WHEREAS: Over the last two decades we have witnessed the increasing efforts of  anti-choice forces to undermine the reproductive rights of American women, from “abstinence only” sex education in schools, to firebombing of Planned  Parenthood clinics, while state legislatures are intimidated into adopting more and more  restrictive measures, resulting in limitations to reproductive health care and abortion rights and the Roe v. Wade decision is at risk of being overturned by the Supreme Court of the United States;

AND WHEREAS: We must not allow the return to the dark days of “back alley” abortions, we must not allow teens to be denied access to realistic sex education curricula, denying them information about avoiding unwanted pregnancies, we must not  deny women access to birth control pills methods over-the counter emergency  contraception and we must not deny women the profoundly personal choice of  whether and when to bear children;

AND WHEREAS: Most people understand that simply placing restrictions on abortion does little to reduce the demand for it and the most effective way to address the issue of unintended pregnancy and reduce the need for abortion is to improve access to family planning services, make birth control more affordable, and make sure that sex education in our schools is honest and accurate;

AND WHEREAS: The real answer to teen pregnancy is prevention and strong caring families, not new laws that endanger young women’s lives, and good family communication cannot be imposed by government;

THERFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT:  Pride at Work pledges to work with other organizations to preserve reproductive rights and oppose any state or federal legislation that interferes with American women’s access to safe and legal abortion services Pride At Work calls upon the Food and Drug Administration to immediately approve over-the-counter emergency contraceptives;

AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT: Pride at Work go on record as being in support of the availability of information on sexuality, reproduction and contraception, and of access to a full range  of reproductive health care and services, including emergency over-the-counter contraception;

AND BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED THAT: this resolution be forwarded to the other Constituency Groups of the AFL-CIO, to the leadership of the AFL-CIO and of the Change to Win Federation, urging that these bodies adopt and follow through on similar resolutions.

Submitted by Eileen Berkun, President East Bay Chapter, on July 31st, 2006.