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 Abortion rights ad criticized as unfair Washington -- An advertisement that a leading abortion rights organization began running on national television on Wednesday, opposing the Supreme Court nomination of John Roberts as one "whose ideology leads him to excuse violence against other Americans," quickly became a flash point in the confirmation process. Some abortion rights supporters -- such as the president of Catholics for a Free Choice -- and a neutral media watchdog group said the ad was misleading and unfair. The focus of the 30-second spot, which NARAL Pro-Choice America is spending $500,000 to place on the Fox and CNN cable networks, is on an argument in an abortion-related case that Roberts made to the Supreme Court in the early 1990s, when he was working in the first Bush administration as the principal deputy solicitor general. Uphold N.H. abortion law, White House urges court By Associated Press | August 9, 2005 WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration yesterday jumped into the legal dispute over a New Hampshire abortion law, arguing that the outcome could affect a final ruling on a federal abortion law that three courts have struck down. In a legal brief filed with the Supreme Court, Department of Justice officials said New Hampshire's parental notification law for minors seeking abortion does not violate the Constitution, and urged justices to uphold it. The court decided in May to review the 2003 New Hampshire law. An appeals court ruled it was unconstitutional because it didn't provide an exception to protect the minor's health in the event of a medical emergency. Abortion backers fear 'hostile' Roberts By Charles Hurt Pro-choice advocates say documents released this week from the National Archives suggest that federal Judge John G. Roberts Jr. would vote to curtail abortion rights if confirmed to the Supreme Court. "We are gravely concerned this new information could indicate John Roberts holds a hostile position on the fundamental right to privacy," Karen Pearl, interim president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said after reading a draft article Judge Roberts wrote in 1981 as a lawyer in the Reagan administration. "The draft article attacks the very bedrock of reproductive freedom." Abortion Dominates Debate as Bush Eyes U.S. Supreme Court Seat July 8 (Bloomberg) -- Alberto Gonzales didn't declare himself an abortion-rights champion in 2000 when, as a Texas Supreme Court justice, he voted to let a 17-year-old end a pregnancy without telling her mother and father. The outcome was ``personally troubling to me as a parent,'' he said. Still, it drew the ire of anti-abortion groups, who tagged him as a voice of moderation. With Gonzales now a possible Supreme Court nominee, his comments underscore how incendiary the abortion issue has become in the political fight over the court's future. Conservatives, concerned that Gonzales wouldn't vote to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade abortion-rights ruling, are trying to derail any prospect of his nomination. And activists on both sides are scrutinizing the records of many possible nominees, searching for clues as to how they might vote on abortion on the high court. Bush says `no litmus test' on abortion for Supreme Court nominee COPENHAGEN, Denmark - U.S. President George W. Bush, shadowed in Europe by a pressing concern from home, said Wednesday he will not select a Supreme Court nominee based on a "litmus test" on sensitive issues like abortion. He urged senators to act in "in a dignified way" as they deal with their constitutional duty of confirming his candidate. Bush started his fourth trip to Europe this year, visiting this Scandinavian nation to thank Danes for sending troops to Iraq and Afghanistan, just days after Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor announced her retirement. The president said that as he reviews candidates to replace her, he will "try to assess their character, their interests. Parents now must be told if teen daughter seeks abortion TALLAHASSEE - Starting today, a doctor performing abortions must notify parents that their underage daughters seek to have an abortion -- but abortion opponents fret that a provision in the new law might allow some girls to ''judge shop'' for a sympathetic court willing to waive the notification requirement. The judicial rules for the notification waiver -- aimed at girls who are the victims of incest and other domestic abuse -- were released Thursday morning by the Florida Supreme Court. The rules marked the last step before the law, approved by 65 percent of voters in a 2004 constitutional amendment, goes into effect. Justices to revisit abortion The U.S. Supreme Court decided Monday to reenter the politically charged debate over abortion rights, agreeing to review a New Hampshire case that could determine whether Florida's recently approved abortion restrictions will withstand a constitutional challenge. At issue is a New Hampshire law requiring that parents be notified when their underage daughters seek an abortion. A federal appeals court struck down the law last year as unconstitutional because it failed to provide an exception for the health of the mother. The U.S. Supreme Court will decide whether that exception is always necessary and will reevaluate the standards by which state laws restricting abortions are deemed unconstitutional. Parental consent for abortion passes House
Just when it looked like the bill, and the concept behind it, was dead lawmakers passed a measure Monday night to require minors to have written parental consent before having an abortion. he original parental consent bill was written by Rep. Phil King. It died on the House floor last week before lawmakers had a chance to debate it.
House panel advances bill over objections of abortion opponents JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - It was an unusual scene: Anti-abortion lobbyists lining up one after another to testify against an anti-abortion bill. Their reason: It wasn't anti-abortion enough. Yet despite the opposition Monday from the anti-abortion lobby, a House committee dominated by abortion opponents voted to advance the slimmed down legislation to the House floor so it could be debated before the session ends Friday. They reasoned that any anti-abortion bill is better than none. Abortion politics have taken many twists and turns in the Missouri Capitol, where the anti-abortion majority has overridden vetoes of Democratic governors in recent years and gone to court to try to stop state family planning grants from going to abortion providers. Mass. abortion clinic law allowed to stand WASHINGTON -- The US Supreme Court yesterday let stand a Massachusetts law limiting protests near abortion clinic entrances, bringing to a close a saga that abortion rights advocates trace back to a 1994 shooting spree at two Brookline clinics. The justices declined to hear an appeal of a lower-court decision upholding the constitutionality of a law prohibiting people from approaching abortion patients without their consent ''for the purpose of passing a leaflet . . . or engaging in oral protest, education, or counseling." Abortion clinics in Florida could face new state regulations that clinic operators say could force some to shut down. TALLAHASSEE - Abortion clinics in Florida would have to buy new equipment, add trained staff and submit to new reporting and medical requirements under legislation moving steadily through the state Legislature. The Women's Health and Safety Act, sponsored by Rep. Aaron Bean and Sen. Paula Dockery, would increase state regulation of abortion clinics, particularly those that provide abortions after the first trimester. Proponents say the measure imposes ''minimal rules'' to make abortion procedures as safe as surgeries in a doctor's office, hospital or ambulatory surgical centers. Opponents say the requirements are onerous and expensive and designed to force most of the 68 abortion clinics in Florida to shut down. U.S. Supreme Court won't review abortion law Monday, March 28, 2005 Associated Press Washington — The U.S. Supreme Court rejected an appeal Monday to reinstate a state law requiring girls under age 18 to get parental consent for abortions except under the most dire of medical emergencies. Without comment, justices let stand a lower court ruling that struck down the Idaho law because its provisions on emergency abortions were too strict. The Supreme Court in its landmark 1973 case, Roe v. Wade, ruled that a woman has a constitutional right to abortion before the fetus is viable and to terminate her pregnancy if it poses a risk to her health. At issue was whether the Idaho law was unduly burdensome on young mothers by limiting abortions without consent to “sudden and unexpected” instances of physical complications. Kansas Abortion Clinics Fight Data Request By Peter Slevin Two Kansas clinics are opposing efforts by the state's attorney general to obtain the medical records of more than 80 women who received late-term abortions in 2003. The attorney general, Phill Kline, has argued that he is looking for evidence of child rape and violations of a state law restricting abortions performed after 22 weeks of pregnancy. But clinic supporters contend Kline is on a fishing expedition that invades patients' privacy and is making a calculated effort to hamper the clinics from performing abortions. Kansas Abortion Clinics Fight Data Request Washingtonpost.com Two Kansas clinics are opposing efforts by the state's attorney general to obtain the medical records of more than 80 women who received late-term abortions in 2003. The attorney general, Phill Kline, has argued that he is looking for evidence of child rape and violations of a state law restricting abortions performed after 22 weeks of pregnancy. But clinic supporters contend Kline is on a fishing expedition that invades patients' privacy and is making a calculated effort to hamper the clinics from performing abortions. Graphic Anti-Abortion Signs at Center of Free Speech Fight (CNSNews.com) - Pro-life demonstrators, arrested three years ago by Kansas City, Mo., police officers for carrying signs that showed an aborted unborn child, hope their First Amendment complaint in the case will be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court. "This is an important case involving the constitutional rights of those who oppose abortion to be able to speak out freely without being punished," said Francis J. Manion, senior counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice, the legal group representing the pro-life demonstrators. The case stems from a June 2001 incident during which police in Kansas City arrested pro-life demonstrators near an intersection. According to the ACLJ, the police "objected to the pro-life signs calling them 'offensive.'" Abortion Debate Could Split Dem Congressional Leaders (CNSNews.com) - Nevada Sen. Harry Reid, about to assume the Democrats' top Senate leadership post, differs from his party's other congressional leader, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, on the issue of abortion. The abortion issue is likely to dominate the debate over President Bush's judicial nominations in the 109th Congress, especially since the president could end up making one or more U.S. Supreme Court nominations. Congress OKs pro-life, anti-discrimination abortion measure Both the House of Representatives and Senate passed the anti-discrimination amendment Nov. 20 as part of an omnibus spending bill. The House endorsed the $388 billion spending measure in a 344-51 vote, while the Senate later approved it in a 65-30 vote. Abortion foes to pay legal fees Bob Egelko, Chronicle Staff Writer The U.S. Supreme Court rejected an appeal Monday from abortion opponents in Southern California who were ordered to pay legal fees to Planned Parenthood after they unsuccessfully sued the family-planning group to require it to declare a link between abortion and breast cancer. The suit was dismissed in 2002 by a San Diego judge who rejected the plaintiffs' claim that a connection between abortion and cancer was scientifically established. The three plaintiffs were ordered to pay the organization $130,000 to cover legal fees under a state law that provides attorneys' fees to targets of merit-less suits that seek to thwart free expression. On the Issues: Abortion divides Bush, Kerry and Americans By LANCE GAY Americans are still divided over abortion, as are President Bush and Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry. Pollsters say abortion is a key wedge issue being employed during the campaign to drive voters toward a candidate during the election. It also has been connected in this campaign to several other family-related issues -- funding of Planned Parenthood groups overseas and research on stem cells, which uses cells gathered from aborted fetuses. Anti-abortion group steps up campaign efforts NASHVILLE (AP) — Anti-abortion activists in Tennessee are making an unprecedented push to change the face of the General Assembly in the November election after lawmakers refused to pass a state constitutional amendment supported by the group. So far, Tennessee Right to Life has contributed — either financially or through voter mobilization efforts — to the campaigns of three challengers who went on to defeat incumbents in the state's August primary. Brian Harris, the organization's president, is hoping for greater success on Nov. 2. Judge Finds Abortion Ban Unconstitutional LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) -- A third federal judge has ruled the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act unconstitutional, adding judicial weight that some experts say could keep the issue from reaching the U.S. Supreme Court. U.S. District Judge Richard Kopf of Lincoln ruled against the measure Wednesday, saying Congress ignored the most experienced doctors when it determined that the banned procedure would never be necessary to protect the health of the mother -- a finding he called ``unreasonable.'' Federal Judge Rules Against Partial Birth Abortion Ban Aug 26, 1:26 PM (ET) By Gail Appleson The ruling by U.S. District Judge Richard Casey of Manhattan followed a similar decision by a San Francisco judge in June that barred the U.S. Justice Department from enforcing the ban. A Justice Department spokesman had no immediate comment on the New York ruling. Earlier this month, the department said it would appeal the San Francisco court ruling. Casey said a Supreme Court ruling held that the only way "this gruesome procedure" may be outlawed is if there was a "medical consensus" there was no circumstance in which any woman could benefit from it. Judge: Bush Abortion Ban Unconstitutional SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A federal judge Tuesday declared the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act unconstitutional, saying the measure infringes on a woman's right to choose. The ruling applies to Planned Parenthood clinics and their doctors, who perform roughly half the nation's abortions. U.S. District Judge Phyllis Hamilton's ruling came in one of three lawsuits challenging the legislation President Bush signed last year. "The act poses an undue burden on a woman's right to choose an abortion," she wrote. Federal judges in New York and Nebraska also heard challenges to the law earlier this year but have yet to rule. ABORTION SOARS IN QUEST FOR PERFECT BABIES Those with conditions that can usually be corrected medically - such as deformed feet and cleft lips and palates - are instead being terminated. And the number of abortions of Down's syndrome babies now outstrips live births, despite the fact that those with the condition can live a long and fulfilling life. As screening techniques improve, the trend is likely to grow - horrifying pro-life campaigners. 'These figures are symptomatic of a eugenic trend of the consumerist
society hell-bent on obliterating deformity - and at what cost to its own humanity?
' said ethicist Jacqueline Laing, of London Metropolitan University. 'We are
obliterating the willingness of people to accept disability. Babies are required
to fit a description of normality before they are allowed to be born.' Courts to review late abortion ban The simultaneous litigation centers on legislation President Bush signed last year banning a type of late-term abortion: what lawmakers defined as "partial-birth" abortion and what doctors call "intact dilation and extraction." The three trials will be filled with impassioned arguments on whether the law violates constitutional rights, as well as graphic, highly technical and conflicting testimony from medical experts. Abortion supporters, foes rally at Vatican Embassy
About 150 members of Catholics for a Free Choice protested peacefully with about 50 members of a group that opposes legal abortion, the American Life League's Crusade for the Defense of Our Catholic Church. Judge asks if aborted babies cry NEW YORK (AP) — A judge considering the constitutionality
of a law banning certain second-trimester abortions asked a doctor some tough
questions yesterday, including if doctors ever hear a cry during an abortion.
Abortion docs reveal partial-birth procedure Posted: April 3, 2004 Graphic testimony in legal challenges to the recently passed federal ban on partial-abortion is revealing the truth about a barbaric practice, asserts a public-interest law firm involved in the cases. The testimony at three trials – in California, Nebraska and New York – includes descriptions of the dismemberment and decapitation of unborn children moments before live birth, says the Washington, D.C.-based American Center for Law and Justice. "The testimony of these abortion providers unlocks the door to a secret world of torturous death that includes dismemberment and decapitation of unborn children whose lives are taken by partial-birth abortion," said Jay Sekulow, chief counsel of the ACLJ. Medical Student Being Failed at University of Manitoba
for Not Providing Abortion Option Abortion-clinic boycott ignites battle royal Planned Parenthood sounds alarm as residents launch petition, plan rally Posted: December 2, 2003 By Diana Lynne The grit of Central Texas builders opposed to the construction of a Planned Parenthood facility has the national abortion provider on the defensive and concerned the defiance could be replicated across the country. "Help us counter an outrageous episode of anti-choice intimidation
now taking place in Texas," reads an "urgent alert" posted on
Planned Parenthood's website. "Anti-choice fanatics across the country
are watching closely. ... Right now they are preparing to export this blackmail
scheme to other areas of the country. This is a chilling development that has
the potential to seriously disrupt the delivery of reproductive health care."
Partial-birth abortion ban may pass this time Washington Times
Parents Right to Know H.R. 2444 Parents’ Right to Know Act was introduced by Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO) on June 12. If passed this legislation would change the current prohibition on government funded clinics from contacting parents. Christian Voice has always supported a parents right to know.
Pro-life Groups Win Major Victory in US Supreme Court The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday supported the view that a federal racketeering law cannot be used against pro-life protesters. The high court ruled 8-1 in favor of the pro-lifers, with only Justice John Paul Stevens dissenting. In delivering the court’s opinion, Chief Justice William Rehnquist noted that protesters do not “obtain” the property of abortion clinics, so the racketeering law is not applicable. This is seen as a major victory for the pro-life movement and a setback for abortion rights groups like the liberal National Organization for Women, which had pursued this lawsuit for more than a decade against Operation Rescue. The pro-life group, which became world renowned in the 1980s by protesting outside abortion clinics, was represented by noted attorney Jay Sekulow, chief counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice. “The Supreme Court recognized that civil disobedience is not subject to racketeering laws,” Sekulow said. “I think you’ll see a return to some forms of expression in front of the clinics.” Joe Scheidler, a member of the Pro-Life Action League who was named in the case, said the court’s decision sends a clear message to those citizens who oppose abortion – your right to gather peacefully outside abortion clinics and talk to the women, doctors and staff are protected by the Constitution. For Scheidler, the ruling puts an end to his personal legal battle with the return of the ownership of his house and $70,000 in judgments against him, but the pro-life movement still faces the hurdle of challenging the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act. Grassroots Movement Shifts Attitude on Abortion Public opinion – especially among America’s youth – appears to be shifting to the pro-life side on the abortion debate, according to a new poll. The survey, performed by the independent polling firm of Zogby International, found that about 22 percent of Americans said they are less pro-abortion than they were a decade ago. Only 11 percent stated they were more in favor of abortion. In addition, one third of those aged 18 to 29 said abortion should never be legal. Dr. Janice Crouse, of the Beverly LaHaye Institute, attributes the trend to a change in the average American’s viewpoint. “This is coming from grassroots shifts of opinion, not just from laws that mandate behavior,” she said. “It’s fascinating to me to see this evidence out there.” Along with many other pro-life advocates, Dr. Crouse thinks the results are encouraging because they reflect the fact that “people are seeing this issue in a much more personal tone than we have ever seen it before.” She predicts the swing in opinion will have an impact on the Supreme Court.
“I think we’re winning this one. That doesn’t mean that we’re
going to win it next week or even in the next four years, but we are making
headway. Ultimately Roe v. Wade will fail.” GOP House Leadership Makes Pro-life Bills a Priority |
