Final passage of a measure outlawing certain late-term D&X abortions is expected to pass in the House today. It will then go to President Clinton, who vetoed a similar bill last year because it did not contain an exception for women whose health or lives were in danger. Since the current bill still does not allow for these exceptions, Clinton is expected to veto it again. Congress was unable to previously override the veto, lacking only three votes in the Senate.
The House is also expected to approve a Senate amendment that would allow doctors who are prosecuted under the ban to present evidence from state medical licensing boards at trial, a move opposed by the American College of Obsetricians and Gynecologists and the American Medical Women’s Association. A vote to override Clinton’s expected veto will most likely occur during next year’s election campaigns.