Today marks the 36th Anniversary of the monumental Supreme Court decision of Roe v. Wade in favor of legalizing abortion. Though for many young people today, this decision is just a fact of life, that we have legal access to abortion and other contraceptive services, and don't have to succumb to back alley abortions with hangers and other destructive and debilitating pregnancy termination techniques. However, it's important to note that different states have different levels of access and laws that both help and hurt women from accessing abortion counseling, services, procedures, etc. Thank Goddess for New York.
Speaking of the Big Apple, our state was one of the first to pass abortion legislation and in 1970, we had the most liberal abortion law in the country (yes, 2 years before Roe v. Wade). Constance Cooke, a New York assemblywoman, who was one of the main sponsors of this legislation, passed away yesterday. It's also interesting to note that during that time, 60% of women obtaining abortion in New York were from out-of-state. Today, many women from all over the country are still coming to New York for abortions because their state has certain restrictions, permissions and other barriers to access. The New York Abortion Access Fund (NYAAF) is a non-profit organization that provides funding for low-income women from NY and beyond to obtain legal abortions that they desire. The problem of control of a woman's body remains despite what in the books. It's a matter of mentality, socio-economic status, ethics vs. religion, patriarchy vs. matriarchy, you know...
So in this spirit of Goddess Cooke, Roe v. Wade, and Obama, I've included some links about abortion: abortion and women of color, the "pro-life" (anti-choice) folks who were marching today on the Mall, and of course a way to donate to NYAAF so we can ensure that women EVERYWHERE can make decisions for their own bodies.
Abortion and Poverty:
http://uspoverty.change.org/blog/view/roe_36_poverty_and_reproductive_freedom
Abortion and Women of Color
http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/gpr/11/3/gpr110302.html
Anti-choice madness on the Mall
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/22/AR2009012200755.html
New York Abortion Access Fund
http://nyaaf.org
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