The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments today on whether Nebraska can enact a late-term abortion law, making it a crime with a grave penalty of up to 20 years in prison for doctors who perform such abortions.
The case, Stenberg v. Carhart, is the first abortion case to be argued before the U.S. Supreme Court in eight years. At issue is a vaguely worded law that could outlaw the most commonly performed abortion procedures and offers no exceptions to cases where women’s life and health may be at stake.
“Don’t be fooled. This case is not about late-term abortion or any one procedure – it’s about outlawing abortion,” said Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority Foundation.
The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously ruled the Nebraska ban unconstitutional because it did not protect women’s health and the wording was so vague that it could potentially outlaw all abortions.
