He's Still Going to Repeal the Global Gag Rule, Right?
The thirty-sixth anniversary of Roe came and went with no word from the White House repealing the global gag rule, frustrating the hopes of many women's health advocates.  Does this mean President Obama won't take swift action on the gag rule?  He will do so "soon," reports Laura Meckler in the Wall Street Journal.  But not, as tradition dictates, on the Roe anniversary.  According to Meckler, Obama is pursuing a strategy of "defusing emotional political debates: "President Obama was breaking with the tradition set by his recent predecessors to make an abortion-related order on the anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling, another example of his attempt to support liberal policies he believes in while trying to defuse emotional political debates."  Obama's statement in honor of the Roe anniversary acknowledged the importance of the decision while staking out a common ground:

"While this is a sensitive and often divisive issue, no matter what our views, we are united in our determination to prevent unintended pregnancies, reduce the need for abortion, and support women and families in the choices they make," the president said in a statement. "To accomplish these goals, we must work to find common ground to expand access to affordable contraception, accurate health information, and preventative services," he said.

More on Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand's Record

Reports suggest Gov. David Paterson will announce Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand as replacement for Sen. Hillary Clinton at noon today. On TAPPED, Dana Goldstein has more on Rep. Gillibrand's record, raising some red flags on her position on civil rights issues, particularly LGBT rights.

Anti-Choice Members of Congress Speak On Roe Anniversary
Decrying the Freedom of Choice Act and the work of Planned Parenthood and , anti-choice members of Congress took the floor yesterday to voice opposition to legal abortion, reports LifeSiteNews.com:

A series of speeches in the US Congress marked the legalisation of abortion in the US by the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision of 1973. A group of pro-life representatives urged President Obama to pursue pro-life policies, such as retaining the Mexico City Policy that restricts funding for international organisations that promote abortion overseas. They also denounced the new president’s stated intention to sign the Freedom of Choice Act that would lift all state restrictions on abortion in the country.

"Thousands" Gather at the March for Life
Commemorating the Roe anniversary, thousands of anti-choicers marched in DC against abortion rights, reports the Los Angeles Times.  The LA Times writes that youth made up a significant percentage of the crowd, and President Obama, who was invited to speak, instead issued a statement supporting women's right to legal abortion.

Abortion Can Be A Moral Choice

Rev. Elizabeth Dilley writes thoughtfully in the Des Moines Register:

Women do not have abortions without careful deliberation with their hearts, heads and souls. Long before a woman makes an appointment at a clinic, she has weighed the costs of pregnancy - to her body, spirit, and livelihood - against the benefits of parenting. She has taken into account the attitudes of her partner, family and community. She has discerned what her faith says (if she is part of a religious community) about abortion, adoption and parenthood.Still, our culture continues to deny these realities. Politicians allege that women choose abortion casually or as a "birth-control method." Society believes it must protect women against any possible future regrets. Few public religious leaders argue that women are competent, thoughtful and capable moral agents, fit to make this decision without governmental interference.

Anti-Choice Movement Down But Not Out