illegitimate, Scalia called for Casey to be overruled. Effects of the decision By a 5-4 majority, the Nebraska law was struck down, as were all other state laws banning partial-birth abortion. In 2003, however, the federal government enacted a Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act. This law did not include an exception for the health of the woman, as Justice O'Connor said it must. Congress inserted findings into the law saying that the procedure is never needed to protect maternal health. Although several federal judges struck down this federal law, citing the precedent of Stenberg v. Carhart, it was eventually upheld by the Supreme Court in Gonzales v. Carhart.The Supreme Court's decision in Gonzales v. Carhart concerns similar questions as those in Stenberg, but this time in the context of a federal statute. The decision in Gonzales v. Carhart'' has narrowed the holding in this case; the cases are largely indistinguishable and can be explained only by the replacement of Justice O'Connor with Justice Samuel Alito, who voted to uphold the law. References Further reading . . . External links American Civil Liberties Union litigation Right to abortion under the United States Constitution Right to privacy under the United States Constitution United States abortion case law United States privacy case law United States substantive due process case law United States Supreme Court cases United States Supreme Court cases of the Rehnquist Court 2000 in United States case law History of women in Nebraska