NARAL Pro-Choice Colorado : News : Press Releases

WILL FINAL PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE ADDRESS WOMEN'S HEALTH?

NARAL Pro-Choice Colorado Calls for Presidential Nominees to Explain Positions on Women's Health Care Issues

DENVER (Oct. 15) -- As Sen. John McCain and Sen. Barack Obama engage in their final debate before Election Day, NARAL Pro-Choice Colorado Executive Director Emilie C. Ailts released the following statement raising questions about the candidates' policies regarding women's health:

"With this final presidential debate slated to cover the candidates' differences on domestic issues, Colorado women and their families should be asking whether they'll learn the stark differences between Senator Obama and Senator McCain when it comes to women's health. Even more critical is understanding how their positions affect Coloradans.

"Sen. McCain has repeatedly said he thinks Roe v. Wade should be overturned[i] and has voted to make abortion illegal, even for victims of rape or incest and when a woman's life or health is at risk.[ii]^,[iii],[iv] If Roe is overturned, laws regulating abortions revert to the state ¨-- which means that the women of Colorado would lose their right to privacy and that the government could step in to make personal, private health care decisions, because Colorado is one of 15 states where a pre-Roe ban an most abortions could be enforced.

"In recent media interviews, Sen. McCain's running mate has expressed opposition to emergency contraception, which can prevent pregnancy if taken within a few days of unprotected sex. Here in Colorado, we have a law on the books that requires hospitals to provide rape survivors with information about emergency contraception. Given Gov. Palin's opposition to emergency contraception, there are unanswered questions about just how far Sen. McCain would go to restrict access to this medication at the federal level.

"We also know that Sen. McCain voted to end the federal Title X health care program, which provides millions of Americans with health-care services ranging from birth control to breast cancer screenings.[v] In Colorado, Title X supports 68 family planning clinics that serve 57,660 women, including 16,870. These Title X-supported clinics help prevent up to 13,400 unintended pregnancies in our state each year. [vi]

"Coloradans deserve to know how Sen. McCain's positions on women's health will affect our families."

NARAL Pro-Choice Colorado and NARAL Pro-Choice America are committed to making sure voters know Sen. John McCain's position on reproductive health and reproductive rights. For more information, please visit www.MeetTheRealMcCain.com.

NARAL Pro-Choice Colorado (NPCC) is the political leader of the pro-choice movement in Colorado. NPCC has more than 30,000 supporters statewide and works to develop and sustain a constituency that uses the political process to guarantee every woman the right to make personal decisions regarding the full range of reproductive health choices, including preventing unintended pregnancies, bearing healthy children and choosing legal abortion.

###

[i][i] Ann Althouse, Rudy & Mitt Hem & Haw on Abortion, N.Y. TIMES, Feb. 24, 2007.

[ii][ii] Boxer amendment to “Partial-Birth” Abortion Ban Act, H.R.1833, 12/7/95; Feinstein amendment to “Partial-Birth” Abortion Ban Act, H.R.1833, 12/7/95; “Partial-Birth” Abortion Ban Act, H.R.1833, 12/7/95; vote to override veto of “Partial-Birth” Abortion Ban Act, H.R.1833, 9/26/96; Feinstein/Boxer amendment to “Partial-Birth” Abortion Ban Act, H.R.1122, 5/15/97; “Partial-Birth” Abortion Ban Act, H.R.1122, 5/20/97; vote to override veto of “Partial-Birth” Abortion Ban Act, H.R.1122, 9/18/98; “Partial-Birth” Abortion Ban Act, S.1692, 10/21/99; Feinstein amendment to “Partial-Birth” Abortion Ban Act, S.3, 3/12/03; “Partial-Birth” Abortion Ban Act, S.3, 3/13/03; “Partial-Birth” Abortion Ban Act, S.3, 10/21/03.

[iii][iii] Harkin motion to table Nickles amendment to FY88 District of Columbia appropriations bill, H.R.2173, 9/30/87; Harkin motion to table Exon amendment to FY89 District of Columbia appropriations bill, H.R.4776, 7/7/88; Harkin motion to table Humphrey amendment to FY89 District of Columbia appropriations bill, H.R.4776, 7/7/88; Exon amendment to FY89 Labor, HHS, and Education appropriations bill, H.R.4783, 7/27/88; Chiles motion to table Weicker motion to insist that the Senate retain Exon amendment to FY89 Labor, HHS, and Education appropriations bill, H.R.4783, 9/13/88; Chiles motion to table Weicker motion to insist that the Senate retain Exon amendment to FY89 Labor, HHS, and Education appropriations bill, H.R.4783, 9/13/88; Nickles motion to table Bradley motion to disagree with Dornan House amendment to FY89 District of Columbia appropriations bill, H.R.4776, 9/30/88; vote to strike provisions in FY94 Labor, HHS, and Education appropriations bill, H.R.2518, 9/28/93; Nickles motion to waive Budget Act with respect to Chafee point of order to strike language in Balanced Budget Reconciliation Act, S.1357, 10/27/95; Smith motion to instruct on Balanced Budget Reconciliation Act, S.1357, 10/27/95; Kerrey amendment to Balanced Budget Act of 1997, S.947, 6/25/97.

[iv][iv] Conte amendment to FY84 Labor, HHS, and Education appropriations bill, H.R.3913, 9/22/83.

[v][v] Weicker motion to table Helms amendment to FY89 Labor, HHS, and Education appropriations bill, H.R.4783, 7/25/88; motion to invoke cloture on Family Planning Amendments Act, S.110, 9/26/90.

[vi][vi] “Contraception Counts: Colorado,” published in 2006 by The Guttmacher Institute and available online at http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/state_data/states/colorado.pdf.