Barbara Boxer: “There were a couple of Members who were not here. To think that a basic right won by women when we were very young, in…”

“There were a couple of Members who were not here. To think that a basic right won by women when we were very young, in 1973, all those years ago, would be hanging by a thread in the year 2000 is really amazing. I really do pray that the Supreme Court, as they independently decide these issues in this particular case of the Nebraska statute will recognize that what the Senator from Iowa says is absolutely true. It is so important. We have a big debate over some made-up terminology that doesn't even exist in medical books. There is no such thing as partial-birth abortion. There is either a birth or an abortion. That is it. The description of the method used is really a method that is used in the early stages of a pregnancy as well. So if, in fact, that Nebraska case is upheld, women will be denied what is considered by many doctors to be the safest method. That undermines Roe because Roe was a very moderate decision. It basically said that before that fetus is viable, the woman has an unfettered right to choose. But at any stage in the pregnancy, one thing has to come first: the woman's life and the woman's health. I say to my friend, when we get into a pattern of outlawing specific procedures and playing doctor--by the way, we do have one doctor in this Senate, but he is not an OB/GYN--when we start to play doctor in the Senate, we are going to endanger women's health.”