Statement of Administration Policy: H.R. 1833 - Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 1995

(Senate)
(Rep. Canady (R) FL and 115 others)

The President believes that the decision to have an abortion should be between a woman, her conscience, her doctor, and her God. He believes that legal abortions should be safe and rare. The President has long opposed late-term abortions except where they are necessary to protect the life of the mother or where there is a threat to her health, consistent with the law. The Supreme Court has ruled that "Roe forbids a state from interfering with a woman's choice to undergo an abortion procedure if continuing her pregnancy would constitute a threat to her health." Therefore, the Administration cannot support H.R. 1833 because it fails to provide for consideration of the need to preserve the life and health of the mother, consistent with the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Roe v. Wade. If the bill is not amended to rectify these constitutional defects, the Attorney General and the White House Counsel will recommend that the President veto the bill.