The freedom to decide whether and when to become a parent is a private and personal matter. It is a fundamental right of all women, regardless of age and economic circumstances. The Santa Barbara Women’s Political Committee encourages the non-judgmental provision of medical advice and services so that women can make informed decisions. SBWPC believes that a woman’s decisions concerning her reproductive health care rest with her alone.
We support:
- The right of every woman to decide if & when she will have children;
- The right of every woman to have an array of options to become a parent, including adoption, foster parenting, fertility & surrogacy;
- Ensuring that the reproductive choices of economically vulnerable women are not exploited;
- Comprehensive and age appropriate scientifically accurate sexuality education;
- The right to timely and affordable contraception for all women who want it;
- The right of every woman to exercise her options for preventing or ending a pregnancy;
- The right to affordable, safe, legal abortion for women who choose to terminate their pregnancies;
- The right to affordable pre-natal care for women continuing a pregnancy to term;
- The research and development of safe and effective contraceptives;
- The right to affordable rehabilitation programs for substance abusing pregnant women;
- The enforcement of laws prohibiting employer discrimination based on women’s reproductive potential or status.
We oppose:
- Interference with a woman’s right to reproductive choice, including but not limited to:
– Permission, notification or waiting requirements
– Restrictions on a woman’s reasons for terminating a pregnancy
– Prescribed state requirements not relevant to a woman’s health;
- Judicial interventions which violate a woman’s constitutional rights such as incarceration of substance abusing pregnant women;
- Forced sterilization or the imposition of court-ordered reproductive health medical procedures;
- Forcing or coercing the use of dangerous contraceptives on women.
