Bush Signs Abortion Ban
On November 5th President Bush, surrounded by six men, signed the so-called "partial-birth" abortion ban in to law. He became the first President in history to criminalize a safe medical procedure. Three Federal District Courts have already granted temporary restraining orders against the enforcement of this law.
The Senate had passed this bill on October 22, by a vote of 64-34. The House on Oct. 2 voted 281-142 to approve the same measure.
Bush’s decision to sign this bill demonstrates his willingness to intervene in private medical decision that should be made by a women and her doctor.
- This ban is deceptive and unconstitutional and will be the first federal law since Roe v. Wade to criminalize safe abortion procedures.
- In 1998, a majority of Washington State voters rejected a ban similar to this one (Initiative 694)
- A solid majority of Americans opposes these bans. According to a recent ABC News poll, 61% of Americans oppose a ban on procedures without a health exception.
- While supporters of this bill claim that if affects only a specific procedure or only late-term abortions, the fact is that this is a broad ban that could cover a range of procedures used as early as 12 weeks of pregnancy
- This abortion ban contains vague language that does not refer to any specific medical term but rather uses the term “partial-birth” abortion, a non-medical term, made up by anti-choice activists to confuse the public.
- The Supreme Court struck down an abortion ban similar to this one in 2000 because it did not contain an exception for the health of the women.
- Respected heath organizations including The American Medical Association, American College Of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Medical Women’s Association, The American Nurses Association and the American Public Health Association do not support these bans.
|
