Congress ignores the parameters of the health exception: Judicial responses to congressional evidence and partial-birth abortion in the wake of Stenberg V. Carhart

Journal of Legal Medicine

Volumn 27, Issue 1, 2006, Pages 71-85

  Bailey, Barbara Jean ^a  

^a SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY   (United States)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

ABORTION; CONFERENCE PAPER; COURT; HEALTH CARE POLICY; HEALTH CARE SYSTEM; HUMAN; LAW; MATERNAL WELFARE; ORGANIZATION;

ABORTION, INDUCED; FEMALE; HUMANS; PREGNANCY; SUPREME COURT DECISIONS; UNITED STATES;

EID: 33644785819     PISSN: 01947648     EISSN: 1521057X     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1080/01947640500533341     Document Type: Conference Paper

References (118)

1. 410 U.S. 113 (1973).
2. Id. at 154.
3. Id. at 163.
4. 410 U.S. 113 (1973).
5. 410 U.S. 179, 189 (1973).
6. Roe, 410 U.S. at 154.
7. Id. at 153.
8. Id.
9. Id.
10. Id.
11. Id.
12. Id. at 163-64.
13. Doe, 410 U.S. at 191.
14. Id.
15. Id. at 192.
16. 402 U.S. 62 (1971).
17. United States v. Vuitch, 402 U.S. 62, 71-72 (1971).
18. Id. at 72.
19. Id.
20. 505 U.S. 833 (1992).
21. Id. at 876.
22. Id. at 878.
23. Id. at 846.
24. Id.
25. Id.
26. Id. at 879 (citing Roe, 410 U.S. at 164-65).
27. See Michael J. Tierney, Post-Viability Abortion Bans and the Limits of the Health Exception, 80 NOTRE DAME L. REV. 465 (2004) (for arguments against including psychological and mental health in the health exception).
28. Martin Haskell, Second Trimester D&X, 20 Weeks and Beyond, in SECOND TRIMESTER ABORHON: FROM EVERY ANGLE 27 (1992), available at http://www.house. gov/burton/RSC/haskellinstructional.pdf.
29. See Tierney, supra note 27, at 465-66 & nn. 10, 11, & 12 (discussion of state laws banning partial-birth abortion, including an analysis of health exceptions therein).
30. 530 U.S. 914 (2000).
31. Courts have historically stricken abortion legislation for three reasons: lack of a health exception; impermissibly vague language; and the legislation's posing an undue burden on women seeking abortion. The latter two are not considered in this comment.
32. Gail Glidewell, "Partial Birth" Abortion and the Health Exception: Protecting Maternal Health or Risking Abortion on Demand?, 28 FORDHAM URB. L.J. 1089, 1095 (2001)
33. (citing Linda Greenhouse, The Supreme Court: The Nebraska Case; Court Rules that Government Can't Outlaw Type of Abortion, N.Y. TIMES, June 29, 2000, at A1).
34. Id.
35. Brief of Amici Curiae American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists et al., in Support of Respondent at 6, Stenberg v. Carhart, 530 U.S. 914 (2000) (No. 99-830), 2000 WL 340117 [hereinafter Brief for Respondent].
36. Id.
37. Id.
38. Id. at 5.
39. Id.
40. Id.
41. Id. at 5-6.
42. Stenberg, 530 U.S. at 948.
43. Brief for Respondent, supra note 34, at 5.
44. Id. at 6.
45. See Carolyn Bower, Annotation, Validity, Construction, and Application of Statutory Restrictions on Partial Birth Abortions, 76 A.L.R.5TH 637, § 5 (2005).
46. 530 U.S. 914 (2000).
47. Stenberg, 530 U.S. at 938.
48. Id. (citing Planned Parenthood v. Casey, 505 U.S. 833, 879 (1992)).
49. Stenberg, 530 U.S. at 947.
50. Id. at 938 (citing Casey, 505 U.S. at 879). Additionally, the Court found Nebraska's statute impermissibly vague. See Stenberg, 530 U.S. at 943-44 (quoting NEB. REV. STAT. ANN. §§ 28-326(9), 28-328(1)-(4) (Supp. 1999)).
51. Stenberg, 530 U.S. at 938 (citing Casey, 505 U.S. at 879).
52. 320 F. Supp. 2d 957 (N.D. Cal. 2004).
53. 330 F. Supp. 2d 436 (S.D.N.Y. 2004).
54. 331 F. Supp. 2d 805 (D. Neb. 2004).
55. Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003, Pub. L. No. 108-105, § 2(1), 117 Stat. 1201 (2003).
56. Id. § 2(2).
57. Id. § 2(4)-(6).
58. Id. § 2(7).
59. Id.
60. Id. § 2(5).
61. Id. § 2 (7). The 104th, 105th, and 106th Congresses all passed legislation banning partial-birth abortion, but President Clinton failed to sign the bills into law.
62. Id. § 2(8).
63. Id. § 2(9)-(12) (citing City of Rome, Ga. v. United States, 472 F. Supp. 221 (D.D.C. 1979), Turner Broad. Sys., Inc. v. FCC, 512 U.S. 622 (1994) (Turner I), and Turner Broad. Sys., Inc. v. FCC, 520 U.S. 180 (1997) (Turner II)).
64. Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act § 2(11).
65. Id. § 2(13).
66. 18 U.S.C.S. § 1531 (2003).
67. 320 F. Supp. 2d 957 (N.D. Cal. 2004).
68. 330 F. Supp. 2d 436 (S.D.N.Y. 2004).
69. 331 F. Supp. 2d 805 (D. Neb. 2004).
70. Planned Parenthood Fed'n, 320 F. Supp. 2d at 967; Nat'l Abortion Fed'n, 330 F. Supp. 2d at 439; Carhart, 331 F. Supp. 2d at 814.
71. Planned Parenthood Fed'n, 320 F. Supp. 2d at 1003.
72. Id. at 1010-12.
73. Id. at 1012.
74. Id.
75. Id. at 1011.
76. Id. (citing Turner Broad. Sys., Inc. v. FCC, 520 U.S. 180, 195 (1997)).
77. Planned Parenthood Fed'n, 320 F. Supp. at 1013-14.
78. Id. at 1033-34.
79. Id. at 1033.
80. Id. at 1032.
81. Id. (citing Lamprecht v. FCC, 958 F.2d 382, 392 n.2 (D.C. Cir. 1992)); see also Nat'l Abortion Fed'n v. Ashcroft, 330 F. Supp. 2d 436, 485 (2004).
82. Planned Parenthood Fed'n, 320 F. Supp. 2d at 1032 (citing City of Boerne v. Flores, 521 U.S. 507, 534 (1997)).
83. Nat'l Abortion Fed'n, 330 F. Supp. 2d at 436.
84. Id. at 492-93.
85. Id. at 481-82; see also id. at 488-91.
86. Id. at 488.
87. Id. at 486.
88. 521 U.S. 507 (1997).
89. Nat'l Abortion Fed'n, 330 F. Supp. 2d at 486 (citing City of Boerne, 521 U.S. at 536).
90. Nat'l Abortion Fed'n, 330 F. Supp. 2d at 486.
91. Id. at 487.
92. Carhart, 331 F. Supp. 2d at 805.
93. Id. at 1006.
94. Id. at 1007-08.
95. Id. at 1008-27.
96. Id. at 1008.
97. Id.
98. Id. at 1048.
99. 413 F.3d 791 (2005).
100. Id. at 796.
101. M. at 798-800.
102. Id. at 798.
103. Id.
104. Id. at 802.
105. Id. at 801.
106. Id.
107. Id. at 800.
108. Id.. at 794 (citing United States v. Salerno, 481 U.S. 739 (1987)). Under Salerno, a facial challenge to legislation requires the challenger to show that "no set of circumstances exists under which the [legislation] would be valid." Salerno, 481 U.S. at 745. In both Stenberg and Casey, the Supreme Court failed to apply the Salerno test.
109. Gonzalez, 413 R3d at 794.
110. E.g., id.
111. Stenberg v. Carhart, 530 U.S. 914 (2000).
112. Id. at 937-38.
113. See supra notes 70-92 and accompanying text.
114. Planned Parenthood Fed'n, 320 F. Supp. 2d at 1011 (citing Turner Broad. Sys., 520 U.S. at 195).
115. See supra notes 7-19 and accompanying text.
116. See Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003, Pub. L. No. 108-105, § 2(1)-(14), 117 Stat. 1201 (2003).
117. 18 U.S.C.S. § 1531(a) (2003).
118. Id. § 1531(c).