Roe v Wade: 37 Years

In the early 70's and 80's, when I was coming of age, the resources to young women to have control of their reproductive health were more widely available than today. Public Health clinics were more numerous, non profit clinics for women were not haunted by anti choice groups outside their doors and a young woman could go to a private practice for services without fear that her parents be contacted thus violating her privacy. My experience in school was everyone was fully educated about how our bodies worked, we had discussions regarding our sexuality, contraception, disease and so on.

Slowly, but, surely through the years this has been eroded by decreased funding, outright bans (Hyde amendment) and lobbying from religous and anti choice groups.

It really pains me to know women that are not much younger than me not value themselves to believe that full access to reproductive health information and services is about freedom to make choices about her own health and life no matter what her religious views are. I find it hard that, feminist or not, some believe the state would be better at making choices for women than for themselves, putting themselves down as second class. I find it hard to believe that some feel that God justifies killing a physician practicing legal medicine.

Amanda says it well.