In The New York Time's February 25, 2007 issue, op-ed contributor Ann Althouse wrote an op-ed about the changing positions of 2008 presidential candidates on abortion. Center president Nancy Northup wrote this Letter to the Editor in response.
To the Editor:
A woman facing the difficult decision of whether to end a pregnancy is the only one who should be weighing the complex issues involved — not politicians or courts.
The actual consequences of a Roe reversal would be drastic. According to the Center for Reproductive Rights study "What If Roe Fell?," 30 states would be poised to criminalize abortion within a year.
Many Americans don’t realize that the legal building blocks are already in place in many states or are being erected. Without Roe, life for women would be thrown more than 30 years in reverse — returning them to the days of second-class citizenship.
Unless a woman can make her own decisions about her life, she isn't in control of her future. Allowing states to take away women's fundamental human rights is not a "part of our freedom," as Ann Althouse writes, but rather the tyranny she fears.
Nancy N. Northup
President
Center for Reproductive Rights
New York, Feb. 26, 2007
Click on the map below to get a profile of reproductive laws and policies in each state including the state Chapter of "What If Roe Fell?"
