Washington, Feb 21, 2006 -

Congressman Patrick McHenry (R-NC) today issued a statement in response to the U.S. Supreme Court agreeing to hear the Bush Administration’s appeal of a ruling that called the 2003 Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act “unconstitutional”:

“The Supreme Court is making the right decision to hear this appeal. The Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act prohibits doctors from performing one of the most heinous acts this world has ever seen – the premeditated murder of a living, breathing baby. I urge the Supreme Court to uphold this law and guide our nation back on a path toward protecting and promoting a culture of life.”

“The United States should be a compassionate nation that cherishes innocent human life at all stages of development, from conception to natural death. The Supreme Court’s decision today is a positive signal that we are moving toward the fulfillment of America’s moral obligation to ban abortion.”

The Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act would be the first nationwide ban on an abortion procedure since the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973, which legalized abortions in the U.S.