Bush and the abortion controversy

Bush and the abortion controversy

Adeze Ojukwu

Monday, November 17, 2003

Shortly after United States President George Bush signed the partial birth abortion bill, a federal judge in Nebraska granted an injunction, immediately stopping its implementation, thus underscoring the complexity of the debate.

Abortion remains a very sensitive issue in the US as in several societies worldwide. But despite the mounting opposition, President Bush heavily supported by anti-abortion lobbyists has vowed to defend this law. His words:

‘The wide agreement amongst men and women on this issue, regardless of political party, shows that bitterness in political debate can be overcome by compassion and the power of conscience. And the executive branch will vigorously defend this law against any who would try to overturn it in the courts.’

In his views, for years a terrible form of violence has been directed against children who are inches from birth while the law looked the other way. "Today, at last," he stated in triumph. "the American people and our government have confronted the violence and come to the defense of the innocent child."

Naturally this decision has been trailed by overwhelming public reactions as thousands of women activists condemn the bill. For reasons ranging from medical to political considerations, abortion has remained sensitive and divisive often polarizing several populations worldwide. Thus the current controversy in the country is not unusual.

Congresswoman Representative Louise Slaughter led other lawmakers to protest the decision in front of the Supreme Court in Washington DC. Hear her:

This is a very sad day and we call on the courts to make the right decision. Rep. Carolyn Maloney argued that the law takes away the rights of women and called on Americans to resist the decision because the proponents most of who are politicians and not doctors lied about the procedure. The protesters were confident that the law will be over-turned for its tragic health threats to women and its subtle aberration of the abortion law legalized in 1973.

President of National Association of Women (NOW) Kim Gandy in a statement said, "George W. Bush sends a message to every woman and girl in the United States—your reproductive rights are not guaranteed." She continued: "By signing the deceptively named Partial-Birth Abortion Ban into law, Bush confirms that his administration and Congress have both the power and the will to overturn Roe v. Wade, one step at a time. This is the first ban on an abortion procedure since abortion became legal in 1973, but it will not be the last if George W. Bush remains in office," she predicted..

The organization’s top-shot described the ban as a travesty, "the theft of our reproductive freedom and our constitutional rights. It is a dangerous piece of legislation that ultimately seeks to outlaw even the safest abortion procedures. The truth is that the term 'partial birth abortion' doesn't exist in the medical world—it's a fabrication of the anti-choice machine. The law doesn't even contain an exception to preserve a woman's health and future fertility, and it will have a chilling effect on the ability of physicians to offer women the best, most appropriate medical care at all times."

Women seem to be particularly infuriated that their rights to access abortion when absolutely necessary are being eroded. But the last is yet to be heard over the matter as the women have vowed to resist the bill. Invariably, as inferred by Gandy, "the federal courts and, ultimately, the Supreme Court, may be our only recourse to invalidate this regressive law. Right now, the Supreme Court narrowly supports a woman's right to make her own reproductive decisions."

Women's rights activists across the country are recommitting themselves to keeping abortion safe, legal, and accessible. In the words of NOW’s president, "We will not allow Bush and his buddies to erode our rights. We will take our case to the courts, to the streets, and to the ballot box. We will restore women's right to privacy and their access to critical medical procedures; we will march on Washington next year on April 25 ; and we will remember in November," she warned.

Also reacting, the organization’s Communications Director Lisa Bennett expressed relief that few minutes after President Bush signed the so-called 'Partial-Birth' Abortion Ban into law, three federal judges issued temporary injunctions to prevent the law from taking effect. The district court judges—-in New York, Nebraska, and California—all indicated that the ban could be considered unconstitutional because it fails to provide an exception for women's health.

She stressed that together, these three injunctions ensure that the majority of doctors who perform abortions in the U.S. will be safe from prosecution until the courts have the opportunity to hear both sides' full arguments.

"The actions of these three judges demonstrate the importance of keeping our courts from falling into conservative hands," said Kim Gandy, adding: "These judges may have saved the lives and reproductive health of women across the country this week."