To the Point

Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Passes the House

Once again, Congress has voted to ban what-s called partial-birth abortion, and President Bush says he-ll sign it. The term -partial birth abortion- is not a medical one, and it appears the ban would apply to only about 2000 of the 1.3 million abortions performed every year. Both sides agree it won-t actually change much and it-s likely to be overturned by the courts. Yet pro-lifers are claiming a victory and the pro-choice movement is warning about a threat to women-s reproductive rights. What is -partial birth abortion,- and is there really a threat to Roe versus Wade? We look at how language is being used to shape one of America-s most contentious ongoing debates with a cognitive linguist, pro-life and pro-choice advocates, and legal experts in reproductive rights and constitutional law. Making News: Israel Reacts to Palestinian Missile Attack Less than a week after Prime Minister Sharon agreed to the road map for peace, Israelis attacked Palestinians in two incidents today. One was an attempt on the life of a leader of the militant group Hamas. The second was a reprisal against a Palestinian rocket attack from the Gaza Strip. Yossi Melman, who reports for the Israel-s Ha-aretz, says increasing pressure from the right-wing may have prompted Sharon-s actions. Reporter's Notebook: The Future of Fishing Communities Depleted fishing stocks and -dead zones- in coastal waters have led to calls for new protections for America-s oceans. Both the problems and the proposed solutions have increased the pressure on those in the middle, those who try to make their living from the sea. Jerry Fraser, a former commercial fisherman who-s now editor and associated publisher of National Fisherman magazine, is following the story.