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WASHINGTON (October 21, 2003) -- Gail Quinn, Executive Director of the Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), hailed today's vote by the U.S. Senate which passed the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act.
"We look forward to President Bush signing this important bill into law as he has promised to do," Ms. Quinn said.
The Senate's action followed an October 1 House/Senate Conference Committee agreement to reject a resolution affirming Roe v. Wade, attached to the Senate version of the bill, and an overwhelming (281-142) vote in the House of Representatives to accept the Conference report. The bill now goes to President George W. Bush for his signature. The President has promised to sign the act into law.
This is the text of the statement by Gail Quinn:
"We are very pleased that the House and Senate have come to agreement on legislation to ban the inhumane partial-birth abortion procedure. Despite setbacks, the American people have never wavered in their determination to stop this cruel and unjust practice.
We applaud Congress for striking from the final bill a superfluous and misleading resolution, originally attached by the Senate, affirming the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision. Roe is extreme in every way, and has even been used to justify the brutal killing of infants who are almost completely born. Yet despite three decades of legalized abortion and abortion advocacy, most Americans oppose most of the abortions that Roe permits, especially partial-birth abortion.
We look forward to President Bush signing this important bill into law, as he has promised to do. Although the law to stop partial-birth abortions will be challenged by abortion advocacy groups, the American people— from every background, of every age, every faith and representing every segment of the political spectrum—reject the killing of children who are in the process of being born. No human child should be subjected to such a brutal death. No woman should have to endure a partial-birth abortion. No society that considers itself civilized should allow it."