[From NOW]
House Passes Anti-Abortion Legislation Endangering Teen Health

“By passing this deceptive legislation, the House took another step toward final passage of a law that will endanger a women’s health and safety,” said NOW President Kim Gandy. “It is not for anyone else but the woman and her doctor to decide how or when she should get an abortion.”

In a 250 to 157 vote, the House passed a teen endangerment bill which restricts a young woman’s ability to obtain an abortion outside of the home state by punishing any adult who accompanies her, even if the closest city is across state lines.

“This is an ill-advised and dangerous bill designed to prevent young women from seeking a legal medical procedure in an accessible and affordable location, particularly if her own state designed insurmountable barriers to her reproductive health care,” Gandy said.

The law will subject young women, abortion providers and others who assist the women to a confusing maze of overlapping and conflicting state and federal laws, which will make it more difficult and more dangerous for young women to obtain abortions. Additionally, there is no exception for a medical emergency unless she has complied with her home state’s parental involvement laws.

“Young women - especially those who are victims of family violence or incest - need to be able to involve an older sister, aunt, grandmother or minister in this decision, and they must be allowed to help,” Gandy said. “For these women, involving a parent in their decision to obtain an abortion is out of the question. To apply this kind of burden will cause more young women to seek unsafe methods for terminating their pregnancies.”

“This bill must be stopped. Anyone who is really concerned about protecting the health of our young women must contact their senators at once,” Gandy said.
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[From PPRI]
Langevin FAILS to HELP young women

Tell Representative Langevin that his disappointing vote supporting CIANA won’t go unnoticed!
Please call Representative Langevin at 202-225-2735 or you can send him an email at http://www.house.gov/langevin/comments.html

Representative Kennedy once again did the right thing and voted against this dangerous and unconstitutional bill!

Please let Representative Kennedy know that you support his “NO” VOTE by calling him at 202-225-4911 or you can email him at http://www.house.gov/writerep/

The House of Representatives passed the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act (CIANA) on April 27th, which jeopardizes teens across the nation, by a vote of 270 to 157. Representative Langevin voted — against the majority of Democrats — for this bill.

Read the bill (HR 748): http://thomas.loc.gov

CIANA is unconstitutional: It contains no health exception to either the waiting period or the notification requirements and it lacks an exemption that would allow teens to pursue a judicial bypass.

The law also violates basic principles of federalism by imposing a federal parental notification requirement on the 27 states that have made public policy judgments to the contrary.

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!

Below is a ton of information compiled by Amanda from Planned Parenthood about Emergency Contraception.

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