Released on: March 10, 2008, 7:25 am

Press Release Author: Arbor Books

Industry: Government

Press Release Summary: PRO-CHOICE DOC SPEAKS OUT FOR WOMEN'S RIGHTS

Press Release Body: (SARASOTA, FL)- As the country nears the one-year anniversary of
the Supreme Court's decision to uphold the Federal Abortion Ban, pro-choice activist
Dr. Kenneth C. Edelin is more determined than ever to make certain that women are
not forced to consider more dangerous and life threatening means of terminating
pregnancies.

"Will five conservative men determine the status of a woman's right to choose in the
United States of America in the twenty-first century?" asks Dr. Edelin, author of
the new book Broken Justice.

Many groups are convinced that with George Bush's final packing of the Supreme Court
with conservative justices Roberts and Alito, the future of women's control over
their own bodies may be in jeopardy. The 5 - 4 decision to uphold the ban was split
along radical conservative and progressive lines.

"The decision to enforce the ban undermines a core principle-that a woman's health
must remain the top priority-and instead allows politics and religious beliefs to
override legal precedent and medical expertise."

"The Roe v. Wade decision of 1973 carefully balanced the rights of women to make
important reproductive decisions for themselves and the state's interest in
potential life."

"Thirty-five years later, women are again facing the possibility that their bodies
and reproductive rights will fall under the scrutiny and control of the federal
government."

"This decision has protected the health and lives of women-especially poor and
minority women-in the United States," says Dr. Edelin. "Prior to the Roe v. Wade
decision, more than one million women each year were forced to resort to illegal
abortions, putting their lives at risk."

With bans on a woman's right to choose looming in twenty-five states, Dr. Edelin's
cautionary tale provides a harrowing glimpse into the strategy of harassing,
prosecuting and intimidating doctors in an effort to restrict a woman's right to
choose.

Dr. Edelin fears that if Roe v. Wade is overturned:
 An amendment to the Constitution will be proposed, outlawing abortion
completely.
 State-by-state restrictions on abortion will be enacted so that a woman's
control over her own body will be determined by where she lives.
 Women will resort to extreme measures to terminate unwanted pregnancies.
 Doctors who perform abortions, even in life-saving situations, will be
subject to federal prosecution, potential murder charges and imprisonment.
 Terrorist-type members of the "right to life" movement may again resort to
killing doctors who perform abortions and bombing clinics where abortions are
performed.

Dr. Edelin has consistently drawn parallels between the civil rights and
reproductive rights movements.

"There is no difference between the state saying that a woman must carry an
unwanted pregnancy to term and the state saying that a human being has to work for
no pay in the cotton fields," says Dr. Edelin. "Both are forms of slavery, which
should never again be allowed in America. By taking away a woman's right to choose,
our government nullifies the fourteenth Amendment, which guarantees equal
protection for all citizens."

Dr. Edelin is emeritus professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Boston University
and the former chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Boston
University School of Medicine. He was also chair of the board at Planned Parenthood
Federation of America. He has been a practicing physician for nearly forty years.
For more information on Broken Justice, please visit www.brokenjustice.com.


Web Site: http://www.brokenjustice.com

Contact Details: Robin Mansfield
robin@pondviewpress.com