FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
January 24, 2013

Assembly Resolution Honors Women's Reproductive Rights


Speaker Sheldon Silver and Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee today announced passage of an Assembly resolution (K.37) observing the 40th anniversary of the monumental Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion and continues to represent a crucial victory for women's rights, women's liberty, and reproductive freedom in the United States.

"Because every woman should be free to choose her destiny, we celebrate this anniversary," said Silver. "May the wisdom of those who came before us guide my colleagues and I as we continue to fight for legislation that expands and protects the rights of New York's women."

"On this anniversary, we celebrate a legal judgment that has safeguarded reproductive freedom for generations of American women," said Jaffee. "Today and every day, we celebrate this freedom. This anniversary is also an occasion to pause in memory of those women for whom unsafe, illegal abortions were the only option. I commend my colleagues in the Assembly Majority for their tireless efforts to protect women's health and safety."

During the era before legalization, abortion was the cause of untold physical and legal consequences for thousands of women.

In 1970, three years before Roe v. Wade granted its widespread protections, New York passed legislation that made the state one of the first to legalize abortion. Today, the Assembly, which has long been a leader in women's health care, paused in its deliberations to commemorate this decision and celebrate a history of championing women's rights and well-being.