Anti-abortion Groups Split by Late-Term Ban

The recent Supreme Court ruling against partial-birth abortions has ignited a battle among anti-abortion groups, the Washington Post reports. The bickering highlights a divide between groups working for a wholesale ban and those seeking limits. In newspaper ads, a religious coalition ripped the ruling as "wicked" and slammed longtime ally James Dobson of Focus on the Family for praising the decision.

But Focus vice president Tom Minnery said his group and others are "sophisticated enough to know we're not going to win total victory all at once." The April 18 ruling upheld the federal Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act against a procedure in which a fetus is partially delivered during an abortion.