12th Anniversary of Roe vs. Wade

Today marks the 12th anniversary of the Supreme Court Roe vs. Wade decision legalizing abortion. On this anniversary it is appropriate and important to remember that the majority of Americans still agree that during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy (when 91% of all abortions are performed) the decision to have an abortion is solely between a woman and her doctor--not the government.

Rape, incest, contraceptive failure, finances, health, stability of the home or ability to care for a child are but a few of the considerations that may be involved in this very personal, private decision.

Most people realize that banning abortion does not end abortion--it drives it underground and kills women through botched procedures. The way to stop abortion is to create a world where there is no need for abortion. A world in which contraception is 100% safe and effective, where everyone is educated in family planning, where rape and incest are unthinkable and where quality child-care services are widely available and affordable.

As we continue to work for such a world, the escalation of violence against clinics is increasingly disturbing. The right to choose an abortion is a civil right, comparable to the right to free speech and the right to vote. If extremists were standing outside American voting booths trying to prevent Americans from voting with threats and intimidation, the Justice Department would surely investigate.

Yet the Justice Department refuses to order an investigation based on the statute that makes it a federal crime for “. . . two or more persons (to) conspire to injure, oppress, threaten, or intimidate any citizen in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege secured to him by the Constitution or laws of the United States . . .”

And President Reagan refuses to name these violent acts terrorism to enable the FBI to be called in. This inaction coupled with the Reagan Administration’s outspoken stand against the right to choose abortion has encouraged the escalation of violent acts and harassment at family planning clinics.

We urge that the majority of American people who agree that decisions on whether or not to bear children are private ones, use this occasion to write their legislators and President Reagan, calling for an end to violence and affirming the Roe vs. Wade decision.

KATHY SPILLAR Los Angeles