Romney's Veto of Birth-Control Bill Becomes Campaign Issue
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 24, 2007 CONTACT: Kelly O'Bryan
617-556-8800 x16 Romney's Veto of Birth-Control Bill Becomes Campaign Issue
One-year anniversary of FDA decision on Plan B® reminds voters of Romney’s flip-flop on emergency contraception Boston, MA – Kelly O'Bryan, Political Director of NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts, said that the one-year anniversary of the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of over-the-counter sales of Plan B® is a reminder of former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney's veto of a bill that would have increased women’s access to Plan B®, especially for rape survivors in the emergency room. In a 2002 questionnaire for NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts, Romney pledged to support efforts to increase access to emergency contraception (EC), yet vetoed an EC access bill three years later. O’Bryan called attention to the hypocrisy of Romney’s 2005 veto, which predated the FDA decision on Plan B ®, of measures that would have ensured timely access to EC for sexual assault survivors in the emergency room and for all women by allowing pharmacists to dispense EC directly. Ultimately, the Massachusetts legislature overrode the veto. "The question is, 'Would Romney obstruct women’s access to birth control as president in the same way he did as governor?'" O'Bryan said. "Contraception is basic health care for women. By vetoing the EC bill, Romney put himself outside the mainstream. He not only wants to block women’s access to safe, legal abortion, but he has opposed commonsense efforts to improve women’s health options, even for rape survivors." The Massachusetts legislature overwhelmingly overrode Romney’s veto, but his action underscored the hypocrisy of an elected official who not only wants to outlaw abortion, but also block a woman’s access to contraception. Since the FDA’s decision in August 2006, lawmakers at the federal and state level are considering ways to improve women’s access to Plan B®. Five states, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Minnesota, and Oregon, enacted such laws this year – two of which, Connecticut and Minnesota, were signed into law by Republican governors. Emergency contraception contains the same hormones found in ordinary birth control pills and can dramatically reduce a woman’s chance of becoming pregnant if taken soon after sex. EC does not cause abortion nor will it harm an existing pregnancy; it is a safe and effective way to prevent pregnancy. The Food and Drug Administration approved over-the-counter sales for adults on August 24, 2006. ###
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