Supreme Court May Hear Abortion Case

[cynatnite]

WASHINGTON - The Bush administration is asking the Supreme Court to reinstate a national ban on a type of late-term abortion, a case that could thrust the president's first court picks into an early tie-breaking role on a divisive and emotional issue.

The appeal follows a two-year, cross-country legal fight over the law and highlights the power that Bush's nominees will have. Just a few months ago, there would have been five votes to strike down the law, which bars what critics call partial birth abortion.

The outcome is now uncertain, with moderate Justice Sandra Day O'Connor retiring and her replacement still unnamed.

"This no longer puts the abortion issue in the abstract with the Supreme Court. This is as live a controversy as you can get," Jay Sekulow, chief counsel of the conservative American Center for Law and Justice, said Monday.

snip:
The Supreme Court is already dealing with a similar issue, in a test of New Hampshire's parental notification statute. That case turns on whether the state law is unconstitutional because it lacks an exception allowing a minor to have an abortion to protect her health in the event of a medical emergency.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050926/ap_on_go_su_co/scotus_abortion

[FreedomAngel82]

1. All these people care about is sex!

Get a whore and get a room and leave the rest of us a lone!

[CTyankee]

2. We'll see

about stare decisis. I don't know if "health of the woman" is going to hold as the standard. I think the medical evidence is there but there might be an exception made in the case of a non-viable fetus.

Oh my God.

[cynatnite]

4. The last paragraph is what has me rethinking parental notification...

I always supported parental notification, but now I'm having second thoughts. If my teenage daughter was pregnant, whether I knew or not, and she became ill or injured and the only way to save her life was an abortion, I wouldn't want to risk her life in the delay that might be needed in order to contact me.

Either way, this is coming way too fast and it might be a testing of the waters, so to speak, to get rid of Roe v Wade.

[CTyankee]

5. Becky Bell died because of a parental notification law

This happened maybe 15 years ago. She was a teenager who was so upset with her unplanned pregnancy she felt she couldn't tell her parents. She was ashamed and couldn't face the disappointment to her parents, who loved her and nurtured her. Her state (I think Minnesota)had a parental notification law but she just couldn't tell them. So she had a back alley abortion (or self induced, I forget which) and died as a result. Since then her parents have relentlessly gone around the country, testifying before state legislatures that were considering parental notification laws.

You are right to have had a change of heart on this issue. I,too, have daughters. They are older now but if they had gotten pregnant as teens and felt they couldn't bring themselves to tell me, I would want them to have access to safe, legal abortion without my knowing about it. They are both moms now and I have 3 beautiful granddaughters and one grandson. I look at my granddaughters and get scared thinking of what they may face.

[cynatnite]

6. What a tragic story!

One of the issues I've had with it were if there were medical issues a physician needed to be aware of beforehand. Another was having a procedure performed on my kid by someone I knew nothing about. When dealing with doctors and nurses I could make my own judgment based on medical experience.

Having my preferences, I want to know if my daughter is going to have an abortion. I still prefer it. But if the choice was either do the deed herself, see some back alley quack or get one from a qualified physician without my knowledge, I prefer the qualified physician in a competent facility.

Now, that I'm thinking about this more...I think it's time for another talk with my 15 year old.

[CTyankee]

7. Because I have worked in a women's clinic that provides abortions

I know firsthand what goes on. I have never met more caring and competent people, mostly women. We had tireless volunteers who helped care for women in the recovery room after their procedure, staff who stressed birth control and protection from STDs and HIV, doctors who crossed lines of howling picketers, some with bullhorns. They are brave and good people. I knew my daughters would be safe if they just couldn't bring themselves to tell me of their predicament.

Luckily, that didn't happen to me, but it could happen to any mother.

[gumby]

3. Another In-Your-Face move by BushCo.

BushCo is asking the SCOTUS to start criminalizing abortion just as the Democrats give Roberts the green light to go ahead and make women second-class citizens.

The neo-fascists are NOT kidding. They are never satisfied and they will never stop.