Pelosi Statement on Federal Court Ruling That Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Is Unconstitutional

June 2, 2004

Washington, D.C. -- House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released the following statement in response to today's ruling in San Francisco by U.S. District Court Judge Phyllis Hamilton that declares the so-called Partial-Birth Abortion Ban unconstitutional:

"Today the District Court confirmed what we have known and have been saying since this legislation was introduced. The federal ban on abortion procedures is extreme, it violates a woman's right to make private medical decisions, and it endangers women's health.

"When President Bush signed the so-called 'Partial-Birth Abortion Ban' into law, he became the first President in history to ban a safe and medically-accepted medical procedure. It was a deliberate attack on reproductive health care and a violation of women's privacy and their right to make their own decisions.

"This misguided law puts women's health in serious danger because it fails to contain an exception for what is best for the health of a woman, a principle that was established by the Supreme Court in Carhart v. Stenberg.

"Clearly, President Bush and politicians should not be making medical decisions. A woman, in consultation with her family, her doctor, and her clergy, is best qualified to make those decisions. Instead of banning medically-safe procedures, Congress should focus on providing a broad range of reproductive options for women, including family planning, contraception, and healthy childbearing."

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