Center for Reproductive Rights Statement on the Re-Election of President Barack Obama
The Center also responds to Florida voters defeating anti-choice constitutional amendment
(PRESS RELEASE) Today the Center for Reproductive Rights called on President Barack Obama to use his second term as an opportunity to promote women’s
reproductive freedom and equality as fundamental human rights, and to restore America’s leadership in guaranteeing and defending reproductive rights and
safe, legal, affordable access to the full range of reproductive health care.
Said Nancy Northup, president and CEO at the Center for Reproductive Rights:
“In the months leading up to this election, hundreds of thousands of Americans stood up to demand an end to the relentless onslaught of attacks on women,
doctors, and the rights of both. There can be no question that this was a critical issue for many voters and they made themselves heard.
“But women should never have to worry that the results of an election will determine whether or not they can get the full range of reproductive health care
they need. Those rights must be protected as fundamental, no more subject to change in an election that our bedrock rights of free speech and religious
freedom.
“This administration now has a historic opportunity to promote policies that guarantee reproductive health and rights and to vigorously defend against the
legislative tactics that politicians hostile to women have used to choke off access to essential reproductive health care for millions.
“Throughout his first term, President Obama promoted affordable and accessible reproductive health care—including immediately rescinding the harmful global
gag rule and taking the unprecedented step of ensuring that millions of women would be able to obtain contraceptives without a co-pay through their
insurance plans.
“The Center for Reproductive Rights looks forward to working with the Obama Administration in its second term to implement stronger protections for the
reproductive rights of all American women, to broaden access to essential reproductive health care, and to put a stop to the tactics of lawmakers who seek
to roll back reproductive freedom through legislation hostile to women and harmful to their health.
“At the same time, we will continue our vigorous efforts to advocate for the nomination and confirmation of federal judges who are committed to enforcing
the constitutional rights that women rely on to meet their health care needs, and to defeat state legislative attacks waged against women across the
country.”
The Center for Reproductive Rights also issued a statement earlier this evening on a state ballot initiative in Florida, where citizens voted today to
protect women’s right to safe access to health care by rejecting Amendment 6—a measure that would have put politicians squarely between a woman and her
doctor and impeded women’s access to reproductive health care.
The Florida Constitution contains critical protections for reproductive health care. Amendment 6 would have taken those protections away and allowed
politicians to interfere directly with a woman’s ability to make her own health care decisions, instead of leaving those important, personal decisions to a
woman and her doctor. Further, Amendment 6 would have restricted insurance coverage of abortion and could have prevented Florida women from accessing safe
medical care.
“We commend the voters of Florida for joining what has become a national movement to wholly reject these attacks on reproductive freedom and to demand
stronger protections for reproductive rights,” Nancy Northup, president and CEO at the Center for Reproductive Rights. “By preserving women’s reproductive
rights under the Florida state constitution, women and families will continue to have all options available to them so they can make the best health care
decisions for their circumstances.”