Posted on 04/19/2007 2:16:35 PM PDT by Coleus
Yesterday's U.S. Supreme Court ruling upholding a federal ban on partial-birth abortion was cheered by New Jersey activists who hope it will open the door to additional abortion restrictions and denounced by those who fear it will do just that. Abortion opponents applauded the ruling at an afternoon news conference in front of Metropolitan Medical Associates, an abortion clinic in Englewood.
"The practical consequences of today's decision take place right here in Englewood," said Richard Collier, president of the Morristown-based Legal Center for the Defense of Life. "This is the place that does 1,500 partial-birth abortions a year. We're here to call on U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie to enforce the statute against Metropolitan if it continues to do partial-birth abortions."
The clinic was shut earlier this year for safety violations but allowed to reopen last month after submitting a corrective plan to state health officials. Repeated calls to the clinic for comment were not returned. Marie Tasy, executive director of New Jersey Right to Life, said, "We are especially pleased that this gruesome procedure will no longer be performed here in the state of New Jersey." State lawmakers enacted their own partial-birth abortion ban in 1997 but a federal judge ruled it unconstitutional.
Samuel A. Alito Jr., then a federal appeals court judge, agreed New Jersey's ban was unconstitutional given then-controlling U.S. Supreme Court rulings. Yesterday, Justice Alito cast the deciding vote upholding the federal ban. Cheryl Neas, executive director of Planned Parenthood Affiliates of New Jersey, called the ruling "a serious setback for women's health. It opens the door for politicians to make medical decisions that ought to be made by doctors."
Phyllis Kinsler, of Planned Parenthood of Central New Jersey, said it performs only first-trimester abortions and they are not expected to be affected by the federal ban.
(Excerpt) Read more at nj.com ...
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The procedure is performed as the “result of unanticipated complications” - meaning, if the baby survives the initial attempt to kill her.
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