Thursday, April 19, 2007
AUGUSTA - Abortion foes in Maine celebrated Wednesday as the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a federal prohibition on so-called "partial-birth" abortions, but they also remained focused on their next priority: defeating a state measure that would provide public financing for abortions.
"Obviously, we're very happy about this decision because this is a particularly barbaric procedure that is medically unnecessary," Rita Feeney, president of Maine Right to Life, said of the controversial procedure upheld in the decision.
Feeney hoped the victory would inspire people opposed to the funding bill sponsored by Senate President Beth Edmonds.
Edmonds, D-Freeport, said she was disappointed in the court ruling but didn't think it would affect her bill. The measure, she said, is not about whether a woman should have an abortion but about helping those who would have to suffer financial hardship to have the procedure.
"It's a fairness issue," she said.
Abortion-rights supporters criticized the court ruling for not providing an exemption for the health of the woman and called on supporters to remain vigilant about further attempts to restrict abortion.
"The health of the woman has become secondary at the federal level, really the ability of physicians to make appropriate health care decisions has been subverted to politics," said Sarah Standiford, executive director of the Maine Women's Lobby.
Assistant House Minority Leader Robert Crosthwaite, R-Ellsworth, expects the court decision to raise the level of the abortion debate as Maine lawmakers consider Edmonds' proposal.
"I think it gets people talking about it," said Crosthwaite, an opponent of abortion and the bill. "It brings it back into the public discourse. But I don't think it's really connected."
The court decision accomplished what Maine abortion opponents were unable to do in the state. In 1999, Maine voters rejected a ban on the "partial-birth" procedure, with 56 percent opposed. Since then, similar proposals have been among the unsuccessful measures submitted in the Legislature to restrict abortion.
Michael Heath, executive director of the Christian Civic League, lauded abortion foes' efforts to get Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito on the bench.
"I think those efforts are going to be viewed by many as having been effective," he said.
About 2,500 abortions are performed in Maine annually, with nearly all done during the first trimester of pregnancy, said Dr. Dora Ann Mills, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Mills said the term "partial-birth" abortion is not a medical one and could be applied to abortions that are not late term.
Abortion-rights supporters are not sure what restrictions their opponents will pursue next.
George Hill, president of the Family Planning Association of Maine, expected some kind of ripple effect to reach Maine.
"There are a variety of different approaches they've been using," he said, including parental notification and making patients look at ultrasound images of fetuses.
Staff Writer Ann S. Kim can be reached at 623-1031 or at:
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"...phobic towards...gays" is Gorio's allegation. Fear of homosexuality is one thing, but spiritual discernment is not fear. It's okay to judge the content of a person's character...without violating that person's civil-rights.
Government shouldn't be allowed to build up its church-state assault on straight society, violating the privacy rights of alleged "hatemongers". For the supposed equal-rights minded experts out there, here's a scenario for you:
government creates a family unit with which to confuse the street. A fed plays the role of parent or foster parent. The fed's job is to mess-up the head of offspring "hatemonger". Thing is, the existence of offspring "hatemonger" brings the government funded unit continuous funding, thanks to the "gay-rights" movement. To create political power for those wonks wanting "gay" marriage? Certainly not to empower "hatemonger", who's straight but slandered as otherwise!
Fact or fiction, seriously, government turning women into properties via "gay-rights" is NOT funny. Especially when those flipped properties could have been powerful straight women. Could have been wives and mothers, instead of homeless women alone on the streets being preyed upon in the system by the church-state "gay" elite evaluators of mental health!report abuse
I'm sure the founding fathers, who were religious, by the way, would have been all over this Soddom and Gomorra-type society the liberals in this country have created.
I'm sure this is just what they risked their lives for. You are absolutely right. Let's throw society right out the window and start all over, giving the liberals the right to do whatever they want without any respect for the good of the rest of the society.
Take a little responsibility for your life for a change. If you are living a life of abhorrent behavior, then turn it around, don't re-arrange the law to fit our lifestyle.
If you don't fit into society, then that's your problem. Don't force society to conform to your degraded lifestyle.report abuse
I'm dismayed by democrats who have shoved agenda after agenda down the throats of Americans for so long, that an entire generation now believes it's normal and acceptable to have abortions, gay marriage, women having children out of wedlock, and the systematic destruction of our country.
Dems, the end does not justify the means. You are among the most hateful group of people ever in this country. report abuse
Bioethics remains integral these days of high-tech, global countercultural revolution. PPH online allows this forum into the light of day -- despite its alleged failure to cover the 4/18/07 Supreme Court decision banning partial birth abortion.
For some Mainers someday perhaps PPH online may become the only way to keep their freedom by exposing potentially enslaving special interests in their own communities. That sort of problem exists today with this abortion controversy.
If both bills pass, what will happen to freedom of speech on the local level? Or of religion? Anything? There could be acceleration of "gay-rights" persecution of religious dissenters -- as that special interest, "gay-rights", grows emboldened with their own collective bigotry against religion per se. Persecution is real. Religious freedom doesn't mean theocracy.
And for those on the receiving line of that, there already is concern about a larger picture of straight society under attack. Decades of that. Would free abortions automatically lead to more societal upheaval leading to extreme secularization leading to legalization of horrible prostitution?
And no, welfare isn't prostitution. Opponents of welfare have no right trying to twist legal right to informed consent. Perhaps extremes can be discouraged by limiting scope; public funded abortions only in case of rape, incest and life endangerment?
Abortion politic is global. But, UK healthcare embraces stem cell research...chasing Brewster DNA even. Universal healthcare activists also prefer such reach, don't they. We Americans have the right to be left alone. Even the right to write in privacy. A book is like a baby. No slavery!report abuse
Fewer people, that's for sure. More abortions. Hey, how about a lottery. If your ticket wins the state pays for a free abortion!
Men married to men and women married to women. Fewer abortions needed.
Men and women married to multiple partners. Never run out of wardrobe possibilities!
Men and women married to farm animals.
Men and women married to their siblings.
$10 a gallon gas. But that's ok. You won't have to drive anywhere because you won't have to work. The government will just pay you to stay home.
The government will take care of you and make sure you have everything you need. Cell phone, Ipod, computer, and all the beer and cigarettes you need.
People won't be allowed to go to heaven when they die either. They'll have to stay here.
Al Queda on every street corner selling drugs to everyone before they kill them.
All the churches turned into community centers. Oh ... except for the mosques which will stay mosques. You have to have a nice place for the terrorists to plot their next little prank.
An America when the liberals in charge would be great. We'll all get to see what it's like to live in a third world country! We've had it too nice for so long. It's time we lived like the rest of the world. No more American guilt for being prosperous.
Certainly no conservative talk radio. That would be completely out. It'll be Al Franken all day long. Every station. On on television, Keith Olberman will be on every channel.
The United States would actually be in two sections. Oone on the east coast and one on the west coast, with all that nasty middle part completely gone. We'll sell it to the terrorists. No, wait. We'll just give it to them.
The nation's capitol will be moved to Hollywood, and Sean Penn will be the president's press secretary.
Alec Baldwin will be the new Speaker of the House, because, well, we know he can really speak!report abuse
You guys are scarry. You want it your way or no way. We live in America not some version of America that you envision. There are lots of different types of people. Some religious-some not. Some that have had abortions. And some people who continue to get pregrnant and abuse their unwanted children. We are a pluralistic society, with many different types of people. Living in my small Maine town I have neighnbors who are Muslim, Jewish, Catholic, and some who are gay. MY neighbors a just, polite, and law abiding ( weather thay believe in God or not). We live in a nice neighborhood. report abuse
It was the liberals in Congress who added $24 billion in pork to the most recent war funding budget request.
The liberals who wouldn't vote for it at all if they weren't promised $ for their own districts.
report abuse
This is about Maine. This is about another government-funded mandate on the citizens of our already over-taxed state.
This is about all of us paying for the stupidity of some of us.
This is about the government stepping in where it doesn't belong. This is about choices. I'm all for a woman's right to choose. She can choose to have sex which may lead to a pregnancy, or she can choose to have the baby and either keep it or put it up for adoption.
This country lost its soul when Roe v. Wade was passed. It's been all down hill from there.
In defense of VOR; This country will cease to exist if we don't have a dramtic shift in the liberals world view and direction for America.
The sad part of this is, there are a very large number of the liberal population that would be very happy to see the end of America.
To those people, I'd like to show them the door.report abuse
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