JUDY WOODRUFF:
At issue in today's ruling was the federal law banning a controversial medical procedure often referred to as partial-birth abortion. Congress approved the ban, and President Bush signed it into law in 2003, only to have lower courts in California, Nebraska and New York determine it was unconstitutional.
Today, the Supreme Court weighed in, with a majority of five justices, led by Anthony Kennedy, stating that the ban on the procedure, which doctors call intact dilation and extraction, did not create an undue burden on a woman's right to an abortion.
Joining us to discuss the decision and its implications is NewsHour regular Marcia Coyle of the National Law Journal. Marcia, it's good to have you with us.
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