What Does DOMA Supreme Court Ruling Means for Roe v. Wade?

In the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s decisions last week regarding same-sex marriage, there were those that said the Defense of Marriage Act rebuke was the new Roe v. Wade. The argument being that moral questions can’t be ruled invalid and states should be allowed to make these decisions on their own; a notion that could threaten how Roe v. Wade dictates abortion policy.

In an interview that appeared on Meet the Press Sunday, outspoken abortion rights advocate and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi told host David Gregory that she agreed with his suggestion that the DOMA decision could have ramifications for abortion policy. Washington Examiner reports on Pelosi's remarks to NBC:

“As you look at it, here’s the Supreme Court bringing back to the states power over big issues – like gay marriage,” Gregory had asked. “Do you see what’s happening in the states as – a p– the potential – laying the groundwork for the potential to undermine abortion rights? And might the Supreme Court even take that up again? Do you feel that pressure?”

Gregory then asked her to comment on the number of states moving to ban abortion five months into a pregnancy.

“I think we’re at a place where– a woman’s– health is danger– because of whether this family planning or contraception or any issues that relate to women’s health, there’s an assault on that in the Congress on the ongoing and in other parts of the country,” she replied. “So we have to be ever vigilant and– and fight for this. This is– again this is about respect for women, the judgments that women make and their doctors about their reproductive health. It’s an important part of who women are, their reproductive health.”

In an op-ed for The Los Angeles Times on the recent Supreme Court rulings, former National Organization for Marriage president Maggie Gallagher argued that like abortion opponents after Roe V. Wade, the recent same-sex marriage ruling will only galvanize supporters of traditional marriage. 

On 'Real News' Monday the panel led off discussing how this landmark decision on same-sex marriage could mirror or deviate from Roe v. Wade and what that decision meant for the politics of abortion.

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