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Supreme Court Upholds Ban on Partial-birth Abortion (April 18, 2007)
Text of the Supreme Court's Decision (PDF format)
The State's Interest in Life by Fr. Frank Pavone
The pictures you will see below are not fiction. The partial birth abortion has been performed legally in the United States for years. It is neither a "rare" procedure, nor is it done only for babies who are severely deformed or dying. It is, essentially, a variant of the even more common and equally gruesome Dilation and Evacuation (D&E) procedure.
In 1992, Dr. Martin Haskell presented his paper on this procedure at a Risk Management Seminar of the National Abortion Federation. He personally claims to have done over 700 himself (Interview with Dr. Martin Haskell, AMA News, 1993), and points out that some 80% are "purely elective." In a personal conversation with Fr. Frank Pavone, Dr. Haskell explained that "elective" does not mean that the woman chooses the procedure because of a medical necessity, but rather chooses it because she wants an abortion. He admitted to Fr. Frank that there does not seem to be any medical reason for this procedure. There are in fact absolutely no obstetrical situations encountered in this country which require a partially delivered human fetus to be destroyed to preserve the life or health of the mother (Dr. Pamela Smith, Senate Hearing Record, p.82: Partial Birth Abortion Ban Medical Testimony).
In April of 2000, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the Stenberg vs. Carhart decision, which was handed down in June, 2000. The Court struck down a Nebraska statute which had banned partial-birth abortion. Nebraska, as well as over two dozen other states, had banned this procedure, but the Court said the procedure should remain legal. One of the reasons given was that any proposed ban must allow the procedure "for the health of the mother." Fr. Pavone was present at the Supreme Court both for the oral arguments and on the day the decision was issued. At a press conference on the Court steps, Father asked the lead attorney from the pro-abortion side whether any evidence presented to the Court had identified even a single medical circumstance in which this procedure was the only way to preserve the mother's health. Of course, none could be cited, and the reason is that none exist.
The Court argued, furthermore, that a "health reason" for the Partial-birth abortion procedure was present if, in the judgment of the physician, it was safer than alternative procedures. One of the problems with this line of argument is that one can identify many circumstances in which it is safer for the mother to deliver the child normally than to have a partial-birth abortion. Normal delivery excludes the dangers that arise from inverting the position of the child, and from inserting surgical instruments into the birth canal. Why not argue, therefore, that "live-birth abortion" should be legal as a safer alternative to partial-birth abortion. People like Jill Stanek have exposed this practice, in which children marked for abortion are born alive and then killed. This is exactly where the logic of partial-birth abortion leads.
On November 5, 2003, President George W. Bush signed into law the Partial-birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003. Pro-abortion forces, not having the support of the American public, challenged the law in court. Federal Courts in the 2nd, 8th, and 9th Circuits ruled the ban unconstitutional. Now, the Supreme Court has agreed to consider the case, and is reviewing the decisions of the 8th and 9th Circuit courts. Oral arguments were heard on Wednesday, November 8, 2006.
On April 18, 2007 the Supreme Court announced its decision to uphold the ban on partial-birth abortion.
Click here for the text of the Supreme Court's decision to uphold the ban - PDF format (April 18, 2007)
Click here for a press release regarding the Court's decision to uphold the ban. (April 18, 2007)
Click here for comments from Fr. Frank Pavone on the Court's decision to uphold the ban. (April 18, 2007)
Click here for comments by President Bush on the Court's decision to uphold the ban (April 18, 2007)
Priests for Life press release on President Bush signing of the ban on Partial-birth abortion (November 9, 2003)
Remarks of the President upon signing the ban on Partial-birth abortion (November 5, 2003)
Transcripts of Court trials about the partial-birth abortion ban
Commentary on Partial-birth Abortion by Fr. Frank Pavone
More information on Partial Birth Abortion:
The medical paper of Dr. Martin Haskell, September, 1992
A Witness to Partial-birth Abortion
The National Right to Life Web Page (Key info on Partial-birth abortion)
Listen to an audio tape on Partial-birth Abortion made early in the public debate on this issue. [RealAudio] [MP3 Format Part 1: Listen or Download and Part 2: Listen or Download]
The step beyond: It is a very simple step to move from aborting a baby partially born to aborting a baby fully born. And it's a step we've already taken. Here's evidence: Radio interview with Jill Stanek on "Live Birth" abortion in [RealAudio] and [MP3 Format: Listen or Download], and her written testimony, complete with pictures.
The Partial Birth Abortion Procedure
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Guided by ultrasound, the abortionist grabs the baby's leg with forceps. |
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The baby's leg is pulled out into the birth canal. |
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The abortionist delivers the baby's entire body, except for the head. |
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The abortionist jams scissors into the baby's skull. The scissors are then opened to enlarge the hole... |
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The scissors are removed and a suction catheter is inserted. The child's brains are sucked out, causing the skull to collapse. The dead baby is then removed. |
To see the most common alternative to partial-birth abortion, the Dilatation and Evacuation procedure (D&E), click here.
See more graphic images of what abortion looks like: Click here.
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