According to the poll, 54 percent of adults say that abortion should be legal either always or most of the time, while a combined 44 percent said it should be illegal – either with or without exceptions.

That’s the first time since this poll question was first asked in 2003 that a majority maintained that abortion should be legal. Previously (with just one exception in 2008), majorities said abortion should be illegal.

In addition, a whopping 70 percent of Americans oppose the Roe v. Wade decision being overturned, including 57 percent who feel strongly about this.

There are many excellent pieces of writing reflecting on Roe to be found around the interwebz but here are a few I came across today:

Roe v. Wade at 40: Then and Now (Joanne Bamberger, The Broad Side)

5 Things You Don’t Know About Roe (Irin Carmon, Salon.com)

The People’s Choice (Jeffrey Toobin, The New Yorker)

Interactive: The Geography of Abortion Access (The Daily Beast)

Crow After Roe: How Women’s Health is the New “Separate But Equal” & How to Change That (Book excerpt, Robin Marty and Jessica Pieklo)

Roe at 40: Judging a Mother’s Choice (NYT’s The MotherLode) but then be sure to read

Reproductive Justice for All Daughters (Veronica Arreola at Fly Over Feminism)

Roe v. Wade. Forty Years. (Echidne of the Snakes)

Posts from young feminists (h/t to Sam Meier):

“What Was Life Like Before Roe v. Wade?”

“Whatever Happened to Jane Roe?”

“What is Roe v. Wade? Many Millennials Have No Clue”

And

The Women’s Media Center’s Media Guide to Covering Reproductive Issues

Nine. I love that answer.

But we can do better and we should. The U.S. House of Representatives is the most diverse ever, in part because the Democratic Caucus is, for the first time ever, is more than 50% women and minorities.

Why does this matter? Some people can’t help but ask that question. Read this article from National Journal about the insane difficulty reauthorization of VAWA (Violence Against Women Act) is experiencing and note in particular:

The 113th Congress, which gets sworn in today, will be the most diverse in our nation’s history. It will include 19 new people of color, the first Hindu representative and the first Buddhist senator, the first openly gay congressman of color, the first openly bisexual congresswoman, the first openly gay senator, and more female members than ever before. It still doesn’t come close to accurately representing the country it will govern. But it’s better than what we had before—and where the 112th Congress failed, the 113th very well may succeed.

The women in the clip above also address the question of why it matters. Honestly, though? I’m tempted to just say, “Because.”

So rather than watch the tick-tock around the swing states of Virginia, Ohio and Florida, I’m following the record number of women who are running for office this year. If you are not familiar with that statistic, check out the 2012 Project (which has corralled women to run in this first post-redistricting election, a time when the increase in open seats also increases the chance of women winning those seats).

Where might this history be made? In New Hampshire. Its situation reminds me of the 2010 Diane Sawyer discussion with United States Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sandra Day O’Connor. During the conversation, Sawyer asked Ginsburg, how many women would be enough women on the bench.

“Nine,” Ginsburg replied with a smile. “There’ve been nine men there for a long time, right? So why not nine women?”

Something approximating Ginsburg’s prophecy has come true this election eve in the Granite State because its voters elected the first all-female congressional delegation.

So awesome – New Hampshire did indeed become the first state to have an all-female congressional delegation, with a female governor to boot. So coveting them.

Ohio – you’re next. No, really. I told Henry Gomez, so you know it’s going to happen.

Women currently hold 73 House seats and 17 Senate seats and make up 17 percent of the US Congress. In this election, there are a record 163 women nominees for House and 18 for Senate. The 2012 Project’s campaign to hit “20 Percent in 2012″ requires women to hit 87 House seats and 20 Senate seats after Election Day.

To make the most educated guess, consult the 2012 Election Tracker. Predict how many women you think will win on Nov. 6th and be eligible to win fabulous prizes!!!

First prize: $250 Gift Card

Second prize: a Nespresso coffee machine from Nestlé

Third prize: Swag Bag from Lifetime Television

Contest deadline is Friday, November 2nd at 5:00 p.m. EST.

If you are into fantasy football, this might be for you. It is not as easy as it looks. You might also check out Real Clear Politics and FiveThirtyEight for an assist. Not sure if I’ll give it a try – need sometime to brew over it. What does your gut say – can we break the record?

This wonderful photo gallery is from USA Today (attribution for the image below of US congressional women as well) and you can read about ladies’ night from The Atlantic here.  What did you think?

There’s been a lot of talk this Presidential campaign season about women’s issues. And much of the talking is being done by supporters of President Obama, who say the GOP — with its platform opposing abortion — is against women. Republican women, of course, take issue with that. A sluggish economy , which they pin on the president, is a bigger concern, they say. Defining and debating women’s issues and women’s votes, Thursday at 9:00 on The Sound of Ideas. Join Mike McIntyre for the discussion.

Connie Schultz, journalist
Charlotte Hays, director of cultural programs, Independent Women’s Forum
Justin S.Vaughn, assistant professor of political science, Boise State University

Mike McIntyre – have fun!! (No – really!)

Sally Ride, First American Woman in Space, Dies at 61 by my friend and BlogHer colleague, Prof. Kim Pearson

Sally Ride Science – this site was hard to get to yesterday after her death was announced – I hope the traffic continues

Remembering Sally Ride from the White House with videos

Pioneering NASA Astronaut Sally Ride Dies At Age 61 from TechCrunch

RIP Sally Ride by another woman in the space industry

Sadly, there’s also some incredibly nasty, obnoxious stuff being put out there – pure linkbait – so I won’t link to it, but sheesh, give it a rest, people.