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      "date": "2008-01-14",
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      "title": "Partial-Birth Abortion: Recent Developments in the Law",
      "summary": "The term \u201cpartial-birth abortion\u201d refers generally to an abortion procedure where the fetus is removed intact from a woman\u2019s body. The procedure is described by the medical community as \u201cintact dilation and evacuation\u201d or \u201cdilation and extraction\u201d (\u201cD & X\u201d) depending on the presentation of the fetus. Intact dilation and evacuation involves a vertex or \u201chead first\u201d presentation, the induced dilation of the cervix, the collapsing of the skull, and the extraction of the entire fetus through the cervix. D & X involves a breech or \u201cfeet first\u201d presentation, the induced dilation of the cervix, the removal of the fetal body through the cervix, the collapsing of the skull, and the extraction of the fetus through the cervix.\nSince 1995, at least thirty-one states have enacted laws banning partial-birth abortions. Although many of these laws have not taken effect because of temporary or permanent injunctions, they remain contentious to both pro-life advocates and those who support a woman\u2019s right to choose. This report discusses the U.S. Supreme Court\u2019s decision in Stenberg v. Carhart, a case involving the constitutionality of Nebraska\u2019s partial-birth abortion ban statute. In Stenberg, the Court invalidated the Nebraska statute because it lacked an exception for the performance of the partial-birth abortion procedure when necessary to protect the health of the mother, and because it imposed an undue burden on a woman\u2019s ability to have an abortion.\nThis report also reviews various legislative attempts to restrict partial-birth abortions during the 106th, 107th, and 108th Congresses. S. 3, the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003, was signed by the President on November 4, 2003. On April 18, 2007, the Court upheld the act, finding that, as a facial matter, it is not unconstitutionally vague and does not impose an undue burden on a woman\u2019s right to terminate her pregnancy. In reaching its conclusion in Gonzales v. Carhart, the Court distinguished the federal statute from the Nebraska law at issue in Stenberg.",
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