William F. Smith: “I support the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act, which bans partial-birth abortions unless they are necessary to save a…”

“I support the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act, which bans partial-birth abortions unless they are necessary to save a mother's life. Partial birth abortion is a gruesome and inhumane procedure. The American Medical Association has stated that partial-birth abortion is "not an accepted medical practice," is "ethically wrong," and is "never the only appropriate procedure." A recent survey of abortion providers estimated that 2,200 partial birth abortions were performed in 2000. Most of these abortions are performed in the fifth and sixth months of pregnancy. Infants then are usually viable--that is, if they are born premature at this stage, they are born alive and usually enjoy long lives. This makes the procedure even more disturbing. The Senate recently passed this legislation and the American public overwhelmingly supports this ban. A poll this year found that 70 percent of those asked favored a law to make partial birth abortions illegal except in cases where needed to save the life of the mother. This bill is the same text that the House passed last year. Congress has twice approved a ban on partial-birth abortions, but both times the bills were vetoed by President Clinton. Hopefully, this time, because President Bush supports the ban, we will be successful in implementing a new policy.”