June 3, 2005
Dear Friend and Supporter,
The FDA is under evangelical influence, according to an evangelical doctor
who himself publicly acknowledged that he had been asked to advise the
FDA on why the emergency contraceptive product Plan B should not be made
available without a prescription. Should the FDA be taking cues from radical
conservatives like W. David Hager, or should it be listening to science?
On June 1, women in Mississippi narrowly escaped a virtual ban on second
trimester abortions when the U.S. District Court for the Southern District
of Mississippi declared a 2004 law unconstitutional. The law would have
banned abortions after the first trimester from being performed in any
facility other than licensed hospitals or ambulatory surgical facilities.
But only one medical facility in the entire state, the Jackson Women’s
Health Organization, regularly provides second trimester abortions and,
under the new law, was ineligible for licensing.
Women’s right to life and right to health are undermined in Kenya
by lack of access to contraceptives and laws that only permit abortion
when a woman’s life is threatened. The Center and its partner, the
Federation of Women Lawyers–Kenya (FIDA Kenya), submitted a shadow
letter to the United Nations Human Rights Committee, drawing attention
to these and other areas where Kenya’s government is not fulfilling
its obligations to women.
In March, the Human Rights Committee called on
Kenya to address unsafe abortion, adopt measures to combat sexual and
domestic violence, and step up efforts against the practice of female
genital mutilation (FGM).
On May 19, we filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern
District of Oklahoma, challenging teen abortion legislation that fails
to protect the most vulnerable teens in the state. The Act requires physicians
to notify a parent or legal guardian at least 48 hours before a woman
under 18 receives an abortion, but does not provide sufficient protections
for teens who cannot turn to a parent.
Please make a donation to the Center…your support is crucial, now
as always.
Thanks for your support,
Nancy Northup,
President
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