P1 1WHEREAS, January 22, 2013, marks the 40th anniversary of
2the United States Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Roe v.
3Wade, which held that every woman has a fundamental right to
4control her own reproductive decisions and decide whether to end
5or continue a pregnancy, and is an occasion that deserves
6celebration; and
7WHEREAS, The 1973 Roe v. Wade decisionbegin insert,end insert making access
8to abortion safe and legalbegin insert,end insert has greatly improved the health of
9women and families; and
10WHEREAS, Roe v. Wade has been the cornerstone of women’s
11remarkable strides toward equality in the past four decades, and
12reproductive freedom is critical to a woman’s ability to participate
13fully in the social, political, and economic life of the community;
14and
15WHEREAS, California is committed to protecting public health
16and the welfare of all its residents, and recognizes that access to
17reproductive health services, including family planning and prenatal
18care, supports individuals and their families by ensuring that babies
19are planned, wanted, and healthy; and
P2 1WHEREAS, The public policy of California, as expressed in
2the Reproductive Privacy Act, and protected by the California
3Constitution’s express right to privacy, is that each woman has the
4fundamental right to make decisions regarding her reproductive
5health; and
6WHEREAS, California has a pioneering history in supporting
7reproductive rights, including the California Supreme Court’s 1969
8decision in People v. Belous, recognizing that a woman’s decision
9to end a pregnancy is protected by her constitutional right to
10privacy, four years prior to the United States Supreme Court’s
11decision in Roe v. Wade; and
12WHEREAS, In a democracy, people may have differing views
13about abortion, but mostbegin delete peopleend deletebegin insert Californiansend insert recognize that only
14a pregnant woman can know, and should be entitled to decide,
15what option is best for herself and her family; and
16WHEREAS, Over 75 percent of Californians oppose efforts to
17overturn Roe v. Wade, whichbegin delete wouldend deletebegin insert couldend insert create a public health
18crisis begin deleteby once again makingend deletebegin insert if individual states madeend insert abortion
19illegal and unsafe; and
20WHEREAS, The 2012 elections sent a powerful and
21unmistakable message to Members of Congress and state
22legislatures that women do not want politics or politicians to
23interfere with their personal medical decisions; and
24WHEREAS, Violence against abortion providers and laws that
25create barriers to abortion endanger a woman’s health; now,
26therefore, be it
27Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, That on the
2840th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Senate of the State of
29California recognizes the critical importance of continued access
30to safe and legal abortion and urges the President of the United
31States and the Congress to protect and uphold the intent and
32substance of the 1973 United States Supreme Court decision in
33Roe v. Wade; and be it further
34Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of
35this resolution to the President and Vice President of the United
36States, to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, to the
37Majority Leader of the Senate, to each Senator and Representative
P3 1from California in the Congress of the United States, and to the
2author for appropriate distribution.
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