MEDIA CONTACT:
Roberta Sklar, Communications Director
646.358.1465 (office)
917.704.6358 (cell)
rsklar@theTaskForce.org

National Gay and Lesbian Task Force hails election victories supporting reproductive freedoms

WASHINGTON, Nov. 8 — Election results show that the right wing experienced significant setbacks in trying to restrict women’s rights to reproductive freedom. Anti-choice ballot initiatives in California, South Dakota and Oregon were all defeated in yesterday’s election.

California voters say no to Proposition 85

The Task Force worked closely with reproductive rights advocates in California to defeat Proposition 85, which would have required a physician to notify a parent or guardian at least 48 hours before performing an abortion on a female younger than 18. With 94 percent of precincts reporting, Proposition 85 was losing 46 percent to 54 percent.

“This victory shows that voters will consider — and reject — propositions that limit options for any one group in our society. The Task Force is proud to be a partner of Planned Parenthood and the other groups that led this fight, and we stand ready as a pro-choice ally into the future,” said Task Force Organizing & Training Director Thalia Zepatos.

The measure was a modified version of Proposition 73, which was defeated in November 2005 by a 52.6 percent to 47.4 percent vote. The Task Force and Planned Parenthood Los Angeles have worked as allies to defeat both Propositions 73 and 85.

For No on 85: The Campaign for Real Teen Safety, Task Force Field Organizer Moof Mayeda led the field campaign in Los Angeles as well as a Latina Outreach Program, which involved door-to-door canvassing by Spanish-speaking volunteers in key swing districts such as Boyle Heights, East Los Angeles, Eagle Rock, San Fernando and Pico Rivera. That effort was coordinated with California Latinas for Reproductive Justice and the Dolores Huerta Foundation, who built an impressive coalition of support. Field Organizer Jonathan Boland built a canvass logistics volunteer team that ensured that all 30 canvasses went off without a hitch.

In South Dakota, meanwhile, voters rejected an effort by the extreme right to uphold a ban on almost all abortions, the broadest restraint since the Supreme Court ruled abortion was legal in 1973. The measure was defeated 56 percent and 44 percent.

In Oregon, with 66 percent of precincts reporting, 46 percent of voters were supporting a parental notification measure while 54 percent were rejecting it.

–30–