Freedom of Choice Act (S 1173 & HR 1964)
Introduced by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY)

What is it
Why you should support it
Bill status
Take action

What it is>>

The Freedom of Choice Act would ensure that the government cannot interfere in a woman's right to choose to bear a child, to terminate a pregnancy prior to viability or to terminate a pregnancy after viability to protect her life or health.  This legislation was introduced after an April 2007 Supreme Court decision that - in Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's words, "… cannot be understood as anything other than an effort to chip away at a right declared again and again by this Court.'  The Freedom of Choice Act in effect codifies - or puts into law, rather than relying on the Supreme Court to protect constitutional freedoms - the 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision that balanced a woman's right to choose an abortion with the state's ability to regulate abortion. 

Why you should support it>>

• Restrictive abortion laws only serve to force the procedure underground and into the hands of unqualified practitioners - putting women's lives and health at risk.  Prior to the Roe v. Wade decision, more than a million women a year were forced to seek illegal abortions and often risked infection, hemorrhage, disfiguration, and death. Ensuring the long-standing freedom for women to choose abortion underlies safe health care services for women. 
• According to a CNN poll, 66 percent of the American people said they do not want Roe overturned - yet several states have enacted and considered bans on abortion since the April Supreme Court ruling
• If enacted, the Freedom of Choice Act would put an end to the chipping away of reproductive freedoms most people believe are protected by the Constitution - though the current Supreme Court has thrown asunder.  The clarity enabled by the legislation would be a step forward in protecting this long-standing right in the United States.

Bill Status>>
The Freedom of Choice Act was introduced in the Senate and in the House on April 19, 2007.  Click here for more information about the bill, including the full text and who has cosponsored it so far

Take Action>>

Help build bipartisan support for this vital legislation. Make a phone call or email today:

• Contact your Senators and ask them both to cosponsor the Freedom of Choice Act (S. 1173).  Click here to find your Senators and their contact information.
• Contact your Representative and ask him or her to cosponsor the Freedom of Choice Act (HR 1964). Click here to find your Representative and his or her contact information.