Senate Vote to Criminalize Safe, Legal Abortion Procedures
Synopsis: The U.S. Senate has passed a bill to criminalize safe abortion procedures in order to undermine Roe v. Wade.
STATEMENT OF MELISSA KOGUT, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF NARAL PRO-CHOICE MASSACHUSETTS ON TODAY’S VOTE IN THE U.S. SENATE TO CRIMINALIZE SAFE, LEGAL ABORTION PROCEDURES
Today, the US Senate passed a bill that will criminalize safe abortion procedures. When President Bush signs this bill, it will be the first federal law criminalizing abortion procedures since Roe v. Wade guaranteed the right of every woman to a safe and legal abortion.
The proponents of this legislation would have us believe that it affects only a specific procedure or late-term abortions. This is not true. The language in this ban is broad and it covers a range of procedures used as early as twelve or thirteen weeks. It will have a chilling effect on physicians.
The President and his allies would not even allow an exception to protect a woman’s health – even though the Supreme Court says one is constitutionally required.
The so-called “partial birth” abortion ban is deliberately designed to erode the protections of Roe v. Wade. In fact, one well-known anti-choice leader, Randall Terry of Operation Rescue, recently described the bill as a “political scam and a public relations goldmine.”
When this bill becomes law, it will seriously undermine women’s health. That is why respected health organizations do not support these bans – including The American Medical Association, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Medical Women’s Association, the American Nurses Association and the American Public Health Association.
###
| 
