Media Center: Press Release

Pro-Choice Physicians Urge President Bush to Heed Words of Warning When Filling U.S. Supreme Court Vacancy

New York, NY—Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health today released a video highlighting the health risks women faced before Roe v. Wade, and why it is imperative that abortion remain legal and accessible.

On the heels of Justice Sandra Day O’Connor’s retirement, pre-Roe abortion providers discuss personal experiences from the days before abortion was legal and provide a compelling rationale for the appointment of U.S. Supreme Court justices who will ensure that women have access to the full range of reproductive health care services, including family planning and abortion.

"Without legal protections for these services, we as physicians will find ourselves in the untenable position of not being able to provide safe medical care legally," said Dr. Suzanne Poppema, PRCH Board Member. "The ability to practice medicine should remain free from politics, but as this is not the reality of our time, I urge President Bush to consider what will best serve the health of America when making his nomination."

"A doctor’s ability to make sound medical decisions has already been compromised by the passage of federal and state legislation, blurring the line between a physician’s expert opinion and the government’s ideological priorities. The women we care for risk devastating compromise of their health if the Supreme Court follows in that vein," continued Poppema. "I cannot underscore strongly enough the potential impact of this nominee; we cannot afford to see the value of sound medical science further eroded."

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