Bill Text: CA SR72 | 2017-2018 | Regular Session | Enrolled

California Senate Resolution 72 (Prior Session Legislation)

Bill Title: Relative to the 45th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 6-0)

Status: (Passed) 2018-01-22 - Read. Adopted. (Ayes 25. Noes 11. Page 4058.) [SR72 Detail]

Download: California-2017-SR72-Enrolled.html

Enrolled January 23, 2018

Passed IN Senate January 22, 2018

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2017–2018 REGULAR SESSION

Senate Resolution

No. 72

Introduced by Senators Leyva, Atkins, Galgiani, Jackson, Mitchell, and Skinner

January 04, 2018

Relative to the 45th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

SR 72, Leyva.

WHEREAS, January 22, 2018, marks the 45th anniversary of the United States Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Roe v. Wade, which affirmed that every woman has a fundamental right to control her own reproductive decisions and to decide whether to end or to continue pregnancy, and is an occasion deserving of acknowledgment; and

WHEREAS, Roe v. Wade has been the cornerstone of women’s ability to control their reproductive lives, allowing every woman in the United States the right to decide when, if, and with whom to have children, and how many children to have; and

WHEREAS, Women’s ability to control their reproductive lives has helped and facilitated their participation in the economic and social life of our nation; and

WHEREAS, Roe v. Wade has drastically reduced the maternal mortality rate for women terminating their pregnancies in the United States. In the years prior to the decision, illegal abortion accounted for approximately 17 percent of all reported deaths attributable to pregnancy and childbirth, and many women were severely injured as a result of “back alley” abortion procedures; and

WHEREAS, Interference with a woman’s right to choose causes women to be forced into illegal and dangerous abortions, as they often were in the United States before the Roe v. Wade decision. Many women are forced to make these decisions today in countries where abortion is illegal and unsafe. Each year between 4.7 percent to 13.2 percent of maternal deaths can be attributed to unsafe abortion. Many survivors of an illegal abortion suffer serious and often permanent injuries; and

WHEREAS, Roe v. Wade continues to protect the health and freedom of women throughout the United States; and

WHEREAS, The State of California stands in strong support of every woman’s fundamental right, as confirmed in Roe v. Wade, to make her own decisions regarding her pregnancy; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, That the Senate urges the President of the United States and the United States Congress to express their support for a woman’s fundamental right to control her own reproductive decisions, as well as their support for access to comprehensive reproductive health care, including the services provided by Planned Parenthood; and be it further

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the President and Vice President of the United States, to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, to the Majority Leader of the Senate, to each Senator and Representative from California in the Congress of the United States, and to the author for appropriate distribution.