Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act upheld; abortion opponents laud court

Published: 2007-04-19

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Abortion opponents lauded the Supreme Court's 5-4 decision April 18 upholding the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act. President George W. Bush, who signed the ban into law in 2003, called partial-birth abortion an "abhorrent procedure" in an April 18 statement from the White House. "Today's decision affirms that the Constitution does not stand in the way of the people's representatives enacting laws reflecting the compassion and humanity of America. The partial-birth abortion ban, which an overwhelming bipartisan majority in Congress passed and I signed into law, represents a commitment to building a culture of life in America," said Bush. While praising the decision, Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia, head of the U.S. bishops' Committee on Pro-Life Activities, said: "The court's decision does not affect the legal status of the great majority of abortions, and does not reverse past decisions claiming to find a right to abortion in the Constitution. However, it provides reasons for renewed hope and renewed effort on the part of pro-life Americans," he said. "The court is taking a clearer and more unobstructed look at the tragic reality of abortion, and speaking about that reality more candidly, than it has in many years."

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