Congresswoman Capps' Press Conference Statement On Supreme Court's Decision Upholding Federal Abortion Procedure Ban

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Congresswoman Capps' Press Conference Statement On Supreme Court's Decision Upholding Federal Abortion Procedure Ban

Congresswoman Lois Capps's comments as prepared for delivery on the Supreme Court's decision upholding the federal ban on the so called "partial birth" abortion ban.

I'm deeply disappointed and very troubled by yesterday's historic Supreme Court decision. As a nurse I am horrified by the ramifications of this decision.

Health professionals take oaths to protect the health of their patients. But the Supreme Court's decision to uphold the ban on late term procedures means that doctors and nurses can be sent to jail for acting in the best health interest of their patient. And, in fact, it may even force them to perform an even riskier procedure if it is clear that a woman's health is in danger.

This is unprecedented. And it's a dangerous and slippery slope that the Congress and now the Court have set us on.

Medical decisions should be made by the patient and the health care provider based on what's in the best interest of the patient's health. There's no role for a politician to play in these already complicated decisions.

As a woman and nurse, I am distressed thinking about the woman who is told by her doctor or nurse that her health is dangerously at risk if she carries her pregnancy to term. Yet despite this dire diagnosis she is also told that she may not pursue the best course of treatment in the opinion of her doctor, rather she must obey the dictates of politicians preoccupied with pandering to their political constituencies.

Efforts by politicians to criminalize sound medical procedures are inappropriate and it is unfortunate that the Court's decision allows politics to trump science at the expense of women's health.

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