Skip to main content

The timeline can be navigated by dragging the pointer on the timeline bar, located at the bottom of the screen on the desktop version and on the left of the screen on mobile. To filter by a specific topic, make a selection on the dropdown “Filters” menu or click “Search” to do a keyword search. To learn more, click “Read More” below.

Read More

The Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act is passed.

2003

RHRR
ABOR
LLP

The ban prohibits the "late" termination of a pregnancy after 20 weeks via dilation and extraction, which is known as a "partial-birth" abortion procedure. It changes the federal criminal code to make it a crime for any physician to knowingly perform this procedure. The ban also gives power to the birth father and grandparents to file a civil suit against a mother who accesses a late-term abortion.

Only about 0.2% of the 1.3 million abortions believed to be performed in 2000 fell into this category, "and contrary to the claims of some abortion opponents, most ["late-term"] abortions do not take place in the third trimester of pregnancy, or after fetal 'viability,'" (Rovener, 2006), but rather between 20 and 24 weeks.