
Two pending developments are contributing to an escalation of the nation’s long-standing debate over legalized abortion: health care reform and the anticipated release of proposals, developed by a White House task force, aimed at reducing abortion.
A large-scale survey from the Pew Forum released Thursday, Oct, 1, 2009, shows that opposition to legal abortion is growing. The surveys shows that the country is almost evenly divided between those who tend to support abortion rights (47 percent) and those who express opposition (44 percent) to abortion rights.The poll also shows that positions on either pole seem to be hardening.Health care reform and the abortion reduction task force are just two of the factors contributing to this volatile debate.
The election of Barack Obama in 2008, who supports abortion rights, after eight years of the presidency of George W. Bush, who opposed abortion rights, has also galvanized the pro-life movement. Added to this dynamic are the shooting death in May of George R. Tiller, a Kansas doctor who provided rare late-term abortions, and Obama’s nomination (and the subsequent Senate confirmation) of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court.
Opponents of abortion argue that current proposals will effectively pay for abortions with taxpayer dollars by requiring insurance plans to pay for them or subsidizing plans that pay for them.
Governors and legislatures are cutting funds for Planned Parenthood in some cases or are trying to pass laws that, for example, would require abortion providers to show women an ultrasound of the fetus or listen to a fetal heartbeat.
In November 2011, voters in Mississippi defeated a “personhood amendment” that would have defined a person as existing from the moment of the fertilization of an egg. The vote showed how the battle over abortion rights is increasingly taking place in the states.
Many abortion opponents backed the personhood amendment because they believed passage of Proposition 26 would have effectively ended legalized abortion by making destruction of an embryo at any stage and for any reason illegal.
This edition of ReligionLink provides resources to help reporters navigate the volatile issues at stake.
What's new
The change in public opinion plus the shifting political landscape have forced abortion-rights groups to be far more active than they had expected in advancing their agenda and defending previous gains. Congress continues to work on health reform, and abortion funding is becoming an increasingly critical part of the debate.
The Pew Forum survey on abortion tracks attitudes going back several years and finds a distinct uptick in opposition to abortion rights since the inauguration of President Obama.
More than 1,100 clergy and religious professionals have signed an open letter “affirming abortion as a morally justifiable decision.” The letter was organized under the auspices of the Religious Institute, a leading interfaith organization promoting sexual and reproductive rights. The president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York, sent a letter to all members of Congress on Jan. 14, 2011, outlining the hierarchy’s legislative priorities.
Opposition to abortion tops the list. Dolan led a group of religious leaders in New York City in decrying the city’s 41 percent abortion rate, as this CBS/Associated Press story explains. The religious leaders called for pragmatic steps to make abortion “rare.” The White House task force on abortion reduction proposals holds promise in the view of some, while others are skeptical, as this May 7, 2009, Wall Street Journal story recounts.
The movement to pass so-called “personhood” amendments that would define an embryo as a person from the moment of conception and — organizers hope — effectively overturn abortion laws is gaining steam.
President Obama appointed Regina M. Benjamin, a Catholic who attended a Catholic elementary school in her hometown of Daphne, Ala., as surgeon general. There is speculation about how her beliefs might affect her policy stances on issues like abortion and contraception.
Divisions over access to abortion played a role in the Obama administration’s decision not to renew a grant to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to help victims of human trafficking.
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. A study published in March 2011 found that abortions declined in states that enacted laws dealing with parental notification, informed consent or Medicaid funding of the procedure.
Death of Dr. Tiller
Dr. George R. Tiller, who provided rare late-term abortions in Wichita, Kan., was shot to death in May in the foyer of his church as he handed out church bulletins. His death was considered a setback for both advocates and opponents of abortion rights.
Abortion opponents saw a parallel to the Tiller slaying in the Sept. 11, 2009, shooting death of a sidewalk abortion protester in Michigan, James Pouillon. The motive for the Pouillon killing was not clear, and the suspect in the case, Harlan Drake of Owosso, killed another man that morning and planned a third shooting, both apparently unrelated to abortion. But some abortion opponents focused on Pouillon’s death as an example of violence against abortion protesters.
Georgia approved the country’s first law allowing human embryos to be adopted the same way a baby can be adopted. Opponents say the measure is a backdoor attempt to grant legal rights to embryos.
Mississippi voters decided against adopting a personhood amendment to the state constitution.
Abortion foes in Florida, South Dakota and Ohio are reportedly preparing similar measures for consideration in those states in 2012.
A flood of abortion-related legislation has been introduced in state legislatures in 2011. Among other things, a number of states are seeking to limit private insurance coverage of abortions. In October 2011, the U.S. House passed the Protect Life Act, 251-172, a move praised by abortion opponents, including the Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The measure aims to protect conscience rights of health-care workers and apply long-standing federal policies on abortion funding and was introduced in response to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act passed by Congress in 2010.
Legislation at the State level
Georgia approved the country’s first law allowing human embryos to be adopted the same way a baby can be adopted. Opponents say the measure is a backdoor attempt to grant legal rights to embryos.
Mississippi voters decided against adopting a personhood amendment to the state constitution.
Abortion foes in Florida, South Dakota and Ohio are reportedly preparing similar measures for consideration in those states in 2012.
A flood of abortion-related legislation has been introduced in state legislatures in 2011. Among other things, a number of states are seeking to limit private insurance coverage of abortions. In October 2011, the U.S. House passed the Protect Life Act, 251-172, a move praised by abortion opponents, including the Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The measure aims to protect conscience rights of health-care workers and apply long-standing federal policies on abortion funding and was introduced in response to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act passed by Congress in 2010.
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“Abortion Fight Complicates Debate on Health Care”
A Sept. 28, 2009 story in The New York Times.
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“Pro-life Efforts to Watch in 2011”
Read a Dec. 30, 2010, post at Christianity Today‘s politics blog.
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“Tests of ‘Roe’ more frequent since justices upheld late-term abortion ban in ’07”
Read a Dec. 28, 2010, Washington Post story about the Supreme Court and abortion.
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“Judge rejects Personhood petition; ruling to be appealed”
A Jan. 8, 2010, Las Vegas Review-Journal story about a judge’s rejection of a personhood petition in Nevada says similar efforts are under way in 30 states, though they have yet to pass.
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“Support for Abortion Slips”
Poll results for many other insights into the public’s views.
Controversies
Abortion rights and health care are rarely far from the headlines, but they are especially hot topics given the furor over the decision — later rescinded — by the Susan G. Komen foundation to end most of its grants to Planned Parenthood.
The Komen foundation, a leading advocacy and fundraising organization for breast cancer awareness and prevention, had sent hundreds of thousands of dollars to Planned Parenthood for breast cancer screening services.
But because Planned Parenthood provides abortions at its clinics along with other health services for women, some religious and political groups were upset that the foundation would be linked to a group that also provides abortions.
Others argued the connection was too tenuous to justify ending grants to help prevent and detect breast cancer.
The Komen foundation said it was suspending the partnership with Planned Parenthood because Planned Parenthood is under investigation in Congress over some of its practices. On Feb. 3, 2012, it announced a change of heart.
But the controversy is unlikely to end.
In another notable development, the Virginia Senate passed a bill that would require women to have an ultrasound before an abortion, the latest in a series of similar bills and laws that have been winning approval in state legislatures around the country.
The Virginia bill is expected to pass the state’s lower chamber in the next few weeks, and Gov. Robert F. McDonnell has said he would sign it into law.
These bills have the potential to alter access to abortion for many women, just as efforts to defund Planned Parenthood could limit the number of clinics.
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“After Komen, the Next Big Planned Parenthood Fight”
Read a Feb. 1, 2012, story in Christianity Today about future plans by abortion opponents.
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“Komen’s Planned Parenthood decision prompts tentative pro-life praise”
Read a Feb. 2, 2012, Catholic News Agency article about two prominent abortion opponents offering only tentative praise of the Komen foundation for its decision.
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“Pink Stink: Komen Drops Planned Parenthood Support”
Read a Jan. 31, 2012, story at Christianity Today about a decision by LifeWay Christian Resources to halt sales of its breast cancer awareness Bible because some proceeds from the Bible sales were to be donated to Komen.
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Komen foundation cuts funding to Planned Parenthood
Read a Feb. 1, 2012, story by the Jewish news service JTA that includes reaction from the National Council of Jewish Women; the organization accused the Komen foundation of caving to political pressure.
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“Pro-Life Advance and Setback as Va. Focuses on Abortion”
Read a Feb. 3, 2012, story at Christianity Today about the Virginia legislation.
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Uproar as Breast Cancer Group Ends Partnership With Planned Parenthood
Read a Feb. 1, 2012, New York Times story on the Susan G. Komen-Planned Parenthood controversy.
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“Virginia Senate passes bill requiring women to undergo ultrasound before abortion”
Read a Feb. 1, 2012, story in The Washington Post about the Virginia ultrasound bill.
In the Supreme Court
The high court’s two newest members are Justices Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor. Abortion opponents voiced concerns during Kagan’s confirmation process last year 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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“A History of Key Abortion Rulings of the U.S. Supreme Court”
The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life published a report on key U.S. Supreme Court rulings on abortion.
In Congress
Twenty-eight bills involving abortion were in Congress in 2011. Among other things, the bills condemn Tiller’s death, call for research and services for women with post-abortion depression, prohibit discrimination against the unborn on the basis of sex or race and assert that human life begins at fertilization.
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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.
In the States
Experts say that abortion opponents, predicting that federal action for their agenda will be difficult with Obama in the White House and Democrats in control of both houses of Congress, are turning to state legislatures to advance their cause. Here are some developments in 2009, according to Stateline.org:
- Georgia approved the country’s first law allowing human embryos to be adopted.
- Arizona became the 22nd state to require 24-hour waiting periods for women seeking abortions. Minors must show proof of parental consent.
- Arkansas became the 15th state to ban the late-term abortion procedure known as partial-birth abortion.
- Kansas, Ohio and North Dakota now require clinics to post notices informing women they cannot be coerced into having an abortion.
- Kansas and North Dakota have new laws requiring doctors to offer women considering abortion the option of viewing an ultrasound photo of the fetus before they decide.
- Utah joined eight other states to have a “fetal pain” law that requires doctors to offer women the option of receiving anesthesia for the fetus before an abortion.
Background
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“What do world religions believe about abortion?”
A chart from Beliefnet.com, “What do world religions believe about abortion?”
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Abortion — Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life
The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life offers a comprehensive backgrounder on abortion.
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“Current abortion beliefs by various religious and secular groups”
An overview, by ReligiousTolerance.org, of various denominations’ stands 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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“An Open Letter to Religious Leaders on Abortion as a Moral Decision”
More than 1,100 clergy and religious professionals have signed an open letter “affirming abortion as a morally justifiable decision.” The letter was organized under the auspices of the Religious Institute, a leading interfaith organization promoting sexual and reproductive rights.
Religion-related resources: Christian
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Assemblies of God USA
Assemblies of God is a national and international organization that makes up the world’s largest Pentecostal denomination of some 66 million members and adherents worldwide, and over 3 million members in the U.S. The organization works to promote religion itself and aspects of practice to its members. The church’s four-fold mission is expressed through evangelism, discipleship, worship and compassion.
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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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United Methodist Church
Read their official statement on abortion.
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Catholic Online
Catholic Online has over 5 million pages of resources including the largest online historical and biblical database about the Catholic Church.
Religion-related resources: Jewish
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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.
Religion-related resources: Muslim
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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.
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“Islamic teachings on abortion”
A BBC article examines Islamic teachings on abortion.
Religion-related resources: 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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“Abortion Surveillance — United States, 2005”
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 2005.
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“Abortion” at Guttmacher Institute
An overview on abortion in the United States.
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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.
Polls
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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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“U.S. Abortion Attitudes Closely Divided”
A Gallup poll in July 2009 showed a return to a near split.
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“Americans now equally pro-life, pro-choice!”
Trinity College professor Mark Silk analysed the change in opinion on his blog
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“A Slight but Steady Majority Favors Keeping Abortion Legal”
An August 2008 poll by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life and the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press found that 54 percent believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases.
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“Abortion and Birth Control”
The Web site PollingReport.com has a variety of polls on abortion.
Articles
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“Religious leaders agree on abortion in health care reform debate”
Read an Aug. 20, 2009, CNN story on where the Rev. Jim Wallis and Tony Perkins agree on abortion.
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“Competing emotions”
Read an Aug. 15, 2009, Newsweek story about a reporter who witnessed an abortion, and why her reaction surprised her.
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“Healthcare debate’s next hurdle: abortion”
Read a July 28, 2009, Los Angeles Times story describing how abortion could further stall health reform.
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“Abortion Opponents Criticize Health Reform Bills”
Read a July 23, 2009, Washington Post story about why abortion opponents criticize the health reform bills before Congress.
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“Surgeon General Pick’s Stance on Abortion May Clash With Church’s”
Read a July 18, 2009, Washington Post story on how Obama’s new surgeon general’s stance on abortion may conflict with her Catholic upbringing.
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“Sotomayor is grilled on abortion and gun rights”
Read a July 16, 2009, Los Angeles Times story on Sotomayor’s statements on abortion during her confirmation hearings.
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“Dropping the ‘A’ Bomb”
Read a July 14, 2009, Newsweek story on why abortion could be the next stumbling block for health reform.
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“The Trouble With Abortion and Healthcare Reform”
Read this July 8, 2009, TIME story about whether abortion could sink health reform.
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“Anti-abortion Efforts Move to the State Level”
Read a June 8, 2009, Washington Post story on why some anti-abortion efforts are moving to the state level.
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“Closed Clinic Leaves Abortion Protesters at a Loss”
Read a June 7, 2009, New York Times story on where Tiller’s death left the pro-life movement.
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“At Notre Dame, Obama Calls for Civil Tone in Abortion Debate”
Read a May 17, 2009, New York Times story on Obama’s commencement address at Notre Dame, which sparked debate on abortion.
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“The Elephant in the Room”
Read a Jan. 3, 2008, op-ed piece by U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum about several recent Hollywood films that he says point to a cultural shift in views on abortion. The Philadelphia Inquirer published the essay.
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Mississippi’s Ambiguous ‘Personhood’ Amendment
Read an Oct. 31, 2011, op-ed in The New York Times that sets out some of the problems of biology and the law that the proposed amendment there faces.
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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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“Push for ‘Personhood’ Amendment Represents New Tack in Abortion Fight”
Read an Oct. 25, 2011, New York Times story about the Mississippi amendment.
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“Abortion Takes Center Stage at Iowa G.O.P. Forum”
Read an Oct. 22, 2011, New York Times story about the Iowa G.O.P. forum.
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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.
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“The Most Radical Anti-Abortion Measure in America”
Read a Sept. 27, 2011, Mother Jones article about the Mississippi amendment and the man said to have drafted its wording. The liberal magazine describes him as a neo-secessionist who “once supported an effort to form an independent theocratic republic in South Carolina.”
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“Attitudes towards Abortion among American Religious Groups”
Read Martin Marty’s June 13, 2011, take on the latest findings by the Public Religion Research Institute on public attitudes about abortion.
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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.
National Sources
Organizations against abortion rights
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Dr. Donna Harrison
Executive Director of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
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Judie Brown
Judie Brown is president and co-founder of the Catholic American Life League in Virginia, which promotes anti-abortion legislation. Contact Paul Rondeau.
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Charmaine Yoest
President of the Chicago-based group Americans United for Life.
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Wendy Wright
President of Concerned Women for America, which aims to bring biblical principles into all levels of public policy.
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Richard Land
Richard Land is president of the nondenominational Southern Evangelical Seminary in Charlotte, N.C., and previously served for 25 years as president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission.
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Tony Perkins
Tony Perkins is president of the Family Research Council, which works to foster “a culture in which all human life is valued, families flourish, and religious liberty thrives.” He also leads the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, which tracks religious persecution around the world.
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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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Karen Cross
Political director of the National Right to Life Committee in Washington, D.C. The organization’s Web site lists affiliates.
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Randall Terry
Founder of Operation Rescue and president of the Society for Truth and Justice. Contact Kathy Veritas.
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Prolife America
Links to groups working to end abortion.
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Deirdre McQuade
Deirdre McQuade is assistant director for policy and communications for the Pro-Life Secretariat of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
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Paul T. Stallsworth
The Rev. Paul T. Stallsworth is president of the Taskforce of United Methodists on Abortion and Sexuality and the editor of its magazine, Lifewatch. He lives in Whiteville, N.C.
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Penny Young Nance
Penny Young Nance is CEO and president of Concerned Women for America, a women’s group committed to bringing biblical principles into all levels of public policy.
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Russell Moore
Russell Moore is director of the Public Theology Project at Christianity Today.
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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Jon O’Brien
Jon O’Brien is president of Catholics for Choice, which believes that the individual conscience should be the keystone for moral decision-making on reproductive rights matters and that affordable contraception should be available to all.
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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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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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Ann Stone
Ann Stone is the head of Republicans for Choice in Alexandria, Va., which says its aim is to remove politics from the abortion debate.
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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.
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Dr. Douglas Laube
Dr. Douglas Laube is a professor in the department of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. He previously served as chair of the board of Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health and president of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
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.
Regional Sources
State-by-state sources
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“States probe limits of abortion policy”
Read “States probe limits of abortion policy,” a June 22, 2006, analysis of the South Dakota law and other developments from Stateline.org.
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“Abortion” at Center for Reproductive Rights
A rundown on abortion bills making their way through state legislatures.
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“NOW and Abortion Rights/Reproductive Justice”
The National Organization for Women keeps track of abortion legislation on the state and federal levels.
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“State level abortion resources”
The Guttmacher Institute’s state center offers state-by-state information on abortion laws, trends and teen pregnancy rates.
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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Martha I. Morgan
Martha I. Morgan is a Robert S. Vance Professor Emerita of Law at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Her area of study is abortion rights.
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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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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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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.
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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.
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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John F. Kavanaugh
The Rev. John F. Kavanaugh is a philosophy professor at St. Louis University. He wrote the book Who Counts as Persons? Human Identity and the Ethics of Killing.
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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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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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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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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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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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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.