Supremes Uphold Feds On Abortion

By a 5-4 vote, today the Supreme Court gave the anti-abortion movement its hugest victory in many years, upholding the federal ban on "partial-birth" or late-term abortions. Predictably, dissenting justices were Ginsberg, Souter, Stevens, and Breyer. Justice Ginsberg objected so strenuously, she took the unusual step of reading her dissent from the bench, noting that this ruling will disadvantage adolescents and underclass women who often have difficulty gaining access to early-term abortions.

Already the Christianist sites are crowing, hailing today's decision as the "first blow" towards of the reversal of Roe V. Wade and the end of abortion in America. The progressive listservs are also very active, with a protest march in Manhattan already scheduled for tonight. I expect that some of the major gay orgs will weigh in shortly, surely to the dismay of some gay activists who feel that gay rights groups should stay out of "non-gay" issues. As I've said here before, I strongly disagree with that mindset. Gay men in particular may feel that they don't have a dog in this fight, but they're wrong. Any encroachment into the personal liberty of Americans is everybody's concern and I look forward to seeing what position the HRC or the NGLFT will take.

UPDATE: From the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force: "Today's decision is the direct result of President Bush being allowed to put Samuel Alito and John Roberts - ultraconservatives committed to elevating ideology over the health and safety of women - on the Supreme Court. With this decision, a majority of our nation's highest court permitted itself to be a tool of the anti-choice movement instead of preserving a woman's constitutionally protected right to make childbearing choices in consultation with family members and medical care providers. This is a sad day for America and our constitution." - Matt Foreman, Executive Director.
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