Politics
Wednesday January 18, 2006
US Supreme Court Avoids Major Abortion Ruling
TODAY'S HEADLINES
E-MAIL
PRINT
By Gudrun Schultz
WASHINGTON, United States, January 18, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously today against a lower court’s decision to strike down abortion restrictions in the state of New Hampshire, but stopped short of a major ruling on the necessity of a “health clause” in abortion legislation.
In 2000 the Court of Appeals in Boston ruled in favor of Planned Parenthood New England, which had challenged New Hampshire’s parental notification law. The law required under-age girls to notify their parents before obtaining an abortion. Planned Parenthood said the law was unconstitutional because it did not allow exceptions in cases of a health risk to the girl.
In fact New Hampshire’s parental notification law does make allowances for cases in which the girl’s life is in immediate danger. In all lesser cases of medical emergency, the law requires that parents be notified of physical danger to their child. The Supreme Court sent the case back to the lower court for further hearings.
Phyllis Woods, a former state representative from Dover, N.H., who was a main sponsor of the law, told the Associated Press she was pleased by the ruling but concerned that the appeals court might require a broad health exception.
"Our concern has always been that a blanket health exception opens the door and really negates the whole purpose of the bill," Woods said
Health exceptions in abortion law have been interpreted so loosely that they have become synonymous with open access to abortion. Opponents say they are simply a method of bypassing legal restrictions to abortion. So far, the Court has avoided addressing the issue directly. It is not considered a constitutional necessity to provide for health exceptions in abortion law, although advocates say the Nebraska ruling in 2000, when the Supreme Court struck down a ban on partial-birth abortion because it did not contain provisions for health risks to the mother, set a decisive precedent.
In 1990 the Supreme Court stood in favor of parental notification laws in Minnesota, in a case almost identical to that of New Hampshire.
A Gallup poll released in November 2005 found almost 70% of Americans support parental notification laws.
See previous LifeSiteNews coverage:
NH Abortion Parental Consent Challenge before Supreme Court
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/dec/05120103.html
Abortion Notification Law in New Hampshire under Review by US Supreme Court
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/may/05052409.html
Back to TopLatest Headlines
- BREAKING: US Congress Passes Health Care Reform Bill 220 to 215
- Stupak Amendment to Health Care Bill Passes 240 - 194 Saturday Evening
- Major Health Care Development - Pro-Life Stupak Amendment Vote OK'd for Today
- NY Times: Dems Banking on Later Squeezing Pro-Life Language Out of Bill in Committee
- USCCB Spokesman: "Definitely Not True" that Bishops Support Bill As it Stands
- TIME Got it Wrong - Prof. George Opposed Grandiose Kennedy Funeral
- USCCB Condemnation Tears Facade off "Phony" Abortion Compromise for Health Bill
- Health Care Bill Includes Monthly Abortion Premium: House Minority Leader Boehner
- TIME Article Setting Burke Against O'Malley Called "Tactical strike" on Behalf of Catholic Left
- Dirty Fighting on Abortion Funding: Word-Games and Health-Care Theatrics Boggle the Mind
- Commentary on November 6 News
- Note to LifeSiteNews Subscribers with Rogers email addresses
- New York Gov. Declares Nov. 10 Extraordinary Legislative Session for Same-Sex "Marriage"
- Washington's Pro-Family Amendment Effort Defeated - R-71 Almost Certain to Pass
- Vote Pushed Back on Canadian Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide Bill to Dec. 2
- Elderly U.K. Couple in Good Health Commit Suicide, Complain of Assisted Suicide Law
- Texas Late-Term Abortionist and Baptist Minister Admits: "Am I killing? Yes, I am"
- New Evidence Contradicts CCHD's Findings on Accused Pro-Abortion Partner
- Quebec Priest Denies Possibility of Sexual Reorientation Therapy on TV
- New Hampshire Same-Sex "Marriage" Law in Crosshairs after Maine's Law Crumbles
- Brooklyn Bishop Criticized for Recorded Message Praising Pro-Abortion Politician
- First Group of "Traditionalist" Anglicans in Britain Votes to Enter Catholic Church
Most Read this Week
- Planned Parenthood Director Resigns after Watching Ultrasound of Abortion Procedure
- Nun Defiant Following Rebuke, but Stops Abortion Escorting
- Breaking: Dominican Community Apologizes for Nun Caught Acting as Abortion Escort
- TIME Article Setting Burke Against O'Malley Called "Tactical strike" on Behalf of Catholics Left
- Over 200 Christendom College Students Protest Abortion at Planned Parenthood Clinic
- Newly Identified Corporate Supporters of Planned Parenthood Named
- Scottish Gay Rights Activists Found Guilty of Pedophilia Sentenced to Life Imprisonment
- US Congress Passes Health Care Reform Bill 218 to 215
- Major Health Care Bill Development - Stupak Hyde Amendment Vote OK'd
- Health Care Bill Includes Monthly Abortion Premium: House Minority Leader Boehner
MORE NEWS: 
LifeSiteNews.com Home Page Last 10 Days Archives Special Reports
Copyright © LifeSiteNews.com. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivatives License. You may republish this article or portions of it without request provided the content is not altered and it is clearly attributed to "LifeSiteNews.com". Any website publishing of complete or large portions of original LifeSiteNews articles MUST additionally include a live link to www.LifeSiteNews.com. The link is not required for excerpts. Republishing of articles on LifeSiteNews.com from other sources as noted is subject to the conditions of those sources.