RESOLUTION TO SUPPORT THE REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE ACT OF 2019

The Little Compton Democratic Town Committee finds the following facts and circumstances:

1. The current state of the law, decided in 1973 by the Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade, specifies a

constitutional basis for the right to abortion grounded in "the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, which protects against state action the right to privacy, including a woman's qualified right to terminate her pregnancy." This right has been affirmed in subsequent Supreme Court cases such as Casey (1992) and Whole Women's Health (2016).

2. The legal status of Roe at the Federal level is in imminent jeopardy: hundreds of laws in other states

have restricted the rights guaranteed by Roe in 2018 alone. At least a dozen of these cases which could restrict or eliminate Roe are one step from the Supreme Court. And, the appointment of Justice Brett Kavanaugh has established on the Supreme Court a majority of justices with a history of questioning Roe.

3. An October 2018 poll conducted by the Providence Journal, The Public's Radio, and ABC6 shows

that 71% of Rhode Island voters support the General Assembly passing a bill to protect abortion rights in Rhode Island -- including 61% of self-described Catholics.

4. Democratic State Senator Gayle Goldin (D-3) and Representative Edie Ajello (D1) have pre-filed a

bill, the Reproductive Health Care Act (RHCA) which would affirm the rights protected by Roe v. Wade, as well as repeal several currently unconstitutional provisions restricting abortion rights. Governor Gina Raimondo, the most senior elected Democrat in the State of Rhode Island has said, referring to the RHCA, "Looking forward to working with advocates and members of the General Assembly to get this passed this year."

5. The 2018 Rhode Island Democratic Party Platform, which articulates the core principles of our Party, states, "As Democrats, we stand behind the right of every woman to make reproductive medical decisions about her own body in consultation with her doctor, without governmental prohibitions or burdensome restrictions, consistent with Roe v. Wade. We view a woman's right to choose as a private matter, which is a fundamental liberty protected by the United States Constitution. We will fight to protect a woman’s right and a family’s right to seek medical care wherever they wish, regardless of ability to pay, and we support laws designed to protect that right.”

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Little Compton Democratic Town Committee hereby calls upon all members of the General Assembly, in particular those representing Little Compton, to affirmatively support the RHCA, advocate with leadership to allow committee and floor votes, and vote for the bill in committee and on the floor.

LET IT BE KNOWN that this resolution was passed and adopted by the Little Compton Democratic Town Committee on the 28th day of January, 2019.