John Chenoweth: “when President Clinton vetoed H.R. 1833, the Partial-Birth Abortion Act, he claimed he was trying to protect women's…”

“when President Clinton vetoed H.R. 1833, the Partial-Birth Abortion Act, he claimed he was trying to protect women's health. The President was distorting the truth. Medical facts show the President's claim to be completely false. Mr. Speaker, partial-birth abortion is not a legitimate medical procedure and is not needed for any particular circumstance. Doctors at the Metropolitan Medical Clinic in New Jersey say that only a ``minuscule amount'' of the 1,500 partial-birth abortions they perform are for medical reasons. One doctor is quoted as saying, ``Most [partial-birth abortion patients] are Medicaid patients * * * and most are for elective, not medical, reasons; most who did not realize, or didn't care, how far along they were.'' This procedure is used on babies who are four and a half months in the womb or older. It can be employed up until the ninth and final month of pregnancy. The ninth and final month, Mr. Speaker. Opposition to this technique isn't merely the opinion of a handful of doctors. The American Medical Association has made its position clear. The AMA's Council on Legislation voted unanimously to recommend that the AMA board of trustees endorse H.R. 1833. One member of AMA's legislative council said that, ``partial birth abortion is not a recognized medical technique,'' and many AMA members agreed that, ``the procedure is basically repulsive.'' Mr. Speaker, my position on abortion has been clear and consistent.…”