Planned Parenthood Los Angeles (PPLA) has applauded the New York court ruling issued today in National Abortion Federation (NAF) v. Ashcroft, a lawsuit challenging the federal abortion ban passed by Congress last October and signed by President Bush. Today's ruling invalidates the ban.
"The abortion ban is an affront to women's health, the right to medical privacy and the U.S. Constitution and was rightfully struck down," PPLA President and CEO Mary-Jane Wagle said. "This ruling is a critical step toward ensuring that women and doctors -- not politicians -- make private, personal health care decisions. Doctors represented in this lawsuit can now provide the best health care to their patients free from the daunting specter of prosecution by the Ashcroft Justice Department."
On June 1, 2004, in Planned Parenthood Federation of America v. Ashcroft, the United States District Court for the Northern District of California struck down the federal abortion ban. In doing so, the district court ruled that Attorney General Ashcroft cannot enforce the federal abortion ban against any Planned Parenthood affiliate, or its "officers, agents, servants, employees, [or] contractors," whether the abortion is performed in a facility owned or operated by Planned Parenthood or elsewhere.