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President Bush signs late-term abortion bill

 The signing ceremony was a victory celebration for anti-abortion activists, who cheered as the president put pen to paper.

 The new law bans a procedure they call partial birth abortion. President Bush called it an act of violence against children close to birth.

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

 But within an hour, a federal judge in the state of Nebraska issued a restraining order blocking the ban, setting the stage for a lengthy court battle on its constitutionality. In his comments to backers of the bill, the president left no doubt he is ready to fight.

 "The executive branch will vigorously defend this law against any who would try to overturn it in the courts," he said.

 The ban was a top priority for Republicans when they assumed control of the U.S. House of Representatives in 1995. Several versions cleared the legislature only to be vetoed by former President Bill Clinton, a supporter of abortion rights.

 The bill signed into law by President Bush prohibits doctors from committing an "overt act" designed to kill a partially delivered fetus. The only exception is to save the life of the mother. 

The president said the measure reflects the compassion and humanity of America.

 "By acting to prevent this practice, the elected branches of our government have affirmed a basic standard of humanity: the duty of the strong to protect the weak," he said.

 But the judge in Nebraska said he has problems with the ban because it does not allow the procedure if it is needed to protect the health of the mother. Judge Robert Kopf said in court before ruling that the law seems vague, and is "highly suspect."

 His words heartened abortion rights groups which fear the measure could be the first step in a new campaign to ban all abortions in the United States.

 The Supreme Court upheld the right to an abortion in 1973. The new partial birth law imposes the most far-reaching limits on abortion since the historic ruling in a case known as Roe versus Wade.
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President Bush Signs Bill Banning 'Partial-Birth' Abortions

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• In its final report on preparations for the biggest EU expansion, the European Commission says all of the future members, especially the largest, Poland, still have to implement reforms in various areas to meet EU standards.
•  It says that, if solutions to these problems are not found before the 10 countries join the Union on May 1, the acceding states could find their products barred from the EU single market or be denied EU agricultural or regional subsidies. 

In its final report on preparations for the biggest EU expansion, the European Commission says all of the future members, especially the largest, Poland, still have to implement reforms in various areas to meet EU standards.

 It says that, if solutions to these problems are not found before the 10 countries join the Union on May 1, the acceding states could find their products barred from the EU single market or be denied EU agricultural or regional subsidies. 

The Commission is especially concerned about Poland, which it criticizes, among other things, for failing to bring its agricultural regulations up to EU standards and not doing enough to fight corruption. It also warns Hungary and Slovakia that they must improve their agricultural standards and tells the Czech Republic that it has to deal with deteriorating public finances.

 Slovenia, a former Yugoslav republic, gets the best report card of the 10, followed by Lithuania.

 Cyprus, Estonia, Latvia, and Malta are being told they have to move faster in enacting reforms that will bring them in line with their richer western European neighbors.

 The Commission also reports on three countries that are seeking to join the Union in the years ahead - Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey. Bulgaria and Romania are in negotiations with the European Union and hope to become members in 2007. Turkey has not yet begun accession talks.

 The European Union says Bulgaria must do much more to curb corruption and reform its judiciary. It casts serious doubts on Romania's readiness to join the bloc, saying the Balkan country is not yet a functioning market economy, a prerequisite for membership. 

But it reserves most of its criticism for Turkey, saying that, despite Ankara's progress in enacting reforms, it still has to implement many of the changes, notably improving human rights and ensuring civilian control of the powerful Turkish military.

 And, in a warning that has miffed Turkish leaders, the European Union says Turkey's failure to settle the Cyprus problem could pose a serious obstacle to its bid to open EU membership talks.
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