Partial-birth abortion on trial.

In the spring of 2004, tens of thousands of people came to Washington, D.C., for a so-called “March for Women’s Lives.” Organizers explained that their purpose was to protest the new threats to “choice,” chief among them, the ban on partial-birth abortion. Hollywood celebrities like Whoopi Goldberg were on the roster, as were a long list of “Honorary Congressional Co-Sponsors” such as Barney Frank and Barbara Boxer. Senator John Kerry aired a special campaign commercial that week promising to defend “the right to choose” and even hosted a “pro-choice” rally before the march. As the preparations to defend “choice” reached a crescendo in Washington, court reporters in federal courtrooms across the country were quietly recording testimony about what that bloodless word really entails.