The Tidewater Times February

Despite 30 years of reproductive choice granted to women by Roe v. Wade, Virginia lawmakers are doing their best to try and stagnant that right. State lawmakers are moving closer to making parental consent for minors seeking abortion law. Despite Gov. Mark Warner’s protests, the House and Senate appear to have the veto-proof majority needed to have the law in place by July 1.

Both the House and Senate approved the measure requiring doctors to get permission from at least one parent before performing an abortion on a minor. State law now only requires that one parent be notified. Doctors could face 20-years in prison for going against the law. The only concessions the bill makes for consent would in cases of

abuse or neglect wherein a young woman could petition a court for permission to have the procedure.

Support for the notorious partial birth abortion procedure was also trounced by the senate panel and similar legislation won support by the entire House. Opponents say the bills are unconstitutional because they do not allow exceptions for mothers whose life is endangered by continuing the pregnancy. Warner says he is waiting with a veto stamp.

There is one victory that may help women breathe a little easier. A Senate panel did give a thumbs down to a bill requiring clinics to undergo rigorous reviews and conform to expensive, hospital-like building

standards. Opponents to the bill are thrilled because they feared the regulations would force most Virginia clinics to shut their doors.

NOW is the time to pull together and let our voices be heard and secure women’s rights for the future. Please contact your state senator and delegate and ask that they support choice. You may call the Constituent Viewpoint operators at (800) 889-0229 outside Richmond) or 698-1990 Richmond area) to express your opinion about this extremely important issue. Ask your legislature to ask the governor to veto abortion consent and the partial birth abortion ban.


Tidewater NOW Holds Commemorative Vigil On one of the coldest nights of the season so far, nearly two dozen women and men stood outside shivering while recollecting the past and pondering the future of their reproductive rights. The 30th anniversary of Roe v. Wade seemed something to celebrate yet anxiety wafted through the cold night air. Poet Mary Franke read a poignant tale waxing about the days before women had the legal right to make choices concerning their own bodies; Choices which sometimes led to their demise. Demonstrators stood stoically with signs bearing their fervor and candles remembering the lost. The vigil was a reminder that despite 30 years of choice the reproductive rights of American women hang precariously by a single Supreme Court justice vote. Speakers urged others to stand up for choice whenever possible especially by going to the polls. The night ended with a brief moment of silence and were sent away with a mission to come together in these uncertain times and take control of their lives and bodies by demanding Choice.	Title IX on the Defensive Bush’s athletic commission could keep our daughters on the sidelines For the last 30 years, girls and young women have enjoyed the same educational and athletics opportunities as their male counterparts. Thanks to Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972. However, Title IX is in jeopardy and is now being scrutinized and undermined by the Bush Administration. On January 29 and 30, the Bush Administration’s "Commission on Opportunity in Athletics" met to review their recommended changes to Title IX. That report will be issued at the end of February and it will recommend gutting federal laws and regulations that promote sex equity in education. According to the Washington Post, the Commission's recommendations will include: • Allowing colleges and universities to limit the number of scholarships awarded to women athletes without regard to enrollment numbers. • Requiring schools to conduct interest surveys to determine the number of athletic opportunities available to women. (In other words, men don’t have to prove that they’re interested in sports, but women do.) • Permitting a five- to seven- percentage point difference between the proportion of female athletes at a school and the percentage of women in the student body. Bush’s Commission has stacked opponents of the 30-year-old federal requirement for equality in school athletic and academic programs. NOW we must let our voices be heard to stop this calamity to ensure young women and girls have the same opportunities to excel in all arenas! Please send separate emails to President George W. Bush at president@whitehouse.gov as well as Cynthia Cooper and Ted Leland, the chairs of the Title IX Commission, at opportunityinathletics@ed.gov, urging them not to weaken Title IX and limit opportunities in athletics and education for girls and women.