Media Center: Press Release

Physicians Call on Supreme Court to Protect Women’s Health
11/07/2006

"The federal abortion ban represents an unnecessary and potentially dangerous intrusion into medical practice."

New York, NY—Members of Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health (PRCH), a national physician-led organization, today called on the Supreme Court to consider protections for women’s health in the upcoming trials on the federal abortion ban. Two cases concerning the ban will be heard by the Supreme Court on November 8. Every prior court decision about this ban has found the law unconstitutional because it lacks an exception to protect women’s health.

Dr. Wendy Chavkin, chair of PRCH’s board of directors, notes, “The federal abortion ban represents an unnecessary and potentially dangerous intrusion into medical practice. Congress does not have the medical skill or knowledge to determine which procedures are safest for a particular woman in a particular situation. We urge the justices to consider the ramifications their ruling could have for women’s health.” The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has also spoken out against the federal abortion ban, arguing that the procedures it bans are often the safest for women.

Dr. Eve Espey, an obstetrician-gynecologist and a member of PRCH’s board of directors, concurs: “As a doctor, I make decisions based on what is best for my patient’s health. This law has no health exception, and shows a total disregard for women. If this law is allowed to stand, it will have a chilling effect on all doctors who provide second trimester abortions, and will make access to abortion even harder for women in America. Congress and the courts must allow doctors to practice medicine unhindered by politics.”

PRCH has joined as amicus in Gonzalez v. Planned Parenthood Federation of America, signing on to a brief that focuses on the safety of abortion techniques. Other amici include the American Medical Women’s Association, American Public Health Association, and Medical Students for Choice, as well as 35 physicians.

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