Abortion Restrictions Defeated by Voters in Three States
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 8, 2006
Abortion Restrictions Defeated by Voters in South Dakota, Oregon and California
Seattle, WA - An extreme ban on all abortions that was approved by the South Dakota state legislature earlier this year, has been defeated by a wide margin. “This ban was simply too extreme, the people of South Dakota, like most Americans, do not believe that government and politicians should be making decisions about women’s health,” said Karen Cooper, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Washington. Referred Law 6 is being rejected with 56% of the vote.
Closer to home, in both Oregon and California, voters have rejected mandated parental-involvement measures. Oregon’s Measure 43 and California’s Proposition 85 were attempts by anti-choice groups to make abortion more difficult and dangerous for young women. “We all want young women to talk with their parents about important reproductive health decisions. However, we realize that in some cases that is simply not possible. When young women can’t talk to their parents, we want to know that they will still get safe medical care,” Cooper said.
“The real solution that we should all support is prevention of unwanted teen pregnancy through comprehensive sex education that includes abstinence and birth control—not laws that delay teens’ access to counseling and medical care,” Cooper said of the notification measures.
NARAL Pro-Choice Washington contributed to both the Oregon and South Dakota campaigns to turn back restrictions on reproductive rights, “we were proud to be able to work with our sister organization in Oregon and South Dakota this year,” Cooper added.
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