Women At Risk – Appeal to Congress

WHEREAS, abortion is a highly complex decision that encompasses more medical, psychological, familial, social, and moral issues than any other type of surgery;

WHEREAS, women have routinely been deprived of information regarding proven or suspected complications of abortion, and this deprivation of information has led women to choose or submit to abortions that caused severe physical, emotional, and psychological suffering;

WHEREAS, the Supreme Court of these United States has determined that it is “imperative” that women considering an abortion should be provided with “full knowledge of its nature and consequences” in order to “insure that the pregnant woman retains control over the discretion of her consulting physician” (Planned Parenthood v Danforth 428 U.S. 51, 67-67);

WHEREAS, this constitutional right of women to be fully informed of the nature and consequences of abortion has not been diligently protected by the federal government or the states to the detriment of millions of American women and their families; and

WHEREAS, many abortion patients experience psychological injuries which prevent them from seeking recovery of damages, or cooperating effectively with counsel, prior to their recovery from their psychological disabilities;

THEREFORE, we, Women at Risk, hereby call upon the Congress of the United States to amend the Civil Rights Acts in such manner as necessary

(1) To protect the constitutional and civil right of women to receive full disclosure of all the information that a reasonable patient might consider relevant to a decision to decline an abortion; and

(2) To provide women the opportunity to seek just compensation for violation of this civil right during the period of time between completion of the abortion and two years after they have recovered from any emotional disabilities that may impede prosecution of a claim.

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