Justice department appeals court decision on partial-birth abortion

Washington D.C., Aug 8, 2004 / 22:00 pm

An official with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops commended the U.S. Department of Justice for filing an appeal last week of a federal court ruling, which ruled that access to a partial-birth abortion is a fundamental constitutional right.

In June, a federal judge in the Northern District of California ruled that the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act is in violation of Roe v. Wade.

"To say that a partial-birth abortion is a fundamental constitutional right, as the federal judge in California did, makes a mockery of the Constitution," said Gail Quinn, executive director of the USCCB Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities.

Quinn pointed out that the American Medical Association stated previously that partial-birth abortions are never medically necessary.