In 2005: Federal Abortion Ban Revisited
Copyright 2005 Womens eNews. All rights reserved.
Reprint permission granted by Women’s eNews, Ann Telnaes and the Cartoonist Group. In September 2005, the Bush administration asked the Supreme Court to reinstate the federal ban on so-called "partial-birth" abortions. The appeal in Gonzales v. Carhart is part of a two year, cross country legal fight on the rare late-term procedure. Thus far, three federal courts have judged the ban unconstitutional because it makes no exceptions for the preservation of the mother's health. Dr. LeRoy Carhart, the Nebraska plaintiff said, "It's a shame that I have to continue going to court, fighting the same fight to protect my patients' health. But if the government takes this battle back to the Supreme Court, I will continue the fight to be able to provide the safest care for my patients." The federal so-called "Partial-Birth" Abortion Ban Act was signed by Bush in 2003. It was challenged before it even took effect and has since been struck down in three federal courts.
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