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Obama Criticizes Federal Partial Birth Abortion Ban

Claims dangerous procedure needed for women's health

By Michael Baggot

WASHINGTON, D.C., April 28, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Presidential hopeful and outspoken abortion advocate Barack Obama argued on Sunday that the partial birth abortion ban is unacceptable without exceptions to protect the life or health of the mother.

"On an issue like partial birth abortion, I strongly believe that the state can properly restrict late-term abortions.  I have said so repeatedly.  All I've said is we should have a provision to protect the health of the mother, and many of the bills that came before me didn't have that," Obama told FOX News Sunday.

However, multiple health professions have testified in the past that partial birth abortion is neither necessary to save a mother's life, nor safe for the woman undergoing the procedure.

The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) could "conceive of no circumstance in which it (partial-birth abortion) would be needed to save the life or preserve the health of a mother," according to a June 2003 letter to Congress from AAPS member Dr. Jane Orient.

Furthermore, partial birth abortion "carries the risk of maternal injury or death, as by uterine rupture or laceration and hemorrhage."

Even abortionist Dr. Warren Hern told American Medical News, "I would dispute any statement that this is the safest procedure to use…Turning the fetus to a breech position is potentially dangerous.  You have to be concerned about causing amniotic fluid embolism or placental abruption if you do that."

Complications in pregnancy can be dealt with through a Caesarian section or an induced labor, rather than through a partial birth abortion, noted Orient.

Many pro-life advocates also opposed clauses referring to women's health because they can be broadly interpreted to allow practically any abortion requested, due to the natural risks involved in pregnancy.

"I will certify that any pregnancy is a threat to a woman's life and could cause 'grievous injury' to her 'physical health," admitted Hern, thereby indicating that a partial-birth abortion could be justified under "health" criteria simply by virtue of the mother's being pregnant.

Obama suggested on FOX News Sunday that many politicians promoted the partial birth abortion ban "so that they could try to bring an end to abortions overall."

In his July 2007 address to Planned Parenthood, Obama protested the federal partial birth abortion ban as "part of a concerted effort to roll back the hard-won rights of American women."

See previous LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

Bush, Clinton, Obama, Giuliani, etc. React to Partial Birth Abortion Ban Ruling
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/apr/07041902.html

Partial Birth Abortion Ban Upheld by U.S. Supreme Court - A Pro-Life Legacy for Bush Established
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/apr/07041801.html

Medical Experts Testify Partial-Birth Abortion Never Medically Necessary
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2004/apr/04041605.html

Learn more about the horrors of partial birth abortion:
http://www.nrlc.org/abortion/pba/index.html

Read the whole interview:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,352785,00.html

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