Contact: Colleen Roche (212) 788-2958 or Jack Deacy 212 788 2969
Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani today marked the 24th anniversary of the landmark Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision with a luncheon address before the New York chapter of the National Abortion Rights and Reproductive Rights Action League (NARAL) at the Harvard Club. In the address, he reiterated his support for abortion rights for women and denounced the recent wave of abortion clinic bombings as an example of "dangerous extremism."
Also in attendance at the luncheon were Deputy Mayor Fran Reiter, Council Members Andrew Eristoff and John Ravitz, former Congressman William Green, NARAL Executive Director Kelly Conlin and Irwin Schneiderman, Chair of the NARAL Board of Directors.
"It was 24 years ago today that the Supreme Court ruled in a majority decision that a woman's constitutional right to privacy extended to choosing whether or not to have an abortion," Mayor Giuliani said. "The decision has proven vital to the health, safety and well-being of millions of women who are faced with unexpected pregnancies."
"The controversy over the decision continues in a landscape often marred by irrational behavior, lawlessness and dangerous extremism," the Mayor continued. "Within the last month alone, a doctor in New Orleans was brutally stabbed and abortion clinics in Tulsa, Oklahoma and Atlanta, Georgia were targets of bombings. This kind of violence and terrorism is unacceptable and will not be tolerated."
In his speech, the Mayor outlined the actions that have been implemented by the New York City Police Department to protect patients and staff members at abortion clinics throughout the five boroughs and highlighted provisions of the City's "Clinic Access Bill" which he signed into law in 1994.
The Mayor said, "Over the past three years, the Police Department has made a concerted effort to increase the level of communication and trust with the clinics in our communities. As a result , we have been able to institute more effective policies that safeguard women's access to these facilities. We've increased police presence at clinics on Saturdays and instituted special training for police officers on the fine points of what constitutes free speech and what can be considered harassment."
According to the Mayor, the Clinic Access Law "protects the constitutionally guaranteed right to obtain reproductive health services for those who choose them" and at the same time "does not interfere with the lawful expression of one's views in peaceful protest."