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The public is nearly evenly split on abortion in general, polls show, but the vast majority of Americans back some restrictions on it. Surveys have found that more than 60 percent favor banning the procedure outlawed in Wednesday's ruling. That makes the ban an exceedingly difficult political proposition even for Democrats who are strong champions of abortion rights.

"It's a Democratic Congress, but it's not a pro-choice Congress," NOW's Gandy said, adding that it was unlikely that lawmakers would step in to try to reverse the ban or take other action to beat back additional abortion curbs.

Instead, liberal activists said the decision demonstrated the importance of putting Democrats in the White House and in Congress, where they would be positioned to name and confirm Supreme Court justices who support abortion rights.

"The reaction to this decision could help educate many Americans who, quite frankly, have grown complacent about a constitutional right to reproductive health," said Ralph Neas of People for the American Way.

...Stone said the banned procedure is performed only a few times in Washington state each year, but "if you were the woman who needed the procedure, even if there's only one of you, it would matter."

She also wanted to emphasize that "the sky has not fallen today. Women can still get abortions" and there are other medical procedures that can be used to end a late-stage pregnancy....

"Obviously, we applaud the Supreme Court's decision on the ban," said Dan Kennedy, chief executive for the Washington state affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee. "I think people in this nation are beginning to see through the lie that brutally taking the life of another being while devastating women in the process can even remotely be considered health care."

He called it "the first step in dismantling the charade of Roe v. Wade."