July 7, 2005

Dear Friend and Supporter,

We are concerned by Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's resignation on July 1. O'Connor has played an important role in protecting women's reproductive rights and health. Whoever fills her vacancy will have a tremendous impact on our lives and our rights - a worrisome situation, to say the least. "To date, not one of George W. Bush's judicial nominations to the lower courts has gone on record defending women's reproductive rights --and worse, some have been openly hostile," says Nancy Northup, President of the Center. "If his prior nominations are any indication of the President's plans for the nation's highest court, reproductive rights are in grave trouble."
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Since the Supreme Court recognized a woman's right to choose in the landmark ruling Roe v. Wade 32 years ago, that right has been under constant attack by anti-choice forces. On June 23, Senator Sam Brownback held a Judiciary subcommittee hearing to discuss the consequences of Roe. "Brownback's hearing is another attempt by anti-choice lawmakers to undermine reproductive rights," says Nancy Northup, Center president.
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On the state level we continue to fight. The Center and Planned Parenthood Federation of America asked a federal court to strike down a new law that requires physicians to give notice to parents in some cases 72 hours before providing abortion services to teens. "The Florida legislature passed this law - claiming to protect teens - when, in fact, it jeopardizes their health and lives," says Janet Crepps, Center attorney. The act imposes elaborate restrictions on physicians that will prevent them from providing the best and most timely health care to teens facing medical emergencies.
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While the going is tough in the United States, our friends in Colombia are literally under siege. The office of Women's Link Colombia, where former Center fellow Monica Roa has filed the first constitutional challenge to Colombia's ban on abortion, was burglarized. Money and other valuables were not stolen; all that was taken were computers that hold information supporting the constitutional complaint. "The thieves were clearly going after the information, and nothing else," Roa states.
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While challenges mount both domestically and globally, the Center is moving forward. Experts in human rights law and litigation from around the world gathered at the Center in June to discuss how reproductive rights can be enforced at the national, regional, and international levels. It was the first meeting of our International Litigation Advisory Committee (ILAC).
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Finally, we are happy to announce the appointment of Sanford M. Cohen, a veteran civil rights prosecutor, as Deputy Director of the Domestic Legal Program. Mr. Cohen has held the top civil rights posts in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York and the New York State Attorney General's Office.
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Please make a donation to the Center…your support is crucial, now as always.

Thanks for your support,

Nancy Northup,
President