Calls on Missouri General Assembly to Stop Assault on Women’s Rights

Jefferson City – State Representative Stacey Newman (D-St. Louis) announced today that she has filed a resolution in the Missouri House to designate the week of January 22-29, 2012 as “Reproductive Rights Awareness Week.”  The announcement coincides with the 39^th anniversary of the U. S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision.

As of June this year, states enacted 162 new provisions related to reproductive health, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a New York-based policy and research center.  Of those new laws, 49 percent seek to restrict access to abortion, a near doubling of 26 percent in 2010. Eighty abortion restrictions were enacted this year, more than triple enacted in 2010 and double the previous record of 34 abortion restrictions enacted in 2005.

“The consistent legislative effort to restrict access to legal medical reproductive choices, including birth control, is negatively impacting the health and welfare of women throughout the country,” stated Rep. Newman, chair of the House Progressive Caucus. “This resolution was developed by women to bring education, awareness and action to protect women’s health and safety and to ensure reproductive rights under federal law.”

House Concurrent Resolution 24 was filed Wednesday, January 25 with 29 co-sponsors, including several who are not members of the Progressive Caucus.

Along with Missouri, the Reproductive Rights Resolution is being introduced in 14 other states including Wisconsin, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Arizona, Hawaii, South Dakota, North Dakota, Alaska, Michigan, Washington, Utah, New York and Ohio.

State Representative Newman is one of 18 legislators from throughout the U.S. who participated in the July 15-17 2011 Strategic Action Convening on Reproductive Rights and Justice sponsored by the Center for Women’s Studies.  The group of female lawmakers pledged to introduce a resolution in their 15 states designating a week in January for awareness of reproductive rights. They hope the resolutions will provide a rallying cry to pro-choice advocates nationwide.