I Can't believe this Country some times!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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U.S. SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS FEDERAL ABORTION BAN, LAW THREATENS WOMEN'S HEALTH; CRIMINALIZES SAFE, EARLY ABORTIONS

WASHINGTON, DC - The U.S. Supreme Court today upheld the federal abortion ban in the cases Gonzales v. Planned Parenthood and Gonzales v. Carhart. The ban, passed by Congress and signed by President Bush in 2003, criminalizes abortions in the second trimester of pregnancy that doctors say are safe and the best to protect women's health. Planned Parenthood denounced today's ruling.

"This ruling flies in the face of 30 years of Supreme Court precedent and the best interest of women's health and safety," said Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) Deputy Director of Litigation and Law Eve Gartner, who argued Gonzales v. Planned Parenthood . "Today the court took away an important option for doctors who seek to provide the best and safest care to their patients. This ruling tells women that politicians, not doctors, will make their health care decisions for them."



"Today's decision is a shocking setback for women's health," added Gartner. As Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said in her dissent, '…the Court deprives women of the right to make an autonomous choice, even at the expense of their safety.'



When President Bush signed the federal abortion ban in 2003, PPFA, Planned Parenthood Golden Gate (PPGG), the Center for Reproductive Rights, the National Abortion Federation and the American Civil Liberties Union challenged it in federal district courts around the country. Leading ob/gyns at major medical institutions testified against the ban because it would prevent them from providing the care that is best to protect their patients' health. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Nurses Association and many other medical groups oppose the federal ban. Until now, every court that examined the ban struck it down because, among other things, it fails to protect women's health.

"Today is a dark day for women's health and safety," said Planned Parenthood: Shasta-Diablo (PPSD) President Heather Saunders Estes, "Today's ruling shows utter disregard for women's health and safety. It tells women that politicans, and not doctors, will make their healthcare decisions for them."

Just seven years ago, the Supreme Court had struck down a very similar abortion ban enacted in Nebraska because it did not have a health exception, with Justice O'Connor providing the critical vote that upheld protections for women's health and safety. Since then, Justice O'Connor retired and was replaced on the court by Justice Alito.



"Last November, voters sent politicians the message to stop interfering in private family healthcare decisions," said Estes, "It's time for Congress to focus on real solutions for women and families."



For more information, visit www.federalabortionban.org.

Comments

[bull.livejournal.com]

Morality is one of the driving factors of legislation and of just simply living as who you are, and well no matter what everyone is going to have a opinion and something like this being such a polorizing issue is just going to be high on the "This is what I think" list.