Planned Parenthood Action Fund Applauds Arkansas Governor’s Veto of Most Extreme Abortion Ban in U.S.

NEW YORK, NY – Planned Parenthood Action Fund today applauded Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe, who today vetoed the most restrictive ban on safe and legal abortion in the country. The Action Fund now calls on the Arkansas legislature to accept the veto and move on to matters that unite, rather than divide, Arkansans.

Statement from Cecile Richards, President of Planned Parenthood Action Fund

“We applaud Gov. Beebe for vetoing a bill that would impose the most restrictive ban on safe and legal abortion in the country and one that the majority of Arkansans – and the majority of Americans – don’t want. Most people in Arkansas and across America know that abortion is a deeply personal and often complex decision for a woman to make.

“Politicians should not be involved in a woman’s personal medical decisions about her pregnancy. This extreme legislation would insert politics into women’s personal medical decisions, and we urge the legislature to accept Gov. Beebe’s veto.”

BACKGROUND:

Despite consistent support by a majority of Americans, opponents of women’s health continue to work tirelessly to chip away at or limit access for women. Last month, the Guttmacher Institute released a report showing that 43 provisions were passed in 19 states last year to restrict access to abortion — the second-highest number of such measures passed in a single year (behind only 2011).
In a Pew poll released in January, more than six in ten (63 percent) respondents said they would not like to see the court completely overturn the Roe v. Wade decision.
A Wall Street Journal/NBC poll released in January found that a majority of Americans (70 percent) oppose efforts to overturn Roe v. Wade — marking the highest percentage on this question since 1989.