November 3, 2004 | New York, NY | Post-Election Virtual Press Kit

President Bush's reelection presents pro-choice forces with another four years of his administration’s relentless war on women. The Center for Reproductive Rights is ready to continue opposing and countering every administration assault. We are confident that we will prevail because we have the strongest weapon on our side: the U.S. Constitution.

This administration has thumbed its nose at the Constitution time and time again. In its policies and practices, it has not only violated the constitutional and human rights of countless women at home and abroad, it has also endangered their health and lives. It has deprived women of access to contraception, championed the first-ever federal abortion ban, and appointed judges outspoken in their opposition to women’s right to abortion. We have no doubt that the president and his administration will now step up their assaults on reproductive rights. We expect a flurry of bills to be pushed through Congress, with the president's blessing, in an attempt to chip away at Roe v. Wade. In both federal and state courts, we expect that legal challenges to existing laws protecting the principles of Roe will increase in intensity. And we expect the president to move quickly to replace any retiring Supreme Court justices with ideological clones of the two justices he most admires, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas, both outspokenly anti-choice.

As we have done for the past four years, the Center for Reproductive Rights will put all of our resources into this all-important challenge to every woman’s right to choose. This is not a new battle for us. We have been fighting restrictive laws that penalize low-income women, young women, and their families since 1992—and have won many times, including two landmark Supreme Court decisions. We have gone to court successfully against bans on abortion in 14 states, and most recently won a district court ruling against the federal abortion ban. The experience and expertise we have gained in litigating these cases have prepared us well for resisting new assaults on reproductive rights.

Here's what we intend to do:

• We will work to defeat any Supreme Court nominee who is hostile to Roe v. Wade. The Court is one to two votes away from overturning Roe, and we are committed to making sure this does not happen.
• We will challenge any laws that deprive teens of the right to confidential reproductive health services, including the Child Custody Protection Act, which prevents responsible adults from accompanying teens across state lines to obtain abortions.
• We will challenge the Food and Drug Administration's denial of over-the-counter status to emergency contraception. Every woman should have access to this safe method of contraception without needing a prescription.
• We will protect women from receiving false information about reproductive health services from phony providers or through biased, state-mandated materials.
• We will challenge any laws that prevent women from choosing the safest method of abortion, including state and federal abortion bans that make no exception for a woman's health.
• We will challenge restrictions on free speech, including instances where states discriminate by approving "pro-life" but not "pro-choice" license plates.
• We will challenge laws that force teens or their doctors to inform or obtain the consent of parents for abortion.
• We will challenge state laws that deny funding for abortions to low-income women who rely on Medicaid for their health care.
• We will challenge laws that regulate the practices of abortion providers or limit access to their clinics.
• We will provide resources and legal analysis to state advocates and legislators fighting to resist bills that weaken a woman’s right to choose or promote bills that strengthen it.
• We will support all efforts by federal legislators to repeal the global gag rule, restore funding to UNFPA, and stop reserving one-third of U.S. foreign assistance funds for HIV/AIDS prevention programs that focus upon abstinence-only education.
• We will work at the United Nations to preserve and uphold the international consensus supporting women’s most basic reproductive rights.