On the 40th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, we are still in the midst of a political, legislative and cultural reaction to the decision that recognized a woman's right to determine the course of her own pregnancy.
The reason? Roe changed the course of women's lives for two, if not three, generations, and hopefully will for many more to come.
By invalidating state criminal abortion bans, Roe improved women's health immediately and dramatically reduced maternal mortality and morbidity. By establishing a woman's constitutional right to decide when and whether to have children, the ruling helped to level the playing field — giving women the opportunity to determine our own futures and to become more equal members of society.
This fact was certainly not lost on former Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. Appointed by President Ronald Reagan, a staunch abortion opponent, O'Connor refused the opportunity to become the fifth and final vote to overturn Roe in the 1992 case Planned Parenthood vs. Casey.
"The ability of women to participate equally in the economic and social life of the nation has been facilitated by their ability to control their reproductive lives," she said.
Similarly, reflecting on today's 40th anniversary of Roe, Supreme Court expert Linda Greenhouse has concluded that the ruling was, at its heart, about the very meaning of equality. This is why the contention over Roe has been so extreme and enduring. In our diverse democracy, granting equal rights to those who formerly lacked them invariably sows discord, if only among a small very vocal minority.
Forty years out, many elected leaders across the country continue to entrench unjust practices rather than promote equality. The 112th Congress cast votes for 55 anti-woman policies. In Virginia, Gov. Bob McDonnell approved medically unjustified regulations, known as TRAP laws, designed to shut down women's health clinics that provide abortion care. In Texas, Gov. Rick Perry cut off preventive health services to 130,000 low-income women. In Nebraska, Gov. Dave Heineman vetoed prenatal health care benefits for pregnant, undocumented women. In South Carolina, Gov. Nikki Haley vetoed half a million dollars slated for domestic violence and sexual assault prevention. And on and on.
New York is not immune to many of the problems of inequality that plague women across the country. But, thanks to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, we're on a path to finding solutions. During his State of the State address, the governor announced the Women's Equality Act, a 10-point agenda to break down barriers to women's full participation in society through a wide array of initiatives. These include achieving pay equity; stopping sexual harassment in all workplaces; improving women's financial security; strengthening human trafficking laws; ending discrimination based on income, family status and pregnancy; protecting victims of domestic violence; and protecting a woman's right to choose.
Just before the 2012 elections, NARAL Pro-Choice New York conducted polling to settle where New Yorkers stand today. We found that three-quarters (74 percent) continue to support Roe vs. Wade, including 55 percent of Republicans.
We also asked about support for a proposal that would guarantee every woman in the state the right to make decisions about pregnancy, including the right to choose to have an abortion as Roe recognized is guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.
We found support among 76 percent of New York voters. And these views are held by a diverse cross-section of our state. When we explained in detail exactly what the proposal would accomplish, it garnered support from 63 percent of Catholics, 73 percent of suburban voters, 78 percent of Hispanics, and 79 percent of African-Americans.
In 1970, when nearly every state still enforced laws banning abortion, New York led the way by amending its criminal abortion code and paving the way for Roe and all it heralded for women's equality. On this 40th anniversary of Roe, we're again seeing state after state imposing laws that deny women access to safe, legal abortion care.
New York again is in a position to lead the way. Equality is exactly what we need to improve women's lives here in New York, and to exemplify for the nation what a truly just and fair society looks like.
Andrea Miller is president of NARAL Pro-Choice New York.