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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Sondra Goldschein, JD, Reproductive Freedom Project, American Civil Liberties Union, 125 Broad Street, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10004, 212 549 2628, sgoldschein@aclu.org

For more and more women, legal abortions are increasingly out of reach, and the gap between those who can exercise their right to reproductive freedom and those who cannot is widening. Since 1995, states have enacted more than 450 measures that restrict access to abortion and other important reproductive health services. Likewise, with anti-choice forces controlling the White House, the House, and the Senate, the federal government has considered and passed legislation aimed at severely curtailing reproductive rights, including the first-ever federal ban on abortion practice.

Recent changes on the courts may limit the ability of advocates to block enforcement of restrictions. Now more than ever, we must step up our efforts to block dangerous restrictions before they become law. Discussion will focus on fighting measures aimed at compromising teenagers' confidentiality; forcing women to delay their abortions and obtain state-mandated information designed to persuade them not to have an abortion; and banning abortion. Upcoming state and federal legislation designed to further put reproductive health services out of reach will also be addressed. Participants will be provided with ideas and tools they can use to organize and engage individuals in their communities.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant in this session will be able to

• Discuss the current laws restricting access to abortion care as well as future threats in state legislatures and Congress.
• Identify roles health professionals play in lobbying and public education efforts.

Keywords: Abortion, Politics

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No