Gonzalez v. Carhart and Gonzalez v. Planned Parenthood � 2007

In 2003, President Bush signed a federal abortion ban into law. Planned Parenthood, the Center for Reproductive Rights, the National Abortion Federation and the American Civil Liberties Union challenged it in federal district courts around the country. Leading physicians testified against the ban because it would prevent them from providing the care that is best to protect their patients' health.

The Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, upheld the ban. The ban outlaws second-trimester abortions as early as 12 to 15 weeks in pregnancy that doctors say are safe and the best to protect women's health. This decision reversed Stenberg v. Carhart, in which the Court struck down a very similar abortion ban because it did not have a health exception.