On April 18, 2007 the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision on the 2003 Federal law banning partial birth abortion (also described as D&X abortion).  The Court upheld the ban on partial birth abortion as a constitutional regulation of abortion.

The abortion lobby had maintained the law was unconstitutional because it does not provide an exception for health of the mother.  Congress had heard testimony from many physicians that partial birth abortion would never be the chosen abortion method to protect the mother’s health.  

The abortion lobby also claimed that the Federal law “would ban abortions as early as 12 to 15 weeks in pregnancy.”  Since the text of the bill described in detail the specific abortion procedure to be banned, the Supreme Court was able to recognize that such an argument had no merit.

Of course, the abortion lobby will condemn this ruling as allowing government interference between a doctor and his patient, claiming “politicians don't belong in the examining room.” 

Strange how that conviction evaporates when dealing with postpartum mood disorders.  For example, the Illinois Senate is considering a bill called the Postpartum Mood Disorders Prevention Act (SB 15).  That bill outlines in great detail specific steps that doctors are to take to assess their postpartum patients for signs of postpartum mood disorders.  Even the evaluation questionnaire to be used is specified in the bill. 

Most of the sponsors of SB 15 have a legislative record in support of abortion.  Why do abortion supporters consider it acceptable to get government deeply involved in telling physicians how to assess postpartum mood disorders, but anathema to ban a particularly gruesome abortion procedure that amounts to infanticide?  This inconsistency seems to be solid evidence that the argument about government interference in abortion is purely political as a useful sound bite.

The final evidence that the dire warnings of the abortion lobby have no merit will be what really happens now that the Supreme Court has upheld the ban on partial birth abortion.  None of the suggested dire results affecting other abortion procedures or women’s health will occur.

William Beckman
Executive Director
Illinois Right to Life Committee
65 E. Wacker Place, Suite 800
Chicago, IL 60601
312-422-9300
beckman@illinoisrighttolife.org
www.illinoisrighttolife.org

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Illinois Right to Life Committee, founded in 1968, is the oldest Pro-Life educational organization in Illinois.