Senate Democrats on Defense with Late-Term Abortion

Senate Democrats on Defense with Late-Term Abortion

on Fri, 12 Jul 2013

With a late-term abortion ban having passed the House, and more states adopting late-term abortion restrictions and safety standards, feminists and liberal politicians are on defense regarding abortion, a prominent plank of the liberal agenda and a pivotal political and cultural issue for the nation. The Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade 40 years ago decriminalized abortion, an action that abortion supporters say ensured “safe and legal” abortions for women.

At a press conference on Wednesday, organized by Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and members of Planned Parenthood joined Murray and other Senate Democrats to say that they would oppose the bill, passed recently in the House, that wouldban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

The bill, known as the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, was proposed following the notorious trial of convicted murderer and abortionist Kermit Gosnell who “snipped” the spinal cords of babies who were born alive during late-term abortions. President Obama, who opposed Illinois’ Born Alive Infant Protection Act as a state senator, said he would veto the bill if it passed the Senate.

CNS News reports that Boxer would not say whether she would support a prohibition on abortions at “some point” beyond 20 weeks – and even up to 40 weeks – but did instruct CNS News to read Roe v. Wade, adding the remark, “I think you’ll feel better.”

“I don’t know that you’ve ever read Roe v. Wade, but it definitely does, in fact, say a woman’s right to choose is not infinite, it’s before viability,” Boxer said. “So what you’re talking about doesn’t really make sense.”

Boxer continued:

I suggest that you read Roe v. Wade because it’s a very balanced decision. And what we’re here for, and I think it’s very important, is to say we have a bill that doctors tell us unanimously is dangerous to women and we’re going to tell you and everybody else here from the media and the public that we’re going to fight it and we’re going to use every ounce of fiber we have to fight it and we thank you very much.

In May, liberal Supreme Court Justice Ruth Ginsburg was critical of Roe v. Wade, asserting that the decision “wasn’t woman-centered, it was physician-centered.”

Ginsburg said that the Roe decision, which, together with Doe v. Bolton, legalized abortion until the ninth month of pregnancy, overruled the democratic will by handing down a decision made by “unelected old men.” The high court justice said that the decisions were too overreaching.

In addition, Ginsburg said that, should the 1973 decision be overturned, “it’s not going to matter that much.” Even in “the worst-case scenario,” she said, regulation of abortion would simply return to the 50 states, and “you would have a number of states that will never go back to the way it was.”

Ginsburg’s statements counter the common talking points of abortion activists and the abortion industry, that Roe v. Wade made abortion “safe and legal,” and that a reversal of that decision would result in a return to “back-alley abortions” and dire consequences for women.

In fact, as more states pass restrictions on late-term abortions and require abortion clinics to maintain the same standards of care as other ambulatory surgery centers, abortion activists admit that many abortion clinics cannot meet the healthcare standards of other medical facilities, suggesting that the “women’s healthcare” they are providing is, at best, questionable and, in some cases, even harmful.

CNS News reports that neither Boxer nor Murray would respond on whether they would support a ban on elective abortions after 20 weeks.

“It was settled in Roe v. Wade, as Senator Boxer very explicitly said,” Murray said.

“Just read it,” Boxer said again. “I think you’ll feel better.”

“What we’re talking about is protecting the lives and choices of women across this country to make their own health care decision,” Murray said. “We are listening to doctors, we are listening to women themselves and many men who are saying we have a right to make our own health care decisions.”

Murray also referenced a statement by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) who said that the presence of Planned Parenthood at the press conference brought him “energy and strength.”

“The law is settled, as Sen. Blumenthal talked so eloquently about, the courts have settled this case, and we’re here to defend that,” Murray said.