4/01/03: President Bush today signed the Unborn Victims of Violence Act (UVVA). This legislation gives separate legal status to a fertilized egg, embryo, or fetus, even if the woman does not know she is pregnant.
The case of Laci Peterson, who was found dead after she disappeared when she was 8 months pregnant, led to passage of the UVVA. The President of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America responded: "The so-called Unborn Victims of Violence Act (UVVA) is not intended to protect pregnant women from domestic violence or punish individuals who harm them," said PPFA President Gloria Feldt. "It is part of a deceptive anti-choice strategy to make women's bodies mere vessels by creating legal personhood for the fetus." The National Organization of Women has said, "The approach taken in this bill is deeply misguided and does nothing to enhance protections for pregnant woman, who are at increased risk of domestic violence."
On Monday, Planned Parenthood went to court in San Francisco to challenge a law that would ban abortions as early as 12 to 15 weeks in pregnancy, outlawing second trimester abortion procedures that doctors say are safe and among the best to protect women's health. At the same time, NARAL Pro-Choice California has been organizing protests against the US's efforts to access people's medical records. The government presumably wants to make sure that no doctors are performing the recently banned Late-Term Abortion procedure.
Other legal battles related to women's rights continue all over the country. Read more on the Womyn's page or publish news to this site.