“…Congress found…that this method of killing a living fetus- performed on fetuses that are at or near viability-…perverts the birth process, blurs the line between abortion and infanticide, and confuses the medical, legal, and ethical duties of physicians to preserve life.

"Congress also found that partial-birth abortion imposes severe pain on the fetus.”

“Congress specifically found that partial-birth abortion poses serious risks of its own to the health of a woman undergoing the procedure.

"Those risks include…cervical incompetence, potentially hindering a woman’s ability to carry a subsequent pregnancy to term, and a risk of lacerations and severe hemorrhaging from a doctor forcing a sharp instrument into the base of the skull of the fetus while it is lodged in the birth canal.

"Additional risks include that of uterine rupture, abruption, amniotic fluid embolus, and trauma to the uterus as a result of any conversion of the fetus to a footling breech position...”

[Excerpts from previous Department of Justice filings from spokesman Monica Goodling, who published a detailed explanation of the legal issues involved in the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban case]