The headline “House passes ban on some late abortions; Critics contend bill ill-defined” (Page 1, June 5) mistakenly suggests that the Congress is attempting to place limits on a particular procedure performed at the end of pregnancy.
In fact, the legislation does not prohibit a single procedure or only those late in pregnancy.
Courts at all levels, including the Supreme Court, have held bans on so-called “partial-birth abortions” unconstitutional because they endanger women’s health and intrude inappropriately in a doctor’s decisionmaking. These laws make it a crime for doctors to perform some of the safest abortion procedures used between 12 and 24 weeks of pregnancy–before the fetus is viable. Such procedures are often necessary to preserve the health of the pregnant woman and to address serious fetal anomalies.
There simply is no medical procedure known as “partial-birth abortion.”
The phrase is a political construct, created by abortion opponents. In pursuing these bans, ideologues have placed their political agenda ahead of women’s health.
This is the reality that should have been reflected in the Tribune’s headline.
