Speaker Boehner and Majority Leader Cantor are pushing an unconstitutional bill through the House that would ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy–without any exception for the woman’s health. Sign the petition to tell them to drop this bill and stop attacking women.
Visit Here http://act.weareultraviolet.org/go/879?t=2&akid=488.6000.TUDXfe
From: Nita and Shaunna, Ultraviolet
Dear Readers,
Remember Todd “legitimate rape” Akin? And Richard Mourdock who said a pregnancy from rape is “gift from God”?1 Well, they’re back–or at least their policies are. Trent Franks, a tea party Republican Congressman from Arizona, said last week that “the incidence of rape resulting in pregnancy are very low.”2 The truth: at least 30,000 women become pregnant from rape each year.3
What’s even scarier? The House is set to vote on Rep. Franks’s proposal to criminalize abortion nationwide after the 20th week of pregnancy this week.4
Republicans in Congress are using this bill to score political points with their conservative base, but after the 2012 election, they’re also desperate to appeal to women voters. Now, it’s up to all of us to send them a clear message: Women are watching and we are speaking out. Stop attacking our rights. Can you sign the petition telling Speaker Boehner and Majority Leader Cantor to drop this bill now? We’ll deliver your signature and comments before the vote.
Tell Congress: Drop the 20-week abortion ban.
Attempts to ban abortions after 20 weeks aren’t new–extreme conservatives have been pushing similar legislation through state legislatures for years now. Nine states have all passed similar laws, including Indiana, Louisiana and Nebraska. But the bill is unconstitutional, and it directly contradicts Roe v. Wade. Just last month, Arizona’s ban was thrown out by the federal appeals court. Courts have also overturned similar laws in Idaho and Georgia.5
It’s also dangerous. If it’s passed, doctors who perform safe abortion care could be tried and imprisoned–even if a woman was at risk for severe, permanent health problems.6
Not all Republicans are on board with their party’s latest extreme attack on women. Republican Rep. Charlie Dent even said of his own party’s leadership, “Clearly the economy is on everyone’s minds… and now we’re going to have a debate on rape and abortion… The stupidity is simply staggering.”7
If we all speak out now, we can show Speaker Boehner and Majority Leader Cantor that pushing this bill through the House–and continuing the Republican war on women–is not only wrong, it’s going to cost them politically.
Sign the petition.
Thanks for speaking out.
–Nita, Shaunna, Kat, Malinda and Karin, the UltraViolet team
Sources:
1. Rape remarks sink two Republican Senate hopefuls, NBC News, November 7, 2012
2. Trent Franks: ‘The Incidence Of Rape Resulting In Pregnancy Are Very Low’, Huffington Post, June 12, 2013
3. Ibid.
4. House GOP Set To Vote Next Week On 20-Week Abortion Ban, Talking Points Memo, June 12, 2013
5. Abortion Bans at 20 Weeks: A Dangerous Restriction for Women, NARAL Pro-Choice America
House Republican Calls Nationwide Abortion Ban Vote ‘Staggering Stupidity’, Think Progress, June 13, 2013
6. Trent Franks, Abortion Bans, and the Fetal Pain Lie, RH Reality Check, June 13, 2013
7. House Republican Calls Nationwide Abortion Ban Vote ‘Staggering Stupidity’, Think Progress, June 13, 2013
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