abortion

In the November 2005 Special Election called by Governor Schwarzenegger, Proposition 73 was defeated by an approximately 5 percent margin. NBC News in San Diego describes Proposition 85, which appears on the ballot in the coming election on November 7, 2006, "as a sort of political ‘déjà vu.' It's a ballot measure similar to one rejected in the California special election but is back before the voters". Proposition 85, like 73, proposes a Constitutional Amendment that would require parental notification and a 48 hour waiting period before a minor can terminate a pregnancy. It is critical to the health of young, Black women and teen girls to vote on this important measure that can impact access to reproductive health care.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is dealing with the aftermath of what could be one of its most controversial decisions impacting women's health and reproductive rights. A switch to over-the-counter status from prescription-only use for Emergency Contraception had been expected in February. On May 6, 2005, in a move that disregarded the opinion of the doctors and scientists on two advisory boards, the drug Levonorgestrel an emergency contraceptive (EC), sold under the brand name Plan B, was not approved for over-the-counter sale. This went against the advice of a 23 to 4 vote in favor of making the drug more accessible to the women who need it to prevent unintended pregnancies. Director of the Office of Women's Health and the FDA Commissioner have resigned from positions at the FDA in protest. "I can no longer serve as staff when scientific and clinical evidence, fully evaluated and recommended for approval by the professional staff here, has been overruled." said Dr. Susan F. Wood, in announcing her resignation.