Operation Rescue leader calls PBA ban "waste of time"

U.S. lawmakers’ June 4 decision to ban partial birth abortion has been greeted with both enthusiasm and derision within the pro-life ranks.

The House voted 282-to-139 to ban the procedure and President Bush has vowed to sign the bill once minor differences with the Senate version have been ironed out.

Randall Terry, founder of the anti-abortion group, Operation Rescue, called the ban a waste of time. Known for leading peaceful sit-ins at abortion clinics, Terry sees the ban as a “shell game” that provides cover for pro-abortion politicians.

“The banning of ‘partial-birth abortion,’ will not save one baby’s life. The Congress is participating in a sham, misleading the American people,” he said. “They know that every child that would have been killed by partial-birth abortion will instead be killed by burning the baby alive in his mother’s womb with a saline solution, or a deadly injection into the child’s heart.”

“This is a hollow victory at best,” Terry added. “This law will probably be struck down by the courts.”

Although the Supreme Court voted 5-4 in 2000 to strike down more than 30 state laws banning partial-birth abortion, many believe the nationwide ban, expected to be signed into law within weeks, will stand a legal challenge.

— E.P. News