I am both elated and proud to have taken a case to the United States Supreme Court that reaffirms a woman's right to choose abortion. Today's victory is more than a victory for me, Lee Carhart. It is more than a victory for abortion providers. It is more than a victory for the millions of Americans who are pro-choice. This is a victory for all Americans who believe that the government must not be allowed to meddle in private medical decisions best left to women, their families and their doctors.

I believe that by pursuing justice, I have had the opportunity to expose the lies anti-choice politicians and extremist organizations have devised to hurt women's health, overturn the right to choose, and to criminalize doctors who provide the finest possible medical care to their patients. With this verdict, I and the pro-choice movement can, with the backing of the highest court in our nation, begin to undo the damage these lies and deceptions have cost us, with lawmakers, members of the media, and the public.

The Court agreed today that Nebraska's ban in not about "late" abortion, nor is it limited to any particular procedure. Medical groups, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, have long contended that the ban could apply to all stages of pregnancy. The Court has acknowledged we are right by accepting our argument that the bans are nothing but deceptive attempts to overturn the right to choose to have a safe and legal abortion.

I challenged Nebraska's ban because it violates the Constitution. It threatens the health of women. And it is an affront to fundamental American principles. It is wrong for the government to intervene in the personal and private decisions of families to support a political agenda. It is wrong for politicians to use the lives of women to gain an electoral office. We as a society cannot afford to slip back to the days when women were sacrificed by illegal abortion. I saw the human toll of that inhumane policy and I assure you we do not want to return to that terrible time.

I am proud to be an American with the right to seek justice in the highest court in the land. I am proud to have served my country as a member of the Air Force for most of my adult life. I am proud that I have provided my patients with the best medical care available in this country. And I am proud that my name will be forever associated with a case that confirmed women's health and lives cannot be sacrificed to an anti-choice political agenda.

I thank my wife, Mary, my son and daughter, my terrific clinic staff and the medical and pro-choice communities for standing by me through the years of fighting to provide abortion services in Nebraska. Without this support, I would have remained a lone voice in Nebraska.

Today's Supreme Court victory makes me feel that the price we've paid in terms of harassment, personal loss, and legal and financial difficulties has been worth it. Doing this work has taken enormous tolls on us, but standing up and fighting back is the only way I know how to rid the world of the scourge of anti-choice extremists, including government officials who are willing to lie, deceive and abuse their power to drive abortion out of existence.

This victory would not have been possible without my attorneys and the staff at the Center for Reproductive Rights, who have provided me with both the best legal representation possible, as well as the confidence that we would prevail. I thank them for their commitment to justice.

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