Supreme Court Backtracks on Abortion Rights

WASHINGTON - Elated and emboldened, antiabortion activists in state after state are planning to push for stringent new limits on second- and third-trimester abortions in the hope of building on their victory Wednesday in the Supreme Court.By a 5-4 vote, the justices upheld a federal ban on a procedure that critics call "partial-birth" abortion, which involves partially delivering the fetus, then crushing its skull. The ruling included strong language that asserted the state's "legitimate, substantial interest in preserving and promoting fetal life."