March 9, 2006

Dear Friends,

I'm sorry I could not be with you today to protest the South Dakota bill that criminalizes abortion. But you have my word that I will work hard to protect the reproductive rights of women in New Jersey and throughout the country.

The battle line has been drawn. Three days ago, Governor Mike Rounds joined the extremist anti-choice forces when he signed a radical new state law that sends doctors to prison for performing a procedure that their patients have chosen.

We all want to reduce the number of abortions in America, but the radical right-wing plan to put doctors in prison is the wrong way to go about it. Criminalization will only make abortion less safe. The best way to reduce abortions is to prevent unintended pregnancies, and support women once they become pregnant.

We can do this by enacting legislation such as the Responsible Education About Life (REAL) Act which I introduced, and by funding women's health programs like Title X, the only federal program dedicated solely to family planning and related reproductive health care services. That's a better way to reduce abortions than putting people in prison.

Governor Rounds and his anti-choice allies believe they can overturn Roe v. Wade, now that Associate Justice Alito has taken his seat on the Supreme Court. We can't allow the anti-choice forces to dictate their beliefs to those of us who support a woman's right to make her own reproductive decisions. I voted against Justice Alito because he refused to confirm that Roe v. Wade was settled law.

Today, even though the majority of Americans are pro-choice, the reproductive rights of women are in jeopardy. We must ensure our voices are heard loud and clear on Capitol Hill and at state capitals across the country. We must stop the extreme right from setting the agenda for the women of New Jersey and the women of America.

Sincerely,

Frank R. Lautenberg