[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 139 (Tuesday, October 1, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S12090]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             THE PARTIAL BIRTH ABORTION BAN ACT, H.R. 1833

  Mr. DORGAN. Mr. President, I supported passage of the bill to ban 
partial birth abortions when it was approved by the Senate on December 
7 and I voted last week to override the President's veto of this 
measure.
  My position on abortion issues is clear. I have consistently stated 
that I would not support overturning the Supreme Court's decision in 
Roe versus Wade. I support a woman's right to have an abortion. I do 
not think we should turn back the clock 25 years and make abortion 
illegal, but we should work in every way to reduce the number of 
abortions that are performed. I have also cast votes here in Congress 
to oppose using Federal funds to pay for abortions except in cases of 
life endangerment, rape, or incest.
  The Senate's vote last week was on whether to override the 
President's veto of legislation which would prohibit a physician from 
performing a partial-birth abortion, a procedure in which a fetus is 
delivered into the birth canal before its skull is collapsed and 
delivery is completed. This legislation contains a provision which 
would make an exception for partial-birth abortions that are necessary 
to save the life of the mother in cases in which no other medical 
procedure would suffice.
  I simply cannot justify the use of this procedure to terminate 
pregnancies in which the mother's life is not at stake. For this 
reason, I voted to override the President's veto and to support the ban 
on partial-birth abortions.

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