New Jersey pro-life organizations hold press conference outside metropolitan medical associates, Engelwood, NJ on April 18, 2007 to respond to U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding partial birth abortion ban

Contact: Marie Tasy, Executive Director, New Jersey Right to Life, 908-276-6620

ENGLEWOOD, New Jersey, April 19 /Christian Newswire/ -- In response to the April 18, 2007 U. S. Supreme Court’s Decision, New Jersey Right to Life , the Legal Center for Defense of Life and Crossing Over Ministry held a Press Conference yesterday outside Metropolitan Medical Associates to call on U.S. Attorney Chris Christie to enforce the Partial Birth Abortion Ban. According to a September 15 , 1996 Bergen Record article, Metropolitan admitted to performing 1,500 partial birth abortions a year, most on healthy mothers of healthy babies.

"The practical consequences of today's decision take place right here in Englewood," said Richard Collier, president of the Morristown-based Legal Center for the Defense of Life. "This is the place that does 1,500 partial-birth abortions a year. We're here to call on U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie to enforce the statute against Metropolitan if it continues to do partial-birth abortions."

Marie Tasy, executive director of New Jersey Right to Life, said, "We are especially pleased that this gruesome procedure will no longer be performed here in the State of New Jersey. We want to make sure that the ban will be enforced,” explained Tasy. "We're hoping there will be more momentum going forward and that more hearts and minds will come to realize that all abortions are horrific and should be banned," Tasy said.

Hector Ferrer, Creative Director of Crossing over Ministry, said, "We applaud the U.S. Supreme Court's decision and hope and pray that this will be the beginning of the end of the infanticide that is occurring in our own backyard."

New Jersey Right to Life led the effort to pass the NJ Partial Birth Abortion Ban in 1997 as well as the override of NJ Governor Christine Todd Whitman's veto of the ban. Within hours of the Legislature's override of Governor Whitman's veto, Planned Parenthood of Central New Jersey and three Abortion Providers filed suit in the U.S. District Court in Trenton to block the law pending a trial. In a public display of willful defiance unsuited for a governor, Governor Christine Todd Whitman refused to allow her Attorney General Peter Verniero to defend the law. As a result, the NJ Legislature hired Legal Center for Defense of Life Attorney Richard Collier to defend the law on behalf the State of New Jersey. The law was struck down by a U.S. District Court and was subsequently appealed by the NJ Legislature to the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals where it was ruled unconstitutional following the 2000 U.S. Supreme Court Decision, Stenberg v. Carhart.