Marriage Equality Rhode Island announces that the House Judiciary
Committee has postponed the hearing on our bill for Equal Marriage.

We have been assured by Rep. Art Handy, our bill sponsor, that we will
indeed get a hearing on our bill, but scheduling issues forced the
postponement.

The Rally for Equal Marriage will go ahead as planned - so please come
to the State House tomorrow!!

The rally will begin at 5:00 pm (if you can be there from the beginning,
you might aim for 4:30, to get through security). We will continue
rallying for at least an hour, so join us later if you can do that!

There is a hearing on an issue key to the LGBT community, that will be
posted about separately.

COME RAISE YOUR VOICE AND RALLY FOR EQUAL MARRIAGE TOMORROW!

Just a quick reminder to supporters of civil marriage access for
same-sex couples that next Tuesday, April 12th is the rally and House
hearing. Don’t forget to work on your testimony this weekend - feel
free to email me if you have any questions or need some help getting
started, I’ll be working on mine as well.

One tip - we’re trying not to say “same-sex marriage” - it makes it
sound like we’re pushing for something different from “regular
marriage”. We’re looking for Equal Marriage for ALL Rhode Island
couples.

We’re trying to collect copies of written testimony, so please send a
copy to info@marriageequalityri.org.

And please give your legislators a call on Monday and ask them to come
to the rally on Tuesday - 5 pm at the State House rotunda. If you
don’t know how to reach your legislator, you can search online again;
the link is:

http://www.sec.state.ri.us/elections/findyourofficials/

We need your help getting the word out to the many people who aren’t
on this email list. Bring your friends, parents, children,
co-workers, and neighbors along!

And welcome to our many new members this week! If you need more
information about anything, drop me a line or visit our website at
www.MarriageEqualityRI.org.

Hearing on 24-Hour Waiting Period (H5144)
Tuesday, April 12, 2004 at 4:30pm in Room 35, House Judiciary
Information on H5144:

• This bill requires that doctors give their name over the phone to whoever makes an appointment. Seven doctors have already been killed. This will increase violence towards doctors in Rhode Island.
• This bill makes no provisions for victims of rape or incest.
• A state imposed waiting period would postpone procedures by weeks, causing more abortions to be performed later in pregnancy – at greater medical risk to the woman. According to the Journal of American Medical Association, August 27, 1997 - Mississippi Study: “As a result of the 24 hr. waiting period law, abortions performed after 12 weeks gestation increased by 39%.”
• This bill requires that women be given state-produced, illustrated pamphlets that are medically inaccurate, at a cost of almost $500,000 annually to the Rhode Island taxpayer.
• The medical community, including the American Medical Association, the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists and the Rhode Island Medical Society is strongly opposed to procedure specific waiting periods.

There is already an informed consent law in Rhode Island for abortion, (23-4.7) which goes above and beyond the informed consent for any other procedure in the state.
What can you do to help ?
Call Speaker William Murphy at 222-2466 or 821-2413 and primary sponsor Rep. Corvese at 353-8695 and tell them that:

1. You oppose this attempt to restrict a woman’s access to safe, legal medical services, and
2. This legislation is dangerous to our state’s doctors and is not supported by the medical community, and
3. This is not the way you want your tax dollars used (2001 Rhode Island Department of Health fiscal note on this legislation set the cost at over $447,000).

Testify at the hearing Tuesday– please contact Anne at anneb@pprimail.org or at 421-7820 x3145.

Read the bill: go to www.state.ri.us, click ‘general assembly’, click ‘GA legislative info’, click ‘bill text’, click ‘search’, enter bill number 5144.

Call Anne at with any questions at 421-7820 x3145.

Please join us Tuesday, April 12th, as we take a stand against any attempt to undermine women’s access to constitutionally protected reproductive health care!