NOW Blasts Passage of Abortion Procedures Ban, Denounces Deceptive Use of "Partial Birth" Rhetoric

National Organization for Women ^ | March 13, 2003

[The FRugitive]

"The Senate's passage today of the deceptively named 'partial birth abortion ban' should be a call to action for women's rights supporters everywhere," said National Organization for Women (NOW) President Kim Gandy. "Proponents of this legislation know that the bill's provisions are unconstitutional, based on the Supreme Court's decision in Stenberg v. Carhart. Behind the rhetoric, this bill is really an abortion procedures ban. It's a political game and an attempt to send us back to pre-Roe days when countless women died from illegal abortions."

"You won't find the term 'partial birth abortion' in any medical dictionary—instead try looking for it in the ultraconservative rhetoric manual," Gandy said. "Contrary to what opponents of abortion rights would have you believe, this bill is not about a specific late-term procedure. This bill, like each of its predecessors, is purposely worded so vaguely that it could criminalize even some of the safest and most common abortion procedures after twelve weeks and well before fetal viability."

The abortion procedures ban passed by the Senate, which will soon be taken up in the House of Representatives, is not supported by the American Medical Association, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists or the American Medical Women's Association. "This legislation has nothing to do with the best interests of medicine or women's health. In fact, this ban does not even include a constitutionally required exception to preserve the health of the woman," Gandy said.

"Senators who otherwise support reproductive rights allowed themselves to be caught up in the political rhetoric instead of standing firm in their commitment to women's rights," Gandy said. "Senators who voted for the abortion procedures ban disappointed voters in their own states and across the country."

[annyokie]

Put some ice on it, GIRLS!

[BallandPowder]

Powder..Patch..Ball FIRE!

Waah waaha waaahh waaahhhh!!!!
Nags crying over babies being able to...

[gulfcoast6]

NOW, the organization that supports the killing of women by SayDamn, supports the killing of babies by doctors, kind of lost, huh? Whats the difference in the two.

[Sacajaweau]

That's two sputters for NOW within 60 days!!

Same thing..rights of a poor woman...no rights for a poor baby.

[IronJack]

It's ... an attempt to send us back to pre-Roe days when countless women died from illegal abortions."

As opposed to the post-Roe days when countless babies die from legal abortions.

[GYPSY286]

What the heck is fetal viability?? (Second paragraph of article).

[goldstategop]

16 Democrats disagreed with NOW on final passage. NOW is the last organization left in America that would support even this form of abortion and its telling they have to resort to euphemisms and issuing ad hominem attacks on their opponents instead of addressing the REAL issue. Which by the way has NOTHING to do with women's rights and every one knows it.

[The FRugitive]

Meaning where the baby could have a chance of living on it's own without his mother's womb.

[Steely Tom]

"You won't find the term 'partial birth abortion' in any medical dictionary—

Hmmm.

I wonder if I could find the term "mass extermination" in any of the written documents of the German high command during the holocaust.

As a method of attacking the pro-life movement, this quibbling over language is pretty lame. Shows desparation.

(steely)

[heckler]

As I understand it the word "fetus" did not exist until the abortionists made it up in the mid 1950's.

Don't remember where I heard it, don't know if it's true.

[coloradan]

"You won't find the term 'partial birth abortion' in any medical dictionary—instead try looking for it in the ultraconservative rhetoric manual," Gandy said.

That won't stop them from using terms like "assault weapons" "cop-killer bullets" "military-style sniper rifles" and so for, ad nauseum - which also aren't in any gun manuals let alone the Constitution - and nevermind that the right to keep and bear arms is explicitly mentioned, unlike the case for abortion.

Close the partial birth abortion loophole!!

[coloradan]

Fetal viability is when the fetus could live outside the womb ... preemies can survive outside and grow into healty babies but the fetilized egg can't. I don't know where the line is, I think it's in the fifth month or so that viability external to the womb begins.

[Sacajaweau]

My friend in Florida just looked up abortion in a NEWER dictionary. The fetus and everything else is referred to as "the products". She was quite disgusted.

[onedoug]

NOW Death Cult.

[glory]

"You won't find the term 'partial birth abortion' in any medical dictionary—instead try looking for it in the ultraconservative rhetoric manual>>

However you will find it in Mirriam Webster and Houghton Mifflin dictionaries

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=Partial-birth%20abortion

Medical terminology doesn't generally refer to rhinoplasty as a nose job either, but that's what it is.
NOW are such a bunch of evil B*tches!

[Redleg Duke]

WHINE...WHINE...WHINE

[Redleg Duke]

"reproductive rights"

In other words...License to commit infanticide!

[I still care]

Conservatives did come up with this term. They were trying to come up with a descriptive name to describe this kind of abortion.

Frankly, I was partial to "Brain Suction" abortion. That one sent chills up my spine.

[Dad was my hero]

"You won't find the term 'partial birth abortion' in any medical dictionary—instead try looking for it in the ultraconservative rhetoric manual," Gandy said.

Gee, there's something you don't hear from the other side, the use of rhetoric. Like, say pro-life now being anti-choice.