NARAL blasts Congressional Republicans on Select Committee to attack Women’s Health’s inaugural convening

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 2, 2016

With Congressional Republicans today convening their hyper-partisan Select Committee to Attack Women’s Health for the first time, NARAL Pro-Choice America called out the GOP for their attempt to take away Americans’ reproductive rights by any means necessary. As thousands gathered at the steps of the Supreme Court in support of safe and legal access to abortion, NARAL released the following statement from Sasha Bruce, senior vice president of campaigns and strategy:

“In the same hour that Supreme Court justices are hearing arguments in the most significant reproductive rights case in decades, Congressional Republicans are proving that their focus remains on denying women access to safe, legal abortion. The latest congressional attack on reproductive freedom isn’t just unnecessary—it’s downright dangerous. With this hearing, anti-choice lawmakers are targeting lifesaving research into diseases like Parkinson’s and AIDS, which could be devastating for future scientific advancements.

“But they aren’t stopping at holding research hostage—they’re endangering the very people who conduct it. No need to mince words: the demands that the anti-choice leaders of this committee have made for the personal information of researchers, health-care providers, and others could put people’s lives at risk. It’s no secret that anti-choice fringe activists target doctors and scientists for harassment and violence, a tragic fact that’s all too memorable in the months following the act of domestic terrorism in Colorado Springs at a Planned Parenthood facility.

“With very real problems facing the country, Congressional Republicans continue to waste time and money on this taxpayer-funded partisan witch hunt.

“What’s clear is that congressional Republicans are not just wasting time on show hearings that are derived from discredited videos produced by anti-abortion extremists, they’re putting people’s lives in danger. No one should have to fear for their safety when seeking health care or conducting vital research.”

###