FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 21, 2010

Contact: Samantha Levine, 917-488-0075


Statement from Kelli Conlin, President of NARAL Pro-Choice New York, on Federal Health Care Reform Bill



While leaders of the pro-choice caucus acted swiftly to turn back an 11th hour effort to sneak the Stupak Amendment into health reform, NARAL Pro-Choice New York is extremely disappointed that the final federal health care reform bill includes several provisions designed to curtail women's access to abortion care, including the onerous two-check "compromise."

NARAL Pro-Choice New York is equally upset with President Obama's executive order, which enshrines the Hyde Amendment and reaffirms that women who receive their healthcare through a federal program (like Medicaid) or who serve their country in federal jobs or military service do not have the same rights as other American women.

This battle, which has been a painful reminder that we cannot ever take our reproductive rights for granted, has also served to reinvigorate the pro-choice movement. While we would have preferred that our renewed energy come on the heels of an unadulterated victory, rest assured that our nation's pro-choice men and women will not soon forget today's disappointing outcome.