Statement by Congresswoman Jane Harman

Congresswoman Jane harman - Press Release

IN HONOR OF THE 30th ANNIVERSARY OF ROE v. WADE
January 22, 2003

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Supreme Court's historic Roe v. Wade decision.

That decision marked a cornerstone of equality and freedom for which American women had fought for generations. The decision empowered women to make their own decisions about their reproductive health and protected them from unwarranted government intrusion into their personal, private decisions.

I know firsthand how hard it was to secure the right to choose for women, and I know how hard we will have to fight to maintain this right. I was active on this issue in 1973 when the case was decided, and I have continued to be so since coming to Congress in 1992. I fought to give military women the right to pay for abortions in military hospitals, and I have served on the board of Planned Parenthood of California, all in an attempt to keep secure the essential right of a woman to make her own choices about her reproductive health.

But, 30 years later, we still live in a time in which a woman's right to choose is in danger of being diminished or reversed. Anti-choice advocates now control the White House, the Senate and the House of Representatives and have indicated they intend to launch a legislative
assault on Roe v. Wade. President Bush has made clear his intent to nominate anti-choice justices to all branches of the judiciary. And, the retirement of just one Supreme Court justice may tip the court from pro-choice to anti-choice; from protecting women's health to endangering
it.

As such, it is now more important than ever for Americans to protect the rights that women gained as a result of Roe v. Wade. Freedom of choice is essential for women and their health, and as we work to make the number of abortions rarer through improved health education and family planning services, on this anniversary, it is important that we remember the
struggles women faced before Roe v. Wade. Indeed, it is somewhat bittersweet that so many women today cannot recall the times in which abortions were not legal. Many do not know women who became ill or died from unsafe, illegal procedures. It is our duty to remind them of the danger of returning of that era.

I join my colleagues in urging Americans to fight to protect the right to choose, to uphold Roe v. Wade, and respect reproductive freedom for all women across the nation.