| WASHINGTON
- September 22 - Please contact the members of your Congressional delegation to express your disapproval of the so-called Partial-Birth Abortion Ban (H.R. 760/S.3) and urge them to at least support a provision, added by pro-choice Senators, stating that Roe v. Wade was correctly decided.
The Senate voted (93-0) last week to send the legislation to a House-Senate conference committee where differences between the House and Senate versions will be worked out, and the Senate's Roe provision may be eliminated. A floor vote on the final version in both the House and Senate will then take place and the bill will be sent to the President, who has already announced his support for the bill.
This legislation would ban the safest and most common abortion procedures performed in the second trimester, not just abortions performed in the third trimester, and it fails to provide for the health of the woman. Although we expect the bill to be passed in the final vote and signed into law, you should still contact the members of your Congressional delegation to let them know you are absolutely opposed to this bill and that you will hold them accountable for their actions.
Background:
"Partial-birth abortion" is not a medical term, nor does it clearly describe a commonly recognized medical procedure. For that reason, if H.R. 760/S.3 becomes law, physicians could face a stiff fine and jail sentence for performing abortions for any reason.
The Supreme Court ruled in Stenberg v. Carhart in 2000 that the Nebraska partial-birth abortion ban was unconstitutional because it did not provide an exception to protect the health of the woman. H.R. 760 not only fails to provide for the health of the woman, but argues falsely that abortion is never medically indicated to preserve a woman's health. In fact, complicating threats to a pregnant woman's health do arise when cancer, heart disease or another chronic or potentially fatal condition is present, or when the fetus has severe abnormalities.
Women's reproductive rights are threatened now more than ever with opponents of abortion, contraception and sex education in control of the White House and both houses of Congress. George W. Bush has already stated his intent to sign the abortion procedures ban, so your strong messages to members of Congress are critically important. Please send a message as soon as possible.
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