Late Thursday, the White House released via Twitter President Obama’s annual statement commemorating the anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade. As he has in several previous statements, the president cast the decision as critical in “ensuring that our daughters have the same rights, freedoms and opportunities as our sons.”
This year, the president also made a point to single out H.R. 7, the bill passed by the House today that would permanently ban federal funding for abortions as “intrusive” and “unnecessarily restrictive” on women’s rights.
The full statement is here:
Forty-two years ago today, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its ruling in Roe v. Wade, a decision that protects a woman’s freedom to make her own choices about her body and her health, and reaffirms a fundamental American value: that government should not intrude in our most private and personal family matters.
I am deeply committed to protecting this core constitutional right, and I believe that efforts like H.R. 7, the bill the House considered today, would intrude on women’s reproductive freedom and access to health care and unnecessarily restrict the private insurance choices that consumers have today. The federal government should not be injecting itself into decisions best made between women, their families, and their doctors. I am also deeply committed to continuing our work to reduce unintended pregnancies, support maternal and child health, promote adoptions, and minimize the need for abortion.
Today, as we reflect on this critical moment in our history, may we all rededicate ourselves to ensuring that our daughters have the same rights, freedoms, and opportunities as our sons.
On this 42nd anniversary, the annual March for Life is also taking place in Washington.
