California to sue federal government over abortion funding ban News
California to sue federal government over abortion funding ban

[JURIST] California Attorney General Bill Lockyer has announced that his state will sue the federal government to block enforcement of the so-called Weldon amendment, a provision in a massive federal appropriations bill awaiting signature by President Bush that could deny California federal funds if it is found to discriminate against any health care provider because they refuse to "provide, pay for, provide coverage of, or refer for abortions." Lockyer said in a statement Wednesday that the amendment, named after its sponsor, Republican Congressman David Weldon of Florida, was "an unacceptable attack on women's rights and state sovereignty, and a back-door attempt to overturn Roe v. Wade… [T]he Weldon amendment's sweeping scope goes far beyond restrictions previously considered by the courts. And we believe even the most deferential court will find the provision exceeds federal spending power and violates the 10th Amendment." Read Lockyer's press release on the court challenge here. Reuters has more