The pro life campaign is against all abortion procedures, not only the “partial birth” abortion, or D&X procedure.  The wording of the legislation when banning “partial-birth” abortions has been found to have the potential to be loosely interpreted in future cases, as was the finding of the Stenberg v. Carhart case.  Pro choice supporters believe that if such legislation should pass on the federal level, that this procedure ban could lead to a ban of abortions using any procedure at any stage of the pregnancy,
overturning the landmark Roe v. Wade decision of 1973. 

While the pro choice activists believe that the procedure itself is upsetting, they view the decision to have one to be one reserved for the doctor and patient, not the government.   The consequences of removing this decision out of the hands of the doctor and the patient and into the hands of legislators could lead the country on a devastating road: towards the illegalization of abortion and the removal of reproductive choice for all Americans.

   If abortion were made illegal in this country, we need only look at international statistics and history to predict the consequences.  There are an estimated 46 million abortions performed woldwide each year, and of these, more than 20 million abortions are perfomed illegally.  "Illegal abortions are more likely to be performed by untrained people in unsanitary conditions, or with unsafe surgical procedures or drugs, with disasterous consequences.  Unsafe abortion procedures result in about 13% of pregnancy-related deaths worldwide," (Encarta Encylopedia, p.3).  In countries where abortion is legal, abortion accounts for less than 1% of pregancy-related deaths.