Student Announces Remergence of SURF

To the Editors:

I am writing to alert the Oberlin community about an organization called Students United for Reproductive Freedom (SURF), which is mobilizing this semester after a period of inactivity. SURF is committed to supporting reproductive freedom, including access to contraceptives and safe, legal abortion.
On Jan. 22, 2002, pro-choice activists celebrated the 29th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade verdict. However, while the right to choose remains legally protected, many women are unable to effectively exercise this right. For example:
Under Ohio law, a 17-year-old Oberlin first-year (or any minor) would be required to notify a parent before getting an abortion. A woman of any age faces a mandatory 24-hour waiting period before the procedure.
Ninety-one percent of Ohio counties have no abortion provider, forcing rural women to travel long distances to clinics, necessitating child care, time off work, and other expenses.
Abortion is financially out of reach for many low-income Ohio women — Medicaid will only cover the procedure in cases of rape, incest or life endangerment.
Access to abortion is also impeded at the federal level. Federal employees can’t choose a health plan that covers abortion, and U.S. servicewomen overseas can’t get abortions in military hospitals, even if they are willing to pay for the procedure with their own money. Finally, the Bush administration continues its backhanded assault on reproductive freedom by attempting to make the fetus a unique legal entity with rights — and federal healthcare eligibility — separate from its mother. This move opens the door for a ban on abortion.
As you can see, Roe was not the last word in the abortion debate, and abortion rights are by no means a closed issue. SURF is dedicated to fighting federal and state anti-choice legislation and educating the Oberlin community about reproductive freedom. We welcome people of all genders and sexual orientations to join us! To receive information about SURF’s activities, please e-mail susan.armitage@oberlin.edu.

–Susie Armitage
College sophomore