With a hearing on this year's legislation to keep abortion "safe and legal" expected as early as next week, members of a group calling itself the "
The Rev.
The speakers focused their comments on the
The legislation opens with this statement: "Neither the state, nor any of its agencies, or political subdivisions shall restrict an individual person from preventing, commencing, continuing, or terminating [a] pregnancy prior to fetal viability."
"It is a sad fact of history that women have been economically, politically and legally disadvantaged," said
"Because decisions about parenting are so important, we believe that each woman should be able to decide if and when to have a child and how many children she can reasonably care for," he said.
The Rev.
The Rev.
"Its purpose was to provide counseling and support for women struggling with problem pregnancies. At the time abortion was illegal. ... It was unsafe and rates of morbidity and mortality were high. Self-induced abortions among others led to sepsis and often death. With the passage of Roe vs. Wade, women had the right to choose and, as a result, pregnancy terminations could be accomplished in medically safe clinics under the care of physicians and other health-care personnel."
The coalition describes itself as "an inter-faith organization working to challenge systems of oppression and remove the multiple barriers that impede individuals -- particularly those in marginalized communities -- from accessing comprehensive and respectful reproductive health care."
The legislation faces fierce opposition from some quarters.
Earlier this winter, when the reworked abortion-rights legislation was introduced,
His view: "It goes way beyond that and would make
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