
The 40th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion fell on Jan. 22, 2013, and March for Life, an annual anti-abortion rally in Washington, D.C., was held three days later. Debate over this hot-button issue is as intense as ever, yet it’s unclear that either opponents or supporters of abortion rights are winning.
2012 surveys show that a slight majority of Americans consistently want to keep abortion legal in most or all cases, while about 40 percent would like to see abortion outlawed in most or all cases. According to research from the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, a somewhat larger majority consistently supports the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion. Moreover, white evangelical Protestants are the only major religious group in which a majority – 54 percent – favors completely overturning the Roe v. Wade decision.
During the 2012 presidential campaign, rhetoric by some Republican candidates about abortion and rape was seen as so over the top that GOP leaders – including presidential nominee Mitt Romney – distanced themselves from the remarks and even declared they would not seek to overturn the Roe ruling. On the other hand, pregnancy centers manned largely by Christian opponents of abortion are proliferating, while funding for Planned Parenthood is under attack from many quarters.
Against this variegated backdrop, ReligionLink provides a list of expert sources and organizations and advocacy groups on all sides to help reporters covering this highly charged moral and religious issue.
Developments
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“Roe v. Wade at 40: most oppose overturning abortion decision”
Jan. 16, 2013, analysis of The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life survey on American opinions about abortion and the Roe v. Wade decision. Article includes link to full survey report.
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“Survey: Few religious groups want Roe v. Wade overturned despite belief abortion morally wrong”
Read a CNN story on the Pew findings and the results in various religious groups.
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“NBC/WSJ poll: majority, for first time, want abortion to be legal”
Jan. 21, 2013, NBCNews.com article citing an NBC and Wall Street Journal poll which shows for the first time that the majority of Americans want abortion to be legal. The article includes a link to the full poll results.
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“Pregnancy Centers Gain Influence in Anti-Abortion Arena”
Read a Jan. 4, 2013, New York Times story, “Pregnancy Centers Gain Influence in Anti-Abortion Arena.”
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“Millennial Generation Committed to Availability, Conflicted about Morality of Abortion”
Americans are conflicted about the morality of abortion, but a majority say it should be legal in all or most cases, according to a survey conducted in April and May 2011 by the Public Religion Research Institute.
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“State Laws That Lower Abortions”
Read a Christianity Today story about the surge of abortion-related legislation introduced in states in 2011.
Where things stand
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“White House Begins Effort to Bridge the Divide on Abortion”
In 2009, the White House put together a task force on abortion reduction proposals, an effort that stirred mixed reactions at the time, as this Wall Street Journal story recounts.
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“Abortion” at OpenCongress
An open-source project of the nonprofit Participatory Politics Foundation, tracks bills involving abortion. As with all open-source sites, journalists should verify information found there before using.
- The high court’s two newest members are Justices Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor. Abortion opponents voiced concerns during Kagan’s confirmation process in 2010 that she would prove to be “reliably pro-abortion,” although she had written relatively little on the subject. During Sotomayor’s confirmation hearings in 2009, she said she considers Roe v. Wade to be “settled law,” a phrase used by earlier Republican nominees. Sotomayor said states should not put an undue burden on pregnant women seeking an abortion before a fetus has reached viability, meaning the baby could live on its own.
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Roe v. Wade, 1973
The 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. The page includes links to Supreme Court and Circuit Court cases that have cited Roe v. Wade.
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“New Anti-Abortion Strategy Pays Off”
According to Stateline, the news service of the Pew Center on the States, 2012 brought “a near-record number of anti-abortion laws and provisions” at the state level. See other Stateline articles dealing with abortion, as well.
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“Mississippi ‘Personhood’ Amendment Vote Fails”
Personhood USA was the leading group behind Mississippi’s failed personhood amendment proposal in 2011, a proposal the organization said at the time it hoped to advance in every state. Groups that oppose abortion have not united behind that effort, though. A personhood amendment proposal in Colorado, for example, failed to get the backing of the Catholic Church, the Colorado Eagle Forum or Americans United for Life; voters in that state overwhelmingly rejected the amendment in November 2010.
Overview of religious beliefs regarding abortion
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“Abortion” at Pew Forum
The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life has a resources page with summaries of surveys and other indicators of American views on abortion.
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“Religious Organizations Support Reproductive Choice”
The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, an interfaith coalition of 40 groups, lists official resolutions of religious groups that support the right to abortion.
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“Abortion access”
ReligiousTolerance.org has a listing of statements on abortion from various faith groups and other organizations.
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“What do world religions believe about abortion?”
A chart from Beliefnet.com, “What do world religions believe about abortion?”
Christian resources
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“Abortion – Assemblies of God “
See the Assemblies of God statement against abortion.
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“Southern Baptist Convention Resolutions on Abortion”
The Southern Baptist Convention’s statements on abortion are posted by the website Johnstonsarchive.net.
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“Abortion – U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops”
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops posts numerous resources about the Roman Catholic Church’s stand against abortion.
Jewish resources
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“Jewish Perspectives on Abortion”
A white paper from the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice discusses Jewish perspectives on abortion.
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“When does human personhood begin?”
ReligiousTolerance.org summarizes Jewish beliefs on abortion.
Muslim resources
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“Sanctity of Life: Islamic Teachings on Abortion”
A BBC article on Islam explains that abortion is generally forbidden by the religion, but is acceptable if having the baby will put the mother’s life in danger.
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“Contraception and abortion in Islam”
The website ReligiousConsultation.org, which focuses on reproductive issues, offers this essay on Islamic thoughts on abortion.
Abortion-related ministries
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“Post-Abortion Resources”
The website AfterAbortion.org offers a listing of people and ministries around the country that offer post-abortion counseling. The group behind the site is lobbying both political parties to stop coerced abortions and support post-abortion therapy.
Studies and statistics
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“CDC’s Abortion Surveillance System”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention posts regular “abortion surveillance” abstracts, which document the numbers of legal abortions reported to the federal government. The latest online abstract is for 2009.
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“Abortion” at Guttmacher Institute
An overview on abortion in the United States.
Polls
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“Millennial Generation Committed to Availability, Conflicted about Morality of Abortion”
Americans are conflicted about the morality of abortion, but a majority say it should be legal in all or most cases, according to a survey conducted in April and May 2011 by the Public Religion Research Institute.
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“More Americans “Pro-Life” Than “Pro-Choice” for First Time”
A May 2009 Gallup survey found that most Americans were identifying as pro-life for the first time since it began asking the question in 1995. The development led to speculation about a sea change on abortion after the relative stasis of recent decades.
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“Abortion and Birth Control”
The Web site PollingReport.com has a variety of polls on abortion.
More articles
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“Protracted fight over abortion rights comes due”
Read a Jan. 19, 2013, USA Today story on the anniversary and the state of the debate.
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“Rick Santorum Blames Gay Marriage, Abortion And Porn Ideals On College Indoctrination”
Read a Jan. 18, 2013, Huffington Post story in which former GOP presidential hopeful Rick Santorum described abortion as a symptom of spiritual malaise in America. Santorum said universities are indoctrinating young people to accept abortion, same-sex marriage and other practices and are “promoting a ‘sea of antagonism toward Christianity.'”
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“Pew Survey on Abortion Attitudes Criticized as Misleading”
Read a Jan. 18, 2013, National Catholic Register story about criticism of the Pew Forum survey on attitudes about abortion 40 years after Roe.
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“How State Governments Are Regulating Away Abortion”
Read a Jan. 17, 2013, Businessweek story, “How State Governments Are Regulating Away Abortion.”
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“March for Life’s Jeanne Monahan leads next generation of anti-abortion activists”
Read a Jan. 15, 2013, Religion News Service story about the new leader for the March for Life rally and the next generation of anti-abortion activists.
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“Alabama Supreme Court Rules ‘Plain Meaning of Word Child Includes Unborn’”
Read a Jan. 12, 2013, Christian News Network article about a unanimous ruling by the Alabama Supreme Court concerning a state law that protects children from exposure to illegal drugs. “The plain meaning of the word ‘child’ in the chemical endangerment statute includes unborn children,” the court determined.
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“Mississippi’s Ambiguous ‘Personhood’ Amendment'”
Read “Mississippi’s Ambiguous ‘Personhood’ Amendment,” an Oct. 31, 2011, op-ed in The New York Times that set out some of the problems of biology and the law that Mississippi’s proposed amendment faced.
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“Health, abortion issues split Obama administration and Catholic groups”
Read an Oct. 31, 2011, Washington Post story about the Obama administration’s decision not to renew a grant to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to assist victims of human trafficking. Ongoing disagreements over access to abortion services played a role in the decision.
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“The real abortion battle isn’t on the Hill. It’s in the states.”
Read an Oct. 13,2011, Washington Post blog item about states taking steps to restrict private insurance coverage of abortions.
National sources
Organizations against abortion rights
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American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists
The American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists and its 2,500 members and associates oppose abortion in general. Allan Sawyer serves as president.
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American Life League
The American Life League promotes anti-abortion legislation. Judie Brown is president and co-founder of the organization, which is based in Virginia.
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Americans United for Life
Americans United for Life describes itself as “the first national pro-life organization in America.” Charmaine Yoest is president of the Chicago-based group.
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Concerned Women for America
Concerned Women for America aims “to bring Biblical principles into all levels of public policy.” Issues dealing with sanctity of life are among its core concerns. Penny Young Nance is chief executive officer and president.
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Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission
The Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission describes the 40th anniversary of Roe as “a tragic milestone that should cause us to repent and weep.” Barrett Duke is the commission’s vice president for public policy and research and director of the research institute.
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Feminists for Life of America
Based in Alexandria, Va. Opposes abortion in part through programs that push to expand resources and services for pregnant women on college campuses.
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Medical Students for Life of America
Medical Students for Life of America is an outreach organization of Students for Life of America. Jon Russell is national coordinator for the medical group.
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National Pro-Life Religious Council
The National Pro-Life Religious Council is a Christian coalition. Organizations that have representatives on its board are listed on the website.
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National Right to Life Committee
Jessica Rodgers is a spokeswoman for the National Right to Life Committee in Washington, D.C. Karen Cross is national political director.
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Troy Newman
Troy Newman is president of Operation Rescue. The organization is known for buying and subsequently closing an abortion clinic in Wichita, Kan., and it now uses the building as its headquarters.
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Priests for Life
Priests for Life is one of the largest anti-abortion groups in the country. The Rev. Frank Pavone is the group’s leader.
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Prolife America
Links to groups working to end abortion.
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Susan B. Anthony List
The Susan B. Anthony List is a leading anti-abortion group. The organization and its political action committee work to elect lawmakers who oppose abortion. Marjorie Dannenfelser is president. Contact Mallory Quigley.
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American Center for Law and Justice
The American Center for Law and Justice is a politically conservative, Christian-based legal organization in the United States. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and associated with Regent University School of Law in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
The American Center for Law and Justice is a law firm working to end abortion. Jay Sekulow is chief counsel.
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United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is an organization that works “to unify, coordinate, encourage, promote and carry on Catholic activities in the United States.”
The organization has an Office of Pro-life Activities.
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Family Research Council
The Family Research Council is a Christian organization promoting the traditional family unit and the Judeo-
Christian value system. Press contacts are J.P. Duffy or Alice Chao. The Family Research Council says that thanks to the work of those who oppose abortion, the abortion industry “is going down and everyone knows it.” Tony Perkins is FRC president.
Organizations for abortion rights
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ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project
The ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project believes reproductive freedom is a core civil liberty and works to ensure that everyone has access to reproductive health care. Louise Melling is director. See a list of ACLU offices across the country.
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Association of Reproductive Health Professionals
Posts publications and resources on its Web site, including a list of links. Beth Robbins is media contact.
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Catholics for Choice
Catholics for Choice was founded in 1973 to give a voice to those “who believe that the Catholic tradition supports a woman’s moral and legal right to follow her conscience” on matters of reproductive health.
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Guttmacher Institute
The Guttmache Institute seeks to advance sexual and reproductive health through research, policy analysis and public education. Contact Rebecca Wind.
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Medical Students for Choice
Medical Students for Choice, based in Philadelphia, is a group formed by medical students in 1993 to make sure abortion procedures are taught in medical school.
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NARAL Pro-Choice America
Ilyse Hogue is president of NARAL Pro-Choice America. The nonprofit advocacy group supports “near-universal contraception coverage.” The website lists affiliates around the country.
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Vicki Saporta
Vicki Saporta is executive director of the National Abortion Federation in Washington, D.C., the professional association for abortion providers in North America.
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Debra Ness
Debra Ness is president of the National Partnership for Women and Families, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization in Washington D.C., that works to promote quality health care for women, including access to abortion. Contact communications assistant Cindy Romero.
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Physicians for Reproductive Health
Physicians for Reproductive Health seeks to improve access to reproductive health care, including abortion. Jodi Magee is president and CEO.
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Planned Parenthood Federation of America
Planned Parenthood Federation of America fights against legislation that limits access to abortions. Contact the media office.
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Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice
The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice in Washington, D.C., pushes for more health care options for women, not fewer. It sponsors a National Black Religious Summit on Sexuality each year. Michael Mitchell is director of communications.
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Republicans for Choice
Ann Stone heads Republicans for Choice in Alexandria, Va., which says its aim is to remove politics from the abortion debate.
National experts against abortion rights
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Teresa S. Collett
A law professor at the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis, where she is described as a “passionate advocate for the protection of human life and the family.” She has assisted attorneys general in several states in defending laws restricting abortions.
National experts for abortion rights
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Caitlin E. Borgmann
Caitlin E. Borgmann is an associate professor at City University of New York School of Law and editor of the Reproductive Rights Prof Blog, which posts news about abortion and other reproductive rights issues. Borgmann has testified before several state legislatures about reproductive rights.
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Dr. Susan Wicklund
Co-author of This Common Secret: My Journey as an Abortion Doctor (2007). Contact through the book’s publisher, Public Affairs.
Other national experts
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David E. Joseph
David E. Joseph is senior vice president of operations at the Public Conversations Project, where he has facilitated dialogues between people and groups on opposing sides of the abortion debate.
Legal resources
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Supreme Court of the United States
The official website of the Supreme Court of the United States posts background information about the court, as well as court decisions and arguments.
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United States courts
The website of the federal judiciary — which includes the U.S. Court of Appeals, district courts and bankruptcy courts — posts court records, judicial statistics and information on judges. Contact through the website.
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FindLaw.com
FindLaw.com post links to case law and texts. Contact through the website.
Regional sources
In the Northeast
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George Annas
George Annas is professor and chairman of the health law department at the Boston University School of Public Health and an expert on abortion policy, embryo research, stem cells and end-of-life research.
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Jack M. Balkin
Jack M. Balkin is a constitutional law professor at Yale Law School and an expert on abortion policy and the First Amendment.
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Jonathan E. Brockopp
Jonathan E. Brockopp is associate professor of history and religious studies at Pennsylvania State University. He edited the book Islamic Ethics of Life: Abortion, War and Euthanasia, and he wrote an article on Shariah for the Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World.
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Susan Carroll
Susan Carroll is senior scholar at Rutgers University’s Eagleton Institute of Politics at the Center for American Women and Politics in New Brunswick, N.J. and is also a professor of political science and women’s and gender studies. She is an expert on abortion politics.
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Michele Dillon
Michele Dillon is associate professor of sociology at the University of New Hampshire in Durham. She wrote “The American Abortion Debate: Culture War or Normal Discourse?” for the book The American Culture Wars: Current Contests and Future Prospects (University of Virginia Press, 1996). She is the author of Catholic Identity: Balancing Reason, Faith and Power.
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Richard Fallon
Constitutional law professor at Harvard. His article “If ‘Roe’ Were Overruled: Abortion and the Constitution in a Post-Roe World” appeared in the St. Louis University Law Journal (2007).
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Faye Ginsburg
Faye Ginsburg is professor of anthropology at New York University. She wrote the book Contested Lives: The Abortion Debate in an American Community (University of California Press, 1998).
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Judith Hauptman
Judith Hauptman is professor of Talmud and Rabbinic culture at Jewish Theological Seminary of America in New York. She wrote the article “Abortion: Where We Stand” for the journal United Synagogue Review.
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Harvey Kornberg
Harvey Kornberg is associate professor of political science at Rider University in Lawrenceville, N.J. He has expertise in abortion politics.
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Phillip Levine
Phillip Levine is the Katharine Coman and A. Barton Hepburn Professor of Economics at Wellesley College in Massachusetts. He wrote Sex and Consequences: Abortion, Public Policy, and the Economics of Fertility (Princeton University Press, 2004).
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Marian Lief Palley
Marian Lief Palley is a professor emerita of political science and international relations at the University of Delaware in Newark and an expert on abortion politics.
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Rita Simon
Rita Simon is university professor emerita of justice, law and society for the School of Public Affairs at American University in Washington, D.C. She wrote the book Abortion: Statutes, Policies and Public Attitudes the World Over (Praeger Publishers, 1998).
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Laurence H. Tribe
Laurence H. Tribe is the Carl M. Loeb University Professor of Constitutional Law at Harvard University. Tribe’s areas of expertise include abortion and church-state issues. He wrote the book Abortion: The Clash of Absolutes.
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James Trussell
James Trussell is a professor of economics and public affairs and faculty associate with the Office of Population Research at Princeton University in New Jersey. He has an expertise in abortion and advocates making emergency contraception widely available as a means of reducing unintended pregnancies and runs a website on the topic.
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Clyde Wilcox
Clyde Wilcox is professor of government at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. He specializes in electoral behavior and public opinion and can comment on the Catholic vote, abortion, gun control, gay rights, church-state issues and other issues involving religion and politics. He wrote “Abortion, Gay Rights and Church-State Issues in the 2000 Campaign” for the book Religion and Liberal Democracy: Piety, Politics and Pluralism and he is the co-author of The Values Campaign? The Christian Right and the 2004 Elections.
In the South
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Alan Abramowitz
Alan Abramowitz is a professor of political science at Emory University in Atlanta and an expert on abortion politics.
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Robert M. Baird
Robert M. Baird is a professor and chairman of the philosophy department at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. He co-edited the books Same-Sex Marriage: The Moral and Legal Debate, Caring for the Dying: Critical Issues at the Edge of Life, and The Ethics of Abortion: Pro-Life Vs. Pro-Choice.
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Francis J. Beckwith
Francis J. Beckwith is professor of philosophy and church-state studies at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. He writes and comments widely in defense of traditional Christianity. He also wrote Defending Life: A Moral and Legal Case Against Abortion Choice.
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Simone M. Caron
Simone M. Caron is chair of the history department at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C. She has studied the history of abortion.
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Neal Devins
Neal Devins is a professor of law at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va. He is an expert on abortion law.
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Stanley M. Hauerwas
Stanley M. Hauerwas is Gilbert T. Rowe Professor Emeritus of Divinity and Law at Duke Divinity School in Durham, N.C. He wrote “Why Abortion Is a Religious Issue” for the book The Church and Abortion: In Search of New Ground for Response.
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Donald P. Judges
Donald P. Judges is associate dean of graduate programs and experiential learning and a professor of law at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. He is an expert on the conflict over abortion rights.
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Nancy Maveety
Nancy Maveety is an associate professor of political science at Tulane University in New Orleans. She specializes in women’s issues.
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Abdulaziz A. Sachedina
Abdulaziz A. Sachedina is a coordinator of the Islamic bioethics group of the International Association of Bioethics and is a professor of Islamic studies at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. He contributed the entry on bioethics for The Oxford Dictionary of Islam.
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Christopher Tollefsen
Associate professor of philosophy at the University of South Carolina and co-author of the 2008 book Embryo: A Defense of Human Life.
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Kevin Wildes
The Rev. Kevin Wildes is president of Loyola University New Orleans. He wrote “The Sanctity of Human Life: Secular Moral Authority, Biomedicine and the Role of the State” for the book Sanctity of Life and Human Dignity.
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J. Matthew Wilson
J. Matthew Wilson is an associate professor of political science at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. His interests include religion and politics, and voting behavior of religious voters.
In the Midwest
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Richard Duncan
Richard Duncan is a law professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and an expert on abortion law.
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Timothy R. Johnson
Timothy R. Johnson is assistant professor of political science at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis-St. Paul. He wrote the entry on Roe v. Wade for the Encyclopedia of American Religion and Politics (Facts on File, 2003).
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Ellen S. Lazarus
Professor at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, and an expert in medical ethics and education and abortion politics.
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Daniel C. Maguire
Daniel C. Maguire is a theology professor at Marquette University in Milwaukee and editor of Sacred Rights: The Case for Contraception and Abortion in World Religions. He is also president of the Religious Consultation on Population, Reproductive Health and Ethics, a multifaith organization of religious scholars interested in reproductive health and other issues.
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Charles E. Rice
Charles E. Rice is professor emeritus at the University of Notre Dame law school in Indiana. He wrote the article “Abortion, Euthanasia and the Need to Build a New Culture of Life” for the Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics & Public Policy (1999).
In the West
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Ted G. Jelen
Ted G. Jelen is a professor of political science at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He has followed religion and politics, including the participation of the Catholic Church and the role abortion politics plays. He co-edited the books Abortion Politics in the United States: Studies in Public Opinion and The One, the Few and the Many: Religion and Politics in Comparative Perspective. He also co-wrote the book Between Two Absolutes: Public Opinion and the Politics of Abortion.
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Deborah R. McFarlane
Deborah R. McFarlane is a professor in the department of political science at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. She co-wrote the book The Politics of Fertility Control.
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James C. Mohr
James C. Mohr is a history professor at the University of Oregon in Eugene. He is a nationally recognized expert on the abortion issue and author of Abortion in America: The Origins and Evolution of National Policy (Oxford University Press, 1979). He writes that the abortion debate has become a symbolic focal point for a variety of social issues. As a result, abortion politics now has an influence in Congress, the federal judiciary and American foreign policy.
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Barbara Norrander
Barbara Norrander is a political science professor at the University of Arizona in Tucson. She co-wrote the entry “Public Opinion and Policymaking in the States: The Case of Post-Roe Abortion Policy” for the book The Public Clash of Private Values: The Politics of Morality Policy (CQ Press, 1999).
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Melody Rose
Melody Rose is the Vice Provost for Academic Programs and Instruction at Portland State University. She is also the founder of The Center for Women, Politics & Policy and the founder and director of the National Education for Women’s Leadership Oregon, and she is the author of Abortion: A Documentary and Reference Guide (2008) and Safe, Legal and Unavailable?: Abortion Politics in the United States.
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John E. Seery
John E. Seery is a professor of politics at Pomona College in California. He is an expert on abortion politics and wrote the article “Moral Perfectionism and Abortion Politics” for the journal Polity (2001).
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Robert Spitzer
The Rev. Robert Spitzer is president of the Michigan-based Spitzer Center, which provides resources for businesses and educational institutions of the Catholic faith.