November 8, 2005

Announcement: This Tuesday, November 8, be sure to tune into the PBS program, Frontline, at 9:00pm (Eastern). The Center will be featured in an hour-long documentary entitled The Last Abortion Clinic. The program takes an in-depth look at the quiet war against abortion across the country over the last decade. Read more about the documentary...

Dear Friend and Supporter,

At the Center, we are deeply troubled by Judge Samuel A. Alito's nomination to the Supreme Court. "Judge Alito's fifteen-year record on the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit raises grave concerns about whether he believes a woman's fundamental right to make private decisions about her reproductive health is worthy of constitutional protection," says Nancy Northup, President of the Center. Click here to read her full statement...

His nomination is particularly alarming because of the important abortion cases coming before the Supreme Court. On October 12, we filed an amicus brief in Ayotte v. Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, which is scheduled to go before the court on November 30. "This case could fundamentally change the legal landscape for abortion in this country," says Nancy Northup. "New Hampshire would have us wait until a woman is on the brink of medical tragedy before a lawsuit can be filed." Click here to learn more...

Internationally we continue to push for the fulfillment of women's human rights. In September, we submitted a shadow letter on Brazil to the United Nations Human Rights Committee, for review at its 85th Session, which closed on November 3. Our letter addresses Brazil's compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. "Brazil has made progress, but continues to fall short. We hope that the information contained in our shadow letter was useful to the Human Rights Committee in its assessment of how well the Brazilian government is upholding its obligations to ensure women's reproductive and sexual rights," says Lilian Sepúlveda, Legal Adviser in the Center's International Legal Program. Click here to read the letter...(PDF)

Our case against the Food and Drug Administration is also moving forward, despite the agency's continued foot-dragging. The agency has already put off making a decision—for four years—on whether emergency contraception should be made available over-the-counter, and on August 26, it called for a 60-day public comment period on its own regulatory processes. Considered by many to be simply another stalling tactic, the public comment period resulted in the resignations of two medical experts working for the agency. The FDA, these experts say, is putting politics before women's health. We agree. On October 27, a federal judge issued a ruling asking our lawyers for additional information on our claims against the FDA. That means the case is going ahead. In fact, an oral argument is scheduled for December 16. Click here to learn more...

Finally, we published a toolkit for abortion rights advocates and policymakers around the world. Making Abortion Safe, Legal and Accessible: A Toolkit for Action contains eight briefing papers on abortion with respect to human rights, public health, global laws, adolescents, and religious perspectives. The toolkit is a valuable resource for NGOs and individuals around the globe who are working to ensure that governments respect women's right to safe and legal abortion. Click here to see the Toolkit for Action...

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

Thanks for your support,

Nancy Northup,
President