pass the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA).Now, more than ever, it is essential that the federal government stand with us to protect women's health. The freedom to choose should not be limited to women who are fortunate enough to live in a pro-choice state.

Although Roe v. Wade, which guarantees women’s constitutional right to choose abortion, is still the law of the land, the Supreme Court’s sweeping decision on the federal abortion ban has opened the door for a new wave of direct attacks on that constitutional right.

In the words of PPFA President Cecile Richards, “The future of legal access to abortion in this country is grim.”

The court’s decision has unraveled more than 30 years of precedent protecting women's health.  For the first time, the court told women that, when their health is at risk during pregnancy, deciding what to do is no longer up to them and their doctors, it is instead up to politicians.

The new makeup of the court further threatens Roe's stability. In the dissent to Gonzales v. Planned Parenthood, Justice Ginsberg warned that this court not only tolerates government interference in women's health — it applauds it.

Since 2001, state legislators have considered almost 3,300 anti-choice measures, and more than 250 of these have been enacted. More than 514 anti-choice measures have been enacted in the states since 1995. Many more threats are expected as a direct result of the lastet decision. 

Eighty-seven percent of the counties in the United States do not have an abortion provider.

FOCA Will Protect a Woman's Right to Choose

2) discriminating against a woman's exercise of these rights in the regulation or provision of benefits, facilities, services, or information

The legislation would invalidate existing and future laws that interfere with or discriminate against the exercise of the rights protected. It also would provide an individual aggrieved by a violation of the act a private right of civil action in order to obtain appropriate relief.

In light of the recent Supreme Court decision undermining the core protections of Roe v. Wade, Planned Parenthood has redoubled its efforts to urge passage of FOCA in order to protect women's health and secure the right to choose for future generations.