The choice erosion

—By MH

| Fri Dec. 22, 2000 12:00 AM PST

Though Roe v. Wade is still intact, there has been no shortage of proposed legislation aimed at further limiting a woman's right to choose. In the past six years, 157 such bills were proposed to Congress and more than 400 like-minded measures were introduced in state legislatures.

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While most of the legislation did not pass or was later overturned, anti-abortion activists and organizations have turned to the more guerilla tactics of harassment, sabotage, and malpractice suits -- and they have worked swimmingly. So well in fact that 84 percent of US counties now do not have an abortion provider, says IN THESE TIMES.

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Local anti-abortion activism has worked so well that at the state level there are countless ways abortions are restricted -- 30 states must read patients government-produced, pro-childbearing literature; 32 states require women to have the consent of one or both parents; and many require a waiting period between the initial visit and the procedure.

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