Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray released the following statement on the 41st anniversary of the historic Supreme Court Decision to constitutionally guarantee access to safe and legal reproductive choice in the United States:
“As we mark the 41st anniversary of the historic Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade, another type of history is being made. In 2013, our nation saw yet another record-breaking year of state legislatures passing restrictive legislation barring women’s access to abortion services. In fact, in the past three years, the United States has enacted more of these restrictions than in the previous ten years combined.
“While I am very proud to represent a state that is consistently ranked number one among states that strive to provide women with the tools and resources to make informed health decisions on their own, I remain very disheartened year after year to see other states fall further and further behind. These haven’t just been attacks on a woman’s right to choose, but it’s been an all-out assault on everything from shaming pregnant women to drafting politically-driven legislation intended to create geographical roadblocks for low-income and racial minorities wishing to access safe reproductive services. Not surprisingly, these states that have enacted some of the most extreme and archaic restrictions are also the same states that fail to achieve even mediocre standards when it comes to critical issues like education and the economy.
“And if this week’s conversation being held by national Republicans is any indication, it appears the extreme right-wing of this country has no intention of letting up after their record-breaking year attacking women. To combat these misguided attempts we need to not only continue the fight to keep women in the driver’s seat of their private decisions, but we must also continue investing in quality health care and education options, like those made possible through the Affordable Care Act, in order to prevent this deeply personal and troubling life decision too many women still have to make.”
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