National Organization for Women-NYS Rallies For Women's Reproductive Health Care

ALBANY, NY (12/04/2009)(readMedia)-- Standing in front of Senator Schumer's office in NYC, the National Organization for Women rallied to speak out in support of women's reproductive health and against any Stupak/Pitts-like amendment that might be included in the Senate Health Care Reform Package.

A Stupak/Pitts provision in the House version of the bill added restrictions far in excess of the Hyde Amendment, preventing privately-funded insurance plans from covering terminations of pregnancies.

NOW-NYS President Marcia Pappas stated: "Any worsening of Hyde restrictions must not be allowed in the Senate bill. There is no place in the health care bill for religious right-wing restrictions. We urge Senator Schumer to never again endorse an anti-choice Democrat. The Democratic platform is pro-choice. Had they welcomed only candidates with this position, this grave danger to women's lives would not be rearing its head in the new bill." Pappas concluded: "We will not support a Health Care Bill that throws 52% of the population under the bus."

Erin Matson, Action VP for National NOW stated "Abortion is health care. Women's bodies are human bodies. Make no mistake: barring access to health care, including abortion care, violates human rights."

Sonia Ossorio, President of NOW-NYC stated "The House let a handful of bishops determine the reproductive health policy for all American women; the time is NOW for women to determine reproductive health policy for ourselves."

Bill Baird, Reproductive Rights Pioneer stated "The cruel war against women's reproductive healthcare continues. Forty years ago I was sentenced to prison as a felon for challenging restrictive birth control and abortion laws. Finally, the U.S. Supreme Court, in my case Baird v. Eisenstadt (3/22/72), legalized birth control nationally and was the foundation for Roe v. Wade and Baird v. Bellotti (for minors rights to abortion)."

Marilyn Fitterman, Former President of NOW-NYS stated "We reluctantly have lived with the Hyde amendment for 33 years and look where it got us. The Stupak expansion of Hyde is an affront to all women who have lived with reproductive freedom since Roe."

Jerin Alam Chair of the NOW-NYS Young Feminist Task Force stated "I cannot stress enough the importance of including constitutionally won reproductive rights in the healthcare bill. It's the younger generations who will be the most affected by this legislation for decades to come."

Sandy Rapp stated, "The Roman Catholic Hierarchy is a foreign sovereignty that should not be legislating its dangerous anti-woman theology on American women."