Pro Choice Groups Mark 35 Years of Roe v. Wade

Several local groups (the Women's Law Project, the National Council for Jewish Women, the ACLU, Planned Parenthood, the Women and Girls Foundation, NOW, Pennsylvanians for Choice, and People for the American Way) are marking 35 years of Roe v. Wade with an event in Pittsburgh June 24th. The main speaker is Kathryn Kolbert, current head of People for the American Way and co-counsel of the legal team which argued Planned Parenthood v. Casey challenging Pennsylvania's Abortion Control Act in 1992.

That challenge resulted in the U.S. Supreme Court sustaining the essence of Roe versus Wade. The justices upheld the 24-hour waiting period and parental consent for minors in Pennsylvania's Abortion Control Act, but struck down the spousal notification requirement.- Tatiana Margolin, staff attorney at the Women's Law Project, says the program will stress the importance of the 2008 election to the makeup of the Supreme Court and, therefore, to women's lives.

Margolin says President George W. Bush's two conservative appointments have led to many 5-4 decisions recently and may impact future decisions about abortion.