Danger: Supreme Court Upholds Federal Abortion Ban

April 18, 2007 at 9:06 pm (frightening things, injustice, politics, sexism, stupidity)

The 2003 ban on “partial-birth” abortion (a term made up by “pro-lifers” that isn’t used in scientific circles and has no scientific basis) has been upheld. The ban makes no exception for the health or life of pregnant women, and doctors could face up to two years in prison for violating the ban in favor of them. Women are now left with the fewest protections since Roe vs. Wade was passed. This ban sets a dangerous precedent for future cases against abortion of any kind. Some of what Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL, has to say about it:

“The Court has disregarded the medical opinion of leading doctors who oppose the ban. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists—which represents 90 percent of the OB GYNs in this country — says the ban is harmful to women’s health and interferes with medical decision making.

“This case is about more than abortion. This decision means the Court is willing to partner with the Bush administration and uphold laws that interfere with personal decisions that should be left up to a woman and her family.

“Indeed, this is a setback for all Americans who believe politicians should not make private, personal medical decisions for the rest of us. Many pro-choice lawmakers, including presidential candidates, opposed the Bush Federal Abortion Ban. These leaders are right to remind the public that President Bush’s appointees to the Court are taking women’s reproductive rights in a dangerous direction.”

I’ve said it many times before, and I’ll say it many times in the future, and I can’t believe it must be said at all; what goes on (or doesn’t) in my uterus or in the uterus of anyone else is none of the government’s business.

It’s time for some really serious counter-action.

6 Comments

  1. Melissa said,

    April 19, 2007 at 9:16 am

    I would like to respectfully disagree with your post. This ban did not and does not intend to ban all abortion procedures. Only the “partial-birth” procedure. It did not include an exception for the health of the mother because it is not necessary. The baby is already in the vaginal canal, so it can easily be removed at that point if the mother is in distress. I guess one of the reasons I oppose late term abortions at all costs is I had a friend deliver her baby at 26 weeks and she survived and is healthy and beautiful. I don’t see the need. If a baby can survive and it’s not wanted or can’t be cared for, maybe adoption should be considered.
    I do oppose all abortions personally, and I’ve never had one. I do understand that health exceptions exist, though. I just don’t think that they apply after the baby is capible of surviving outside the womb.
    I also know that as a woman, I’m not capible of getting pregnant all by myself. I think that the fathers of unborn babies should be notified and required to sign some sort of waiver. I am so fortunate that both my children were planned and wanted, and this was never an issue for either of my pregnancies. However, I’m not blind to the fact that women are abused and raped all over this country. And it’s certainly not my job to critize women who face that. I don’t know what I would do in that situation. I would like to think I’d be able to raise a child regardless of how it was concieved (i.e.rape), being that it’s half me, but it would be tough. It would also be hard on my husband. But I do think I would choose adoption over abortion if I couldn’t bear to raise the child. I hope it’s a situation I never have to face.

    Please don’t think I’m trying to get in your mind, or judge you in any way. I just happened to see your post through a google search and decided to respond. I really like to get different points of view on different issues.
    Thank you for having this set as an open site that can recieve responses!

  2. Emily said,

    April 19, 2007 at 6:09 pm

    Thanks for your comment, Melissa. I respect much of what you said, and appreciate your thoughtfulness. However, it’s a myth that by the time a woman may be thinking about getting a late term abortion, it’s past the point that she may be facing medical hazards; or that by this time, the baby will necessarily be healthy and able to survive outside the mother’s body. It’s an unfortunate fact that pregnancies may go awry at any time, placing the potential mother at risk. Many times, fatal or near fatal developments are found in the second trimester of pregnancy.

    It’s obviously totally valid to oppose the practice personally, for yourself, but it doesn’t make sense to write something into law that would force a woman to give birth to a baby that will die either in birth or shortly after, for example. And no, this ban does not outlaw all abortions; but it is a victory to the rising number of people who wish to take away women’s reproductive rights bit by bit- so it’s a defeat for me. I support all womens’ reproductive decisions and this ban is one step farther from protecting womens’ autonomy. To me, it’s a sign of danger and a scary step in the wrong direction.

    Thanks for taking the time to respond.

  3. Daisy said,

    April 19, 2007 at 6:28 pm

    Melissa, I’d like to second Emily’s comment, and add something of my own: as pro-choicers, we support the decisions you’ve made for your family. We trust you to decide when to have children, or not. We think it’s great that you’ve decided to have two kids, and we think it is meaningful that you were given the ability to decide.

    This ruling is a blow against the autonomy of all women, whether they think they’d consider abortion or not.

  4. Support The Freedom of Choice Act « Our Descent Into Madness said,

    April 23, 2007 at 10:09 pm

    […] 23rd, 2007 at 7:42 pm (politics) In response to the Supreme Court’s recent ruling, Rep. Jim McDermott and Sen. Patty Murray are sponsoring bills like the Freedom of Choice Act with […]

  5. Mexico City Legalizes Early-Term Abortion! « Our Descent Into Madness said,

    April 24, 2007 at 7:52 pm

    […] 2007 at 7:52 pm (neat things, medicine, feminism, politics) While women in the USA are facing a major attack on our rights, women in Mexico City have just won an important victory. Just yesterday, a bill was […]

  6. YOUTHinkLeft » Mexico City Legalizes Early-Term Abortion! said,

    April 24, 2007 at 7:54 pm

    […] women in the USA are facing a major attack on our rights, women in Mexico City have just won an important victory. Just yesterday, a bill was […]

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