March 28, 2005

Dear Friend and Supporter,

In case you weren’t already convinced that the U.S. is moving in the wrong direction when it comes to reproductive freedom, the Center has recently released a study showing that Nepal, Switzerland, Cambodia and South Africa have taken the lead in ensuring abortion rights, while the U. S. is one of only five countries in the world to go backward in the last decade.

But we are fighting back! Last week our joint effort with Planned Parenthood and the ACLU was successful in postponing enforcement of a recently enacted ban on abortion in Michigan.

And we continue to urge Congress to reject the Teen Endangerment Act, a bill that would make it much more difficult for teens to obtain abortions in states across the U.S.

While the domestic terrain is rough, success in other parts of the world continues to inspire us. We are happy to report that thanks, in part, to legal memoranda we filed in India, the Supreme Court of India is taking action against illegal sterilization practices there.

And our recently released report, Legal Grounds, provides advocates and jurists with tools to fight for women’s reproductive and sexual rights in courts of law in sub-Saharan Africa.

Each step forward gives us strength for the ongoing struggle for reproductive freedom and women’s rights in the U. S. and around the world….and each step backward makes us fight even harder.

Please make a donation to the Center…your support is crucial, now as always.


Thanks for your support,

Nancy Northup
President, Center for Reproductive Rights