Abortion test goes to the foes

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Abortion rights forces lost their first test of the new Congress on Tuesday, a skirmish over the rights of violent protesters in bankruptcy court, in a vote that reflected last fall's election results and portended fiercer battles ahead.
"Clearly, with the freshman class that came in this year you gained a number of pro-life votes," said Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, one of seven conservative Republicans who won their seats last fall.
"I think the culture of the Senate has changed on that issue to the right."
Douglas Johnson of the National Right to Life Committee placed the shift at three seats.
Democrats and their allies, girding for a possible Supreme Court nomination fight later this year, disagreed only with the estimated size of the shift.
"We're seeing a net gain of two anti-choice votes in the Senate, for a split of 51-49," said Vicki Saporta, president of the National Abortion Federation.
"Both houses have an anti-choice majority. You have an anti-choice White House," she said.
"So it's very difficult for us to be able to prevail on issues pertaining to upholding a woman's right to choose."
Lawmakers on both sides of the issue cautioned against reading too much into Tuesday's 53-46 vote on which the Senate said it would not deny violent protesters the chance to use bankruptcy proceedings to avoid payment of court fines or penalties.
Democrats had tried to attach the amendment to a major bankruptcy measure.
GOP leaders were able to minimize defections by stressing an overriding goal of clearing bankruptcy legislation that can win swift passage in the House, where abortion opposition is stronger than in the Senate.