Posts by Vicki Saporta
South Dakota Attempts to Have Another Abortion Ban Referendum
A bill that would ban almost all abortions in the state of South Dakota will be voted on today in the state’s House of Representatives. If the bill clears House and Senate and is signed by the Governor, the measure would be placed before South Dakota voters in the 2008 election. Last year, voters decisively…
Read MoreVoters in Portugal Support Overturning their Strict Abortion Ban
On Sunday, Portugal held a national referendum to legalize abortion up to the 10th week of pregnancy. While 59.3 percent of voters backed the measure, only about 44 percent of the electorate voted, short of the 50 percent turnout needed to amend Portugese law. Following the lead of the voters, Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates…
Read MoreStudy Finds Doctors’ Moral Views May Affect Patient Care
According to a study published in Thursday’s New England Journal of Medicine, one in seven doctors surveyed said they would not mention a procedure they believed to be morally wrong to patients as a viable treatment option. Fifty-two percent of the doctors in the study said they opposed abortion, and 42 percent opposed prescribing birth…
Read MorePortugal Referendum Could Legalize Abortion
This Sunday Portugal will hold a national referendum to legalize abortion up to the 10th week of pregnancy. Portugal currently has one of the strictest abortion laws in Europe, with the procedure banned except in cases of rape, fetal malformation, or if a woman’s life or health is at risk. Criminalization of abortion has not…
Read MorePrevention First Act Introduced in House of Representatives
Representative Slaughter (D-NY) and Representative DeGette (D-CO) introduced the Prevention First Act in the U.S. House of Representatives yesterday. Passage of this Act would improve women’s access to comprehensive reproductive health care services; fund medically accurate sex education and pregnancy prevention programs for teens; and increase federal funding for Title X, the nation’s family planning…
Read MoreFlorida Woman Arrested After Reporting Rape
Over the weekend a 21-year-old Florida woman called the police to report she had been raped while leaving a local parade, but during the investigation officers discovered the woman had an outstanding warrant for failure to pay restitution on a juvenile crime and arrested her. Even though she was given emergency contraception by a rape…
Read MoreStates Continue to Attack Abortion Access
State lawmakers across the country continue their attempts to restrict abortion access. Yesterday lawmakers in South Dakota introduced a bill banning abortion with limited exceptions. In November, voters in the state rejected an abortion ban by a wide margin. This year’s ban has stricter penalties; doctors who provide abortions could be charged with a Class-4…
Read MoreNineteen Years of Reproductive Freedom in Canada
Sunday marked the 19th anniversary of the Supreme Court of Canada case that struck down Canada’s abortion law as unconstitutional, and made Canada one of the few countries without a law restricting abortion. The Chronicle Herald featured a profile of NAF member Dr. Henry Morgentaler and his involvement with this landmark case. Abortion is among…
Read MoreAnti-Abortion Extremist James Kopp Convicted of Violating FACE Act
Here is the press release we issued following James Kopp’s conviction:Today a jury in the federal trial of anti-abortion extremist and confessed murderer James Kopp, found him guilty of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act and using a firearm to commit a violent act. Already serving a 25-year-to-life state sentence for…
Read MoreCelebrating Reproductive Freedom: Commemorating Roe v. Wade in the Nation’s Capital – Update 2
I wanted to share with you insights from one of our staff members handling violence and security issues: Anti-abortion protesters from around the country came to Washington, DC to participate in Monday’s “March for Life” as well as numerous other activities that took place over the weekend. The march itself began with a rally on…
Read More