Opinion
 

Staff Editorial

Matthew Dulin         Geronimo Rodriguez        Shaun Salnave          Cara Sarelli

What's it really about?

In his State of the Union speech in January, President Bush voiced his approval of the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, a measure that had been vetoed twice by former President Bill Clinton.

Thursday, the Senate voted 64-33 in favor of banning "partial-birth" abortions. After eight years of Republicans and Democrats attacking one another's morals, the only thing preventing the bill from being enacted is Bush's signature.

While there is nothing wrong with this respected party pushing acts through its respected ranks, the ban, which limits abortion procedures, might give pro-choice advocates something to worry about.

The bill's proponents claim the measure was presented to prevent "brutal and barbaric" abortion procedures from occurring. But the opposition claims Bush's signature would only open the door for anti-abortionists to question the other ways of terminating pregnancies.

To reach a compromise within the Senate, the Republicans and Democrats must acknowledge the facts about this specific procedure and look at it in parallel with other abortion methods.

Some say the act, which has the doctor partially deliver a fetus up to 24 weeks old and proceed with terminating the pregnancy, hardly ever happens. Others say the procedure has occurred enough become a problem.

As it is, neither party will push aside their beliefs and judge the issue based on true statistics. Instead, demeaning one another's views fuel the debates, which should focus on the life or death of fetuses and women's rights.

In a New York Times report, Senator Hilary Rodham Clinton said, "I'm very concerned about some of the words I have heard on this floor over the last several days."

Senator Barbara Boxer, who opposed the ban, added the debate "has gotten as ugly as I've ever seen it."

Amid the fuss, women's decisions have been cut down by one and perhaps a fetus has been saved from experiencing a brutal death. In the end, abortion has hardly been addressed and the Republican Party has notched another win for the books.

Or was this just a small step toward banning abortion altogether? Bush's public eagerness to sign the bill can only mean more things to come.

We can only hope our country's leader is taking into consideration that human compassion should be involved in the debate.