Anya Overmann and I came across this report on the Freedom From Religion Foundation and its efforts to protect reproductive rights and proper education. Just for you.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation announced the aim to combat another bill designed to attack women’s reproductive rights (FFRF, 2017). It deals with abortion, which, to be fair, is a split issue among women, and the general populace, in the United States.
Based on research into the general public’s views on abortion from 1995-2017, the Pew Research Center reports (circa 2017) that “57% say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, while 40% say it should be illegal in all or most cases” (Pew Research Center, 2017).
However, more than half of American adults do not take an “absolutist” view on abortion. They will be somewhere between most or some of the time in their views, whether pro-life or pro-choice. Note, the terms “pro-choice” and “pro-life” are not formal terms used in the Pew Research Center report, but seem implied to us.
This bill would essentially prevent OBGYN students at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health from training to perform abortions. It’s not just discouraging women from getting abortions — it’s cutting off access to abortions at the source.
The FFRF opposes this bill due to its perpetuation of the age-old attack on women’s rights, as well as restricting the education of medical students at UW. There’s absolutely no secular reasoning for passing a bill like this. All it does is simply reinforce the fact that in 2017 women’s rights are in continued need of strong advocacy and implementation., and protection.
If this bill were to pass, it would set a legal precedent for the rest of the United States, which would open the doors for more significant regressive initiatives. Ultimately reversing not only women’s rights, but scientific and medical progress as well, the FFRF is one of many organizations taking a stand – as they should.
References
Freedom From Religion Foundation. (2017). Freedom From Religion Foundation. Retrieved from https://ffrf.org/.
Grover, S. (2017, July 19). FFRF fights for education and women’s rights. Retrieved from http://www.patheos.com/blogs/freethoughtnow/ffrf-fights-for-education-and-womens-rights/.
Pew Research Center. (2017, July 7). Public Opinion on Abortion: Views on abortion, 1995-2017. Retrieved from http://www.pewforum.org/fact-sheet/public-opinion-on-abortion/.
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