For more than 10 years, the debate over the question of partial-birth abortion hinged on a public statement by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG): Partial-birth abortion, ACOG stated, “may be the best or most appropriate procedure in a particular circumstance to save the life or preserve the health of a woman, and only the doctor, in consultation with the patient, based upon the woman’s particular circumstances can make this decision.”
It was always believed that this had been a statement drafted by medical experts, so politicians and courts of law showed it deference. Little did anyone know that the experts at ACOG had not originally made such bold claims. Rather, this language had been drafted and then inserted into their far less assertive statement by a Clinton policy advisor, Elena Kagan, who is now President Obama’s nominee for the Supreme Court. These facts were first reported yesterday by NRO’s Shannen W.Coffin.
