January 22 marks the 38th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision that ruled that the right to privacy in the U.S. Constitution protects the right of a woman to choose whether to continue a pregnancy to term or to have an abortion.
Two generations of Americans have grown up with Roe v. Wade as the law of the land, and Americans still strongly support this decision. According to a recent Hart Research poll, 62 percent of voters oppose overturning the decision.
Even though Roe v. Wade solidified a constitutional right nearly four decades ago, we are still seeing attacks on a woman’s right to make decisions about her health without interference from the courts. Protect Families, Protect Choice (PFPC) is a bi-partisan coalition of nurses, doctors, community groups, lawyers, health advocacy organizations, and religious and faith leaders, who for over 30 years, have been working at the state level to fight attempts to chip away at Roe v. Wade.
Beginning in 1998, when Colorado saw a proposal that would restrict access to health care and most recently with the so-called “personhood” measures, Amendment 48 in 2008 and 62 in 2010, PFPC has worked to defeat the anti-choice initiatives that have catapulted Colorado onto the national map as “ground zero” for anti-choice legislation. These futile efforts to rewrite the state’s constitution and confer legal rights at the moment of fertilization have been attempted in the face of mandates from Colorado voters who have said time and again that they believe a woman should be able to make personal, private decisions about her body and her health.
Ballot measures such as Amendments 48 and 62 serve one purpose: to push women’s rights backwards. These amendments would have outlawed all abortions in Colorado, including when a woman has been raped, is the victim of incest, or when her life or health is at risk. Twice now, and by a 3-1 margin each time, Colorado voters have spoken and the message is clear: politicians, lawyers, and courts have no business coming between a woman and her doctor. We have a moral imperative to protect a woman’s right to make personal health care decisions.
Despite the electorate’s strong support for a woman’s right to choose, on the 38th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, women’s health and rights are being threatened at every level. In our home state of Colorado, we anticipate anti-choice measures to originate in the now anti-choice House, narrowing the margin of safety for women notably. Additionally, Personhood Colorado/USA, the organization behind Amendments 48 and 62, has vowed to make a third appearance in the 2012 election, grossly ignoring past voter sentiment.
That’s why, on the 38th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, clergy members, community leaders, health care advocacy organizations, and the lawyers who comprise PFPC, are committed to fighting legislation that could create “personhood” or challenge the constitutional provisions upheld in Roe.
PFPC works with the majority of pro-choice voters in Colorado to educate others about the perpetual threat on women’s health care and efforts that hinder a woman’s ability to make decisions about her health. We’re thankful to have grassroots supporters across the state who help us protect reproductive freedom, which the past 38 years has shown, is still in need of defending.
Vicki Cowart is the CEO and president of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains. EDITOR’S NOTE: This is an online-only column and has not been edited.
