This Wednesday could easily be dubbed “Anti-Woman Day” at the Arizona Legislature. Several anti-choice bills will be voted on in two committees that day, and if the votes go anything like last Wednesday’s House Health Committee vote, women don’t stand a chance. We need YOUR help this week. Please TAKE ACTION on BOTH items to stand up for women in Arizona.
First, THANK YOU for taking action last week by emailing the House Health Committee about the two bills that were up for vote. HB2443 (Gender and Race Selection) did not receive a hearing that day, but stay tuned for movement on that bill again soon.
Unfortunately, with HB2416, ideology once again trumped science at the Legislature! In testimony, Planned Parenthood Medical Director, Dr. Taylor, took questions from the panel of legislators. One legislator, Peggy Judd, could not understand why handing a woman a pill was different from a surgical procedure, ignoring the medical common sense evidence that Dr. Taylor presented during the hearing to decide whether abortion-by-pill should be subject to the same clinic regulations as a surgical abortion. The committee ultimately decided….it should be.
The hearing was fraught with misinformation, and debate was shut down before pro-choice legislators even had a chance to ask their questions. Continue reading
