llowed several state-imposed restrictions to stay in tact. It upheld the Missouri law that prohibits the use of public facilities or public employees for an abortion, and requires a physician to determine the viability of a fetus older than twenty weeks (McGee 27).Rust v. Sullivan (1991), the Court upheld federal policy that prevented health care providers who received federal funding from engaging in any activities that encouraged or promoted abortion as a method of family planning, this law was later revoked by President Clinton (1992)(Nelson 45). The Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (1994), made it a federal crime to use force, threat of force, or physical obstruction to injure, intimidate, or interfere with reproductive health care providers and their patients (Nelson 45). In 1996, the United States Congress enacted a bill that banned the practice of partial birth abortions. The bill was vetoed by President Clinton because if failed to permit use of the procedure when a fetus displays severe abnormalities. Since then, many states have banned this procedure. February 1997 the court upheld buffer zones around clinics, but struck down floating buffer zones around individuals approaching clinics (Nelson 46).Abortion also has many political and social issues as well. One political issue is that the line between pro-life and pro-choice has become blurred. Many women who are pro-life are concerned about the possible threat to the reproductive rights and the danger of allowing the government to decide what medical options are available to them. Also, pro- choice women are disturbed by the use of abortion as a form of birth control (Benson 30). Embryology, the study of fetal development, offers little insight about the fetus status at the moment of conception (Benson31). There have been a lot of debates on the topic, but no decision has ever been reached because of the radicals on both sides, and the strong emotions (Bens...
