Ashcroft to Defend Ban on Some Abortion Protests

[Whoa_Nelly]

Ashcroft to Defend Ban on Some Abortion Protests
By ERIC LICHTBLAU


WASHINGTON, Aug. 29 — The Justice Department plans to go to court to defend a federal law that bans protesters from blocking access to abortion clinics, a move that is angering some opponents of abortion who have been strong supporters of Attorney General John Ashcroft.

A federal judge in Houston, in a little-noticed decision, declared this month that part of the 1994 law, known as the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, is unconstitutional because it exceeds the power of Congress to regulate commerce. The decision freed a man who had rammed a van through the front door of a Planned Parenthood clinic in Houston in a protest over abortion.

<snip>
Mr. Ashcroft acknowledged at the hearing that he believed that the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion was "wrongly decided" and that he was personally opposed to abortion. But he added, "I well understand that the role of attorney general is to enforce the law as it is, not as I would have it."


<snip>
"Certainly this attorney general is not friendly to abortion rights, but when the law is clear, he has to follow the law," said Blake Cornish, deputy legal director for Naral Pro-Choice America.

more...
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/30/politics/30ABOR.html?ex=1062907200&en=7298e4a48b64c26b&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE

god, I hate Asscrack :puke:

[wtmusic]

1. Is Ashcroft stepping up to the plate?

Will he follow through?

[Whoa_Nelly]

2. I doubt he will follow through

He just wants to remain the current Christian Front for *'s re-selection...it's all just pandering to the */Rove campaign

[sasquatch]

3. No of course not

Ashkkkroft cares about as much about womens health rights, constitution and law as I care about the University of Michigan.

GO BUCKS!!!!

[LiberalFighter]

14. Sure he will!

With both his hands tied behind his back so he can't function 100%.
A blindfold over his eyes so he can't see the violations.

[0007]

4. Ashcroft is making no bones about the

issue. Much like the fox going into the hen house with the farmer.

[LynneSin]

5. Message from Rove to Ashcrap

"We need to do a few things that look 'moderate' so we can get re-elected in 2004 and get those ultra-conservative ideologues on the bench"

this is all a campaign ploy. Problem is - folks will buy it

[cap]

6. law of unintented consequences...

if Ashcroft doesn't defend the regulation of abortion protests, he can't defend the First Amendment Zones used to isolate Bush and anti-war protesters.

I don't think that Planned Parenthood has moved these people blocks away from their site but has merely preserved access to the clinic unlike Ashcroft.

[prolesunited]

7. You must have read my mind

because this is exactly what I was going to post and I'm sure this is the real reason behind this decision.

[TahitiNut]

8. While I agree ...

... the (so-called) "First Amendment Zones" as employed to isolate Bush protesters are a perverted bastardization of the clinic First Amendment Zones where all demonstrators are restricted from blocking access. In the clinic situation, it's the physical access and egress that's being protected and the demonstrators (of both kinds) are still within earshot and eyeshot of their "audience". In the Fascist State of Bush, only anti-Bush demonstrators are 'zoned', not the sycophants, and the 'zone' has virtually nothing to do with access or egress; they're used to nullify the demonstrations themselves by taking them out of eyeshot/earshot of the "audience".

[Devils Advocate NZ]

9. What????

The decision freed a man who had rammed a van through the front door of a Planned Parenthood clinic in Houston in a protest over abortion.

What the fuck??? Shouldn't this guy be charged with something a hell of a lot more serious than blocking the entrance of an abortion clinic? You know, like TERRORISM or something? What if someone had walked up to the door at the moment he RAMMED HIS VAN THROUGH IT?

[trapper914]

10. What about...

...driving as to endanger?. Felony vandalism?

[0007]

11. You got it right Toyota

Ashcroft is a first class terrorist.

[Athame]

15. My thoughts exactly!!

:wtf: He rammed his van through the front of the clinic in protest?

...and we anti-war protesters in my town are arrested for stepping off the sidewalk!!

I also agree that this is a Rove tactic to help the "administration" appear more moderate. When does the American public WAKE UP???

[dansolo]

12. Ashcroft is following Pryor's lead

The quickest way for Pryor to completely disqualify himself from any judicial appointment is to support a direct violation of a higher court. That is why he had to act against Judge Moore, even though he must have been seething about the whole ordeal.

[QuietStorm]

13. I am almost convinced ashcroft is an android

a nasa experiment the other two being clarence thomas and condi.

either that or he is a zombie. You know that haitan practice of making slaves that are like living dead. In other case he is programmed to say whatever is programmed in. Listen to his voice. Does it sound human?

[Unforgiven]

16. Hypocrite

Words escape me, this egomainiac, trusting that people(or is that sheeple) won't remember what they had for breakfast much less what the atty general said 2 weeks from now! Typical RepubliCON hypocrite: Lie and Deny!