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Abortion Ban Blocked
Aired November 06, 2003 - 14:11 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Not so fast. That's what a U.S. district court is telling Congress and the president, who just yesterday signed into law a measure that bans a controversial medical procedure.
CNN's Maria Hinojosa joins us with more on this -- Maria.
MARIA HINOJOSA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, just about 24 hours after President Bush signed a bill that put limits on abortion for the first time since abortion became legal, a second judge has now blocked the ban from going into effect. A federal judge in New York has issued a temporary restraining order against the so-called Partial- Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003.
Now, this would affect some abortion providers across the country and would allow them to continue the practice, which in medical terms is called an intact D&E. It's a very rare kind of late-term abortion.
Now, the ACLU, representing the National Abortion Federation, sued John Ashcroft in federal court yesterday, saying that the wording in the ban on these late-term abortions was much more far reaching and could endanger women choosing to get even early-term abortions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VICKY SAPORTA, NATIONAL ABORTION FEDERATION: American women need to understand how close we are to possibly losing the right to choose in this country. This ban is not about a single procedure, and it's not about post-liability abortion. This could affect any woman who is seeking an abortion after 12 weeks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HINOJOSA: Now, in court yesterday the government argued that the ban would only affect women seeking these late-term intact D&Es. The government argued that the federal judge and the courts should show deference to Congress, which held hearings on these procedures. But this federal judge in New York has sided with activists for abortion rights, who said the ban was unconstitutional because there was no exception in it for protecting women's health. And therefore, there this judge has issued this restraining order, protecting abortion providers, who are members of the National Abortion Federation, who treat about half the women seeking abortions in the United States.
And finally, Kyra, though, when President Bush signed the abortion ban yesterday, he said he would use every legal avenue he could to try to fight anyone trying to stop the act. So, in terms of this part of the legal fight over abortion rights, this is just the beginning -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: No doubt. All right, Maria Hinojosa, thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Aired November 6, 2003 - 14:11 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Not so fast. That's what a U.S. district court is telling Congress and the president, who just yesterday signed into law a measure that bans a controversial medical procedure.
CNN's Maria Hinojosa joins us with more on this -- Maria.
MARIA HINOJOSA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, just about 24 hours after President Bush signed a bill that put limits on abortion for the first time since abortion became legal, a second judge has now blocked the ban from going into effect. A federal judge in New York has issued a temporary restraining order against the so-called Partial- Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003.
Now, this would affect some abortion providers across the country and would allow them to continue the practice, which in medical terms is called an intact D&E. It's a very rare kind of late-term abortion.
Now, the ACLU, representing the National Abortion Federation, sued John Ashcroft in federal court yesterday, saying that the wording in the ban on these late-term abortions was much more far reaching and could endanger women choosing to get even early-term abortions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VICKY SAPORTA, NATIONAL ABORTION FEDERATION: American women need to understand how close we are to possibly losing the right to choose in this country. This ban is not about a single procedure, and it's not about post-liability abortion. This could affect any woman who is seeking an abortion after 12 weeks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HINOJOSA: Now, in court yesterday the government argued that the ban would only affect women seeking these late-term intact D&Es. The government argued that the federal judge and the courts should show deference to Congress, which held hearings on these procedures. But this federal judge in New York has sided with activists for abortion rights, who said the ban was unconstitutional because there was no exception in it for protecting women's health. And therefore, there this judge has issued this restraining order, protecting abortion providers, who are members of the National Abortion Federation, who treat about half the women seeking abortions in the United States.
And finally, Kyra, though, when President Bush signed the abortion ban yesterday, he said he would use every legal avenue he could to try to fight anyone trying to stop the act. So, in terms of this part of the legal fight over abortion rights, this is just the beginning -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: No doubt. All right, Maria Hinojosa, thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
