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Obama: Banning late-term abortion shows ‘contempt’ for ‘the Constitution,’ assaults women’s rights

by Ben Johnson

WASHINGTON, D.C., June 17, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – President Barack Obama has announced that, if Trent Franks' bill to restrict late-term abortion nationwide passes, he will veto it.
In a Statement of Administration Policy, the president called the “Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act” (H.R. 1797) “an assault on a woman's right to choose” and said it shows “contempt for...the Constitution.”
“The administration strongly opposes H.R. 1797, which would unacceptably restrict women's health and reproductive rights and is an assault on a woman's right to choose,” he said. “This bill is a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade and shows contempt for women's health and rights, the role doctors play in their patients' health care decisions, and the Constitution.”

He contended his administration is working to “minimize the need for abortion” by “expand[ing] access to contraception,” a reference to either the HHS mandate or his decision to allow the abortifacient Plan B to be sold over the counter to minor girls without a prescription.
Just last week, White House spokesman Jay Carney refused to answer a reporter's question about the president's view of the abortion ban, saying on that Obama "has been absolutely clear about where he stands.”

A written statement deprives the media of a soundbyte of the president or his spokesman's own voice supporting late-term abortions.
A recent poll shows that the American people support the bill's criteria by a wide margin, 64 percent to 30 percent.

The president has also been aloof in addressing the crimes of “house of horrors” abortionist Kermit Gosnell, whose practice of infanticide inspired the bill.
Obama was asked about Gosnell on the Today show in April, but he declined, saying he does not comment on ongoing trials.
Mollie Ziegler Hemingway wrote in USA Today that, since the trial has ended, Obama should be asked to comment on the convicted murderer's actions. Thus far, no media outlet has taken her up on it.

Douglas Johnson, legislative director of the National Right to Life Committee, said, "Any lawmaker who votes to allow unlimited abortion in the sixth month or later is voting to encourage a continuation of the horrors associated with the likes of Kermit Gosnell."
The full House of Representatives will vote on the bill on Tuesday.
 
Much of the discussion of the act had been derailed following a stray comment by Congressman Franks about abortion and rape, a remark liberal columnists said his critics wrenched out of context to serve their political aims.
Republican Majority Leader Eric Cantor insisted the bill include exceptions for rape or incest of a minor, provided the crime is reported to the authorities, on Friday. He also scheduled Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-TN, to manage tomorrow's vote instead of Franks.
Even if it passes the Republican-controlled House, it is an open question whether the act would ever land on the president's desk.

The bill has no companion bill in the Senate. Family Research Council President Tony Perkins said Monday evening that the bill was “unlikely to see the light of day” in the Democrat-controlled upper chamber.
The president's statement reads in full:

The Administration strongly opposes H.R. 1797, which would unacceptably restrict women's health and reproductive rights and is an assault on a woman's right to choose. Women should be able to make their own choices about their bodies and their health care, and Government should not inject itself into decisions best made between a woman and her doctor.
Forty years ago, the Supreme Court affirmed a woman's constitutional right to privacy, including the right to choose. This bill is a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade and shows contempt for women's health and rights, the role doctors play in their patients' health care decisions, and the Constitution. The Administration is continuing its efforts to reduce unintended pregnancies, expand access to contraception, support maternal and child health, and minimize the need for abortion. At the same time, the Administration is committed to the protection of women's health and reproductive freedom and to supporting women and families in the choices they make.

Source: LifeSite News