FROM THE PRESIDENT; PRO-LIFE SUCCESSES AND THE NEED FOR REALISM.

During the last two years the following three important bills were passed by Congress and signed by President George W. Bush.

The first of these bills signed into law by President Bush was the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act. Its purpose is not only to protect a child surviving an abortion attempt but any child after birth who is in danger of becoming the victim of what might be called a "retroactive abortion."

The second bill, the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, had been passed several times by Congress before and was twice vetoed by President Clinton. President Bush has corrected these inexcusable actions of his predecessor.

The Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act has been challenged in three different federal courts: in Lincoln, Nebraska, in New York, and in San Francisco. Some of the testimony in these cases has been quite revealing.

In the San Francisco trial, the government lawyer asked Dr. Maureen Paul, chief medical officer of Planned Parenthood Golden Gate, whether the unborn child experiences pain during the abortion procedures. Dr. Paul replied, "I have no idea what you mean." No idea!

In the New York trial, Judge Richard C. Casey questioned Dr. Timothy Johnson, a professor at the University of Michigan and a research scientist at the Center for Human Growth and Development.

"Does the fetus feel pain?" asked Judge Casey. Dr. Johnson replied that he did not know and was not aware of any research about that. Judge Casey then asked Dr. Johnson about fetal pain during abortions involving fetal dismemberment. According to an Associated Press report, the questioning continued like this: