Last Wednesday, President Bush signed into law a bill that bans late term abortions.

Questions of morality aside, this was a bad move for Congress and Bush to make.

Hours after Bush signed the law, a federal judge in Nebraska issued a temporary restraining order blocking the enforcement of the law. The next day, a judge in New York did the same.

This is the problem: Bush signed something into law that he, and Congress, knew would not hold up in court. He and Congress wasted time and money on something that is simply going to be a political battle, wasting time and money.

Just three years ago, a majority of Supreme Court justices struck down a Nebraska ban that was very similar to the law Bush signed last week.

The courts' decision last week to block the enforcement of the new law cited the absence of an exception for the health of the women -- the same reason it was struck down three years ago.

This law will most likely go to the Supreme Court once again. Often, when the Supreme Court gets a case about something it has already ruled on, it relies on precedent. Precedent in this case would be to strike down the law. The reason the law cannot, and should not, be upheld is because it doesn't include the mother's safety.

Considering that less than 1 percent of abortions performed are late term abortions, and considering that most of the time it is done because the mother is in danger, the law is a waste of time.

So why then did Congress and Bush spend so much time and energy on something that affects so few people?

Why not put this energy and time and money into something that will actually affect a significant segment of the population?

Bush knew the courts would not stand for this. Congress knew that within seconds, precedent would prevail and the courts would have the challenges already written and ready to be enacted. It was purely a political move.

Instead, they will spend large amounts of time and money on something that affects relatively no one, simply for political gain. By using buzzwords like "partial-birth abortion" and "third trimester," Bush is ensuring that the people who will fund his re-election campaign keep sending their checks.

In passing and signing this law so quickly, Congress and the president have proven to the American people that the legislative and executive branches of government can act with speed and efficiency.

Now it's time for them to use these skills for something that will actually improve a significant number of people's lives, like health care and education.