This Ruling is Bad for Women's Health

	Forget your doctor's expert medical opinion--five Supreme Court justices think they know what's best for women's health. Wednesday, the Supreme Court reversed 30 years of precedent by deciding that a woman's health is no longer a necessary consideration when determining the right to make the difficult, personal, medical decision to have an abortion. Despite strong and significant medical evidence, they determined that banning a more safe and accepted medical procedure is constitutional, leaving only other more dangerous procedures available. We all agree on the need to reduce the number of abortions, and we're committed to finding common ground to do that through education, prevention and support systems. But deciding to have an abortion is a judgment that should be left to doctors and women. Help us fight back. Tell your community why this judicial ruling is so harmful to women's health: http://www.democrats.org/womenshealth Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, one of four justices who disagreed with the ruling, explained the political agenda behind this decision: The Court's hostility... is not concealed. Throughout, the opinion refers to obstetrician-gynecologists and surgeons who perform abortions not by the titles of their medical specialties, but by the pejorative label abortion doctor. A fetus is described as an unborn child, and a baby, second-trimester...and the reasoned medical judgments of highly trained doctors are dismissed as preferences motivated by mere convenience. The ruling threatens a woman's right to make personal medical decisions--but doesn't take away our right to speak out. Please write a letter to your local newspaper about the dangerous impact this ruling will have on the lives of all women. You can use our template if you need some help: http://www.democrats.org/womenshealth Now more than ever, our voices must be heard--in our communities and in the voting booth--to defend our rights against the Bush Administration and his judicial appointments. Thank you for joining the fight. Sincerely, Sharon Grosfeld WLF Executive Director P.S. -- I also wanted to pass along to you Governor Dean's reaction to the ruling, which I've included below. Today's decision by the Supreme Court takes away a right that has previously been affirmed by the Court. A woman's decision about her own reproductive health is a very personal and difficult one that should remain hers to be made with her doctor. This latest decision by the Court stands in stark contradiction to previous rulings recognizing the complexity of women's medical conditions and replaces the judgment of doctors, women and their families for the judgment of five Supreme Court Justices. Regardless of political affiliation, we can all agree that reducing the number of abortions is a priority. Democrats are committed to finding common ground on this issue and focusing on legislative measures to increase education, prevention and support systems to help reduce the number of abortions each year in the United States.
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