BILL NUMBER: HR 32INTRODUCED BILL TEXT INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Atkins JANUARY 5, 2016 Relative to Women's Reproductive Health. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST HOUSE OR SENATE RESOLUTIONS DO NOT CONTAIN A DIGEST WHEREAS, January 22, 2016, marks the 43rd anniversary of the United States Supreme Court's landmark decision in Roe v. Wade, which affirmed that every woman has a fundamental right to control her own reproductive decisions and to decide whether to end or to continue pregnancy, and is an occasion deserving of celebration; and WHEREAS, Roe v. Wade has been the cornerstone of women's ability to control their reproductive lives, allowing every woman in America the right to decide when, if, and with whom to have children, and how many children to have; and WHEREAS, Women's ability to control their reproductive lives has helped and facilitated their participation in the economic and social life of our nation; and WHEREAS, Roe v. Wade has drastically reduced the maternal mortality rate for women terminating their pregnancies in the United States. In the years prior to the decision, illegal abortion accounted for approximately 17 percent of all reported deaths attributable to pregnancy and childbirth, and many women were severely injured as a result of "back alley" abortion procedures; and WHEREAS, Interference with a woman's right to choose causes women to be forced into illegal and dangerous abortions, as they often were in the United Sates before the Roe v. Wade decision. Many women are forced to make these decisions today in countries where abortion is illegal and where the unsafe methods of illegal abortion lead to 13 percent of global maternal deaths annually, or eight maternal deaths every hour. Many survivors of an illegal abortion suffer serious and often permanent injuries; and WHEREAS, Roe v. Wade continues to protect the health and freedom of women throughout the United States; and WHEREAS, The State of California stands in strong support of every woman's fundamental right, as confirmed in Roe v. Wade, to make her own decisions regarding her pregnancy; now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, That the Assembly urges the President of the United States and the United States Congress to express their support for a woman's fundamental right to control her own reproductive decisions, as well as their support for access to comprehensive reproductive health care, including the services provided by Planned Parenthood; and be it further Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the President and Vice President of the United States, to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, to the Majority Leader of the Senate, to each Senator and Representative from California in the Congress of the United States, and to the author for appropriate distribution.