NEW YORK — The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), which specializes in constitutional law and pro-life litigation, said last Friday the first week of testimony in the federal court trials involving the challenge of the national ban on partial-birth abortion is putting a spotlight on the horrific procedure that takes the life of an unborn child moments before birth.
“The testimony is graphic, disturbing, and points to an undeniable fact — that the life of an unborn child is taken in a manner that is violent, painful, and barbaric,” said Jay Sekulow, Chief Counsel of the ACLJ, who is supporting the Department of Justice in its defense of the ban and attending the trial in New York City. “While in the early stages of the proceedings, it is encouraging to see the court take an active and inquisitive role — putting pointed questions to abortion doctors — questions that deal with the way the unborn child is killed and questions about the pain suffered by the unborn child. We are also confident that when the Justice Department presents its case it will prove that this procedure is not medically necessary and must be eliminated from our society.”
The ACLJ will be filing amicus briefs representing members of Congress who sponsored the partial-birth abortion ban legislation that was approved by Congress last fall with wide bi-partisan support.
After President Bush signed the measure into law, several organizations filed suit challenging the ban. Last week, three trials began simultaneously in California, Nebraska, and New York concerning the constitutionality of the ban.
In New York, where the American Civil Liberties Union, the National Abortion Federation, and individual physicians are challenging the ban, abortion doctors have been questioned about the procedure. One physician testified that the unborn child sometimes does not immediately die after limbs are pulled off. When asked if a dismembered fetus can still be living, the doctor responded: “Absolutely. Just removing an arm or a leg does not necessarily kill the fetus.”
The trial in New York City could last one month or longer.
The American Center for Law and Justice specializes in constitutional law and is based in Washington, D.C.
(This update courtesy of LifeSiteNews.com.)
