10/22/2003 Senate Bill SB3 is an attack on Roe vs. Wade – NOT!

The pro-lifers proclaimed a great victory and the pro-choice people yelled that this was the end of Roe vs. Wade. I doubt that most of the activists have even read the bill. Quite a number of Democrats have voted for the bill as it passed, showing that they HAVE read it.

This bill does not limit late-term abortions in any significant way. The doctors performing late-term abortions just cannot have either the entire head of the baby or, in cases of feet-first delivery, the feet up to the belly button outside of the birth canal, except in a case where the mother’s life may be in danger.

It appears permissible under the current bill that the doctor can wait for the birth to begin and then pierce the crown of the head and suck out the brains – as long as the entire head is not exposed.

Here is the bill’s definition of partial-birth abortion:

“''(1) the term 'partial-birth abortion' means an abortion in which-

''(A) the person performing the abortion deliberately and intentionally vaginally delivers a living fetus until, in the case of a head-first presentation, the entire fetal head is outside the body of the mother, or, in the case of breech presentation, any part of the fetal trunk past the navel is outside the body of the mother for the purpose of performing an overt act that the person knows will kill the partially delivered living fetus; and

''(B) performs the overt act, other than completion of delivery, that kills the partially delivered living fetus;”

The pro-choice people have nothing to worry about. This is just a pretty fine example of feel-good legislation.