NY judge rejects US abortion ban

Abortion is one of the most emotive issues in US politics

A second US federal judge has ruled against a new US ban on late-term abortions, defying the measure backed by President George W Bush.

New York Judge Richard Casey granted a request by the National Abortion Federation and seven doctors to block enforcement of the ban.

A block was issued in Nebraska, after the law came into force on Wednesday.

The ban is the first major limitation on abortion in the United States since it was legalised in 1973.

Correspondents say the New York ruling could have wide repercussions - the abortion federation says its members perform half the national total of abortions.

The Nebraska ruling covers four doctors and their staffs, who are together licensed in 13 states.

Abortion rights groups are also taking legal action in California.

Signing the bill on Wednesday, President Bush said the government had "come to the defence of the innocent child".

'Partial birth'

The law prohibits what it calls "partial birth abortions" - which it defines as intentionally killing a partially delivered foetus after the woman is artificially induced to give birth.

For years, a terrible form of violence has been directed against children who are inches from birth, while the law looked the other way President Bush Q&A: The issues explained

It says that the procedure is never necessary for health reasons, but includes an exception "to save the life of a mother".

Congress approved the bill last month.

Under the law, any doctor found practising the proscribed method of abortion now faces two years in jail.

"For years, a terrible form of violence has been directed against children who are inches from birth, while the law looked the other way," Mr Bush said.

"Today at last, the American people and our government have confronted the violence, and come to the defence of the innocent child."

But pro-choice activists have condemned the bill as being too broad in its language.

The Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean - who trained as a doctor - called the ban a "dark day for American women".

Bill Clinton vetoed two similar bills when he was president.

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Total ban feared

Pro-choice campaigners say the bill could criminalise several safe and common procedures.

They fear the law will represent the first step in a larger campaign eventually to ban all abortions.

Supporters of the bill argue that it applies only to a procedure done late in pregnancy - and relatively rarely - and that the procedure is never necessary to protect the health of the mother.

The law comes at a time when the US abortion rate has been dropping.

In 1999, 21.4 procedures were carried out per 1,000 women, compared to a rate of 27.4 per 1,000 in 1990, according to figures from the US National Center for Health Statistics.