Recent Supreme Court Abortion Decisions

Ms. Wattleton, president of the family planning organization Planned Parenthood, spoke before the National Press Club on recent Supreme Court decisions concerning abortion rights, including the recent decision allowing laws to stand that prohibit doctors in clinics receiving Federal funds under Title X regulations from mentioning abortion as an alternative for pregnant women. Ms. Wattleton, a strong supporter of the abortion rights, said women's rights were in danger in the U.S. following the recent Supreme Court decisions concerning abortion. She criticized the Supreme Court for setting the control of women's reproductive lives in the hands of the government rather than in hands of the women themselves. She also criticized a recent bill approved by the Louisiana state legislature prohibiting abortion except under extreme conditions. She argued the gag order on doctors in Title X clinics violated the freedom of speech of the doctor as well as the trust involved in the doctor-patient relationship.