PLEASE TAKE ACTION NOW!
CALL VA LEGISLATORS AND TELL THEM TO OPPOSE ANTI-ASIAN ABORTION BILL
We need you to call Virginia legislators NOW to tell them to oppose HB 1316, an anti-Asian abortion ban almost identical to the one we defeated at the federal level.
We just learned that HB 1316, VA Delegate Bob Marshall's sex selective abortion ban, is moving forward in the VA House of Delegates and will be considered tomorrow in their House Committee on Courts and Justice, Constitutional Law Subcommittee.
A quick summary of the measure: If passed, the ban would criminalize doctors for performing a sex selective abortion. This sounds good, but we know it is a wolf in sheep's clothing. It purports to further gender equity when it is really about chipping away at abortion rights. Worse, it exploits stereotypes about the Asian American and Pacific Islander (API) community, who bill proponents say are seeking such abortions. We know that a woman's choice to have an abortion is a private matter, not a decision for government to interefere in. We know banning abortion is NOT the way to end son preference. The real solution is promoting gender equality so sons and daughters have the same opportunities-- with measures like equal pay, leadership development, and access to education. To learn more, read Executive Director Miriam Yeung's RH Reality Check and Huffington Post articles and her federal congressional testimony.
PLEASE TAKE ACTION NOW!
We're asking you to call Virginia House Courts Committee legislators TODAY and TOMORROW MORNING to make sure they know this is an attack on women and the API community.
Below are the names and numbers of legislators you should call, along with a suggested script.
Delegate Albo (804) 698-1042 Delegate Kilgore (804) 698-1001
Delegate Loupassi (804) 698-1068 Delegate Villanueva (804) 698-1021
Delegate Habeeb (804) 698-1008 Delegate Morris (804) 698-1064
Delegate Watts (804) 698-1039 Delegate McClellan(804) 698-1071
Delegate Toscano (804) 698-1057
SCRIPT:
Hi my name is ________________. I am calling to ask you to OPPOSE HB 1316, Delegate Bob Marshall’s Sex Selective Abortion Ban.
This is an anti-woman, and Anti-Asian bill. It criminalizes doctors for performing sex selective abortions. This sounds good, but is really a "wolf in sheep's clothing." It claims to be about gender equity when it's really an underhanded, discriminatory way to chip away at abortion rights.
If the bill passes, all women will have their reasons for seeking abortion put under scrutiny. Asian American women, or any woman that looks Asian, may be racially profiled by their doctor and have their decisions scrutinized in a way other women would not. Asian American women already face health disparities. We don't need a bill that makes it harder for us to get quality, non-judgmental health care.
Please oppose this bill.
Thank you!,
The NAPAWF Team