Bypass Citibank Credit Cards!

March 20, 2006

The Women's Medical Fund of Madison, Wis., the first group to call for tourists to "bypass South Dakota" because of that state's new law to ban abortion, is now asking patrons across the country to cancel Citibank credit cards, "and tell them why!"

Citibank, which describes itself as "the largest bank in the world," is one of South Dakota's leading businesses. Its national headquarters is in Sioux Falls, S.D.

"Cruelty toward women should not go unremarked," said Anne Gaylor, administrator of the Women's Medical Fund, a tax-exempt charity assisting needy women in paying for abortions. "The State of South Dakota has declared a war on women. We can respond in bypassing the state and by canceling South Dakota credit cards. Why reward a state that wants to deny the choice of abortion to victims of rape and incest, to women who already have children they cannot take care of, to women who are ill, to the pregnant 12-year-old, to the woman who is carrying a grossly abnormal fetus?"

"Those who care about women's rights can fight back. Steer clear of this uncaring state and do not patronize its businesses!"

"The world is full of credit card companies seeking your business," said Gaylor.

"There is no need to patronize a state with this inhumane law."

(The Women's Medical Fund is a volunteer charity that has assisted more than 15,000 women in paying for abortions.)