Rochester NOW Protests Senator Robach's Sponsorship of Women's Health Fair

Sponsorship called Hypocritical, Politcally Motivated Move

ALBANY, NY (08/23/2008)(readMedia)--

Activists from the Rochester Chapter of the National Organization For Women (NOW) are protesting Senator Joe Robach's "Women's Wellness Fair" in Greece, NY today, arguing that the Republican Senator is an enemy of women's health, and calling his sponsorship of the fair a hypocritical, politically motivated move.

"The truth is that Joe Robach is the single biggest barrier to women's health in Rochester. He's taking a page from Karl Rove's playbook and championing a lie. Robach is consistently anti-choice and has stalled on allowing even the most basic measures, such as age appropriate sex education, from passing the Senate," said Alberta Roesser, Rochester NOW President.

Linda Stephens, the Rochester NOW PAC Chair, agreed: "Joe Robach proudly accepted an award from a right-wing anti choice organization, and he's been their champion in Albany ever since. We're talking about a guy who would love to see New York return to the period of back alley abortions and the horrifying injuries and deaths that result. The idea that Robach would call himself a champion of women's health is just ludicrous."

"I'm proud of the fact that the majority of people in Rochester, and New York State, favor reasonable measures such as the Reproductive Health Act, which codifies Roe v. Wade in New York law, and the Healthy Teens Act, which guarantees age appropriate sex education in public schools," stated Roesser.

Senator Joe Robach has consistently, since his time in the Legislature, been on the wrong side of legislation that would improve women's health education in our schools, maintain the availability of emergency medical services to women, and has time and time again voted in favor of greater restrictions on a women's right to choose.