The rulings so far

The Partial-Birth Abortion Act is a federal law that bars a procedure doctors call intact dilation and extraction and opponents call partial-birth abortion. During the procedure, generally performed in the second trimester, a fetus is partially removed from the womb and its skull is punctured or crushed. The ban was signed in November 2003 by President Bush but was not enforced because three federal judges agreed to hear challenges on whether the law violates the Constitution. The rulings are expected to be appealed to the Supreme Court.

June 1

San Francisco: US District Judge Phyllis Hamilton found the law unconstitutional, saying "the act poses an undue burden on a woman's right to choose an abortion."

Aug. 26

New York City: US District Judge Richard C. Casey also found the law unconstitutional, and said the Supreme Court has made it clear that "this gruesome procedure may be outlawed only if there exists a medical consensus that there is no circumstance in which any woman could potentially benefit from it."

Sept. 8

Lincoln, Neb.: US District Judge Richard Kopf agreed, saying that Congress ignored the most experienced doctors in determining that the banned procedure would never be necessary, a finding he found "unreasonable."

SOURCE: Associated Press
GLOBE STAFF GRAPHIC/Kathleen Hennrikus