Yep, we're back to this issue again. Both houses of Congress have finally passed a partial birth abortion ban, ending what has been almost a ten-year campaign (ever since Newt Gingrich and the so-called Republican Revolution burst into power following the 1994 mid-term election). Twice President Clinton veteoed these bans, and another attempt was thwarted in 2001 when the Senate suddenly switched to Democratic control following the defection of Senator Jim Jeffords of Vermont. But the Republicans have gotten the votes, including a surprising number of Democrats switching sides to support the ban in the Senate. I'm happy to report that all three of my representatives, Congressman Rob Andrews and Senators Frank Lautenberg and Jon Corzine, all Democrats, voted against the bill.
What I'd like to talk about today is the Constitutional issue involved, and I'll touch a little bit on the politics at the end. My position is that this bill is clearly unconstitutional, in light of the Supreme Court's unusually clear pronouncements on this issue.
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