Posted: 01/30/2006

NARAL Says New Mexico Is Moving Forward on Reproductive-Rights Issues

By Gabriela C. Guzman
Journal Staff Writer
SANTA FE— New Mexico is moving up not just in educational and income levels, but also in connection with reproductive rights for women, an advocacy group said Wednesday.
In a national survey completed by NARAL Pro-Choice America Foundation this month, the state moved up from a "B" given two years ago to a "B-plus." The ranking was announced at a news conference at the Capitol with Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, Attorney General Patricia Madrid and former NARAL Pro-Choice America President Kate Michelman attending.
The national abortion-rights group also endorsed Madrid for the Democratic nomination to run against Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M., this year.
Reasons for New Mexico's better grade from the abortion-rights group included providing emergency contraception— sometimes referred to as the morning-after pill— to rape victims in emergency rooms and requiring state health insurance companies to cover contraception, said Giovanna Rossi, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice New Mexico.
"For women whose regular family planning method fails, it's a safeguard to enable them to plan their future," Denish said of emergency contraception.
Improved access to emergency contraception, coupled with sex education, would reduce the need for abortions, Michelman said.
Michelman said she wished abortion-rights and anti-abortion groups would work together on preventing unintended pregnancies.
Dauneen Dolce, the executive director of Right to Life Committee of New Mexico, said, "I agree: We need good sex education." But Dolce added that, in New Mexico, unplanned pregnancies are not just about sex. They often involve underage drinking and unsupervised parties, she said.
"We have to get back to the attitudes and actions," Dolce said.