|
APRIL 29, 2008
SOURCE GUIDE
Abortion: updates,
experts & organizations
Thirty-five years after
abortion became legal in the U.S., the
perennial hot-button issue is shifting in subtle and not-so-subtle ways. The
nation’s abortion rate has fallen to its lowest level since 1974. The
procedures that are performed are done, increasingly, at an earlier stage of
pregnancy than in the past. Hollywood is releasing “life-affirming” films
(think Juno and Knocked Up), and they’re doing well at the box
office. None of this, though, means that the nation is moving toward consensus
on the matter. While opponents’ foremost goal – reversal of the Supreme Court’s
landmark Roe v. Wade decision – remains unchanged, these days they and
abortion-rights supporters are focusing less on Washington, and more on
battlegrounds closer to home. But in a presidential campaign year, advocates
are also hoping that the next president will have the opportunity to appoint
Supreme Court justices who will tip the court’s balance to either more strongly
supporting Roe v. Wade or overturning it.
Why it matters
Religious belief drives
much of the action and opinions on abortion, which continues to be one of the
most emotional and divisive issues in the country. While federal legislation
gets the most attention, state laws have been more likely to inspire the court
rulings that have shaped current abortion laws. And if Roe v. Wade ever is
overturned, free-for-alls are expected at many statehouses as legislatures
establish abortion policies for their constituents in its place.
What’s new
• In January 2008, the
nonprofit Alan Guttmacher Institute, which focuses on sexual and reproductive
health, reported that the U.S. abortion rate for 2005 was the nation’s lowest in more than three decades.
• States are imposing more curbs on abortion, according to Stateline.org. And the increased regulatory activity
this year comes on the heels of a particularly active 2007, when states enacted
nearly 30 new abortion restrictions, compared with an average 11 per year from
1985 to 1999. Read about the variety of debates already going on in states this
year.
• The Bush administration
expressed concern in March 2008 about a proposal it said could put physicians
in a moral showdown. Michael Leavitt, secretary of health and human services,
urged the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology to scrap a proposal that the Bush administration said would require doctors who
oppose abortion to refer patients seeking one to a willing provider. Leavitt
said in a letter that the proposal would put some doctors in the position of
violating their conscience or risking their board certification, but the physician
group says that’s a misinterpretation.
• More than two dozen
bills mentioning abortion were introduced in the 110th Congress.
• Even seemingly
uninvolved groups have found themselves drawn into the conflict. The Susan G. Komen
for the Cure foundation, which raises money for breast cancer research, has
come under criticism from some Roman Catholic leaders over breast-health grants
given to Planned Parenthood. The critics contend that providing such funding
frees up other money that Planned Parenthood can then use for contraception
services, including abortions. This line of reasoning, which Komen disputes,
has led the St. Louis Archdiocese to suggest that Catholics avoid supporting
the breast cancer foundation.
However, a similar admonition by the Little Rock, Ark., diocese was rescinded
in March 2008 and an apology was issued after a meeting between Komen and church officials.
• In what seems certain
to inflame the already volatile abortion debate, a new study of Census data
suggests that some Asian-Americans may be engaging in gender selection,
possibly through the use of ultrasound and abortion. The findings were
published in the March 31, 2008, Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences.
IN CONGRESS
More than 25 bills
dealing in some way with abortion were introduced in the 110th Congress. One passed by both chambers (but not yet final) concerns Justice
Department appropriations and would ban any use of the money for abortion
unless the mother’s life was at risk or rape was involved.
Reducing abortions is a
goal cited by U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., for a measure he’s
co-sponsoring. The proposal
(to read it, enter S 1810 in the search field at thomas.gov) would assist couples who find out their
fetus has Down syndrome or other genetic conditions by providing them with
supportive information about the disabilities and creating a national registry
of people who would like to adopt special-needs children.
Other bills introduced
include ones calling for research into post-abortion depression; requiring
parental notification in cases that involve minors; declaring that human life
begins at conception; and prohibiting federal discrimination against
health-care entities that refuse to pay for abortions.
IN THE STATES
According to
Stateline.org,
2008 is expected to produce numerous new abortion-related measures in the
states. Among the developments already:
In South Dakota: Abortion opponents are pushing
for a November ballot initiative that would criminalize abortion in the state
unless the pregnancy threatened a woman’s health or resulted from incest or
rape. In 2006, South Dakotans rejected a similar but more restrictive proposal;
it would have allowed only one exception, for cases when a woman’s life was
endangered.
Also, in March South
Dakota became the 12th state
to require that women seeking an abortion be given the opportunity to view an
ultrasound of the fetus first. Abortion opponents say such measures help
dissuade some women from going through with the procedure. Nine other states
are said to be considering similar legislation.
In New York: The Roman Catholic Church is
fighting a proposal to declare abortion a fundamental right for women. Former
Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s administration drafted the legislation, and David Paterson, who became governor after Spitzer resigned in March, has
been described as holding generally the same views on abortion as his
predecessor. Church officials say the proposal could leave Catholic hospitals
vulnerable to discrimination claims, an assertion the measure’s backers
dispute.
In Idaho: Lawmakers are considering
legislation that would make it a crime to coerce a woman into having an
abortion. Supporters say the measure would protect women, but opponents say it
could force abortion providers to delve into women’s backgrounds in order to
avoid penalties.
In Kansas and
Missouri:
Lawmakers there are also considering bills described as protecting women from
coercive abortions; opponents call the proposals burdensome.
In California: The Unborn Child Pain Awareness
Act of 2008 was rejected in committee.
The measure called for women seeking abortions to be offered information about
fetal pain and given the option of having anesthesia administered to the fetus.
In Virginia: A state budget amendment narrowly
approved in February threatened Planned Parenthood’s public funding, but the
money was restored
in the final spending plan. Several other abortion-related measures, including
fetal-anesthesia legislation, were also proposed but rejected.
In New Hampshire: In 2007, the state became the
first to repeal a parental-notification law for minors seeking abortions; the action came after the law was challenged in
court. A substitute measure that would have required counseling by an adult –
but not a parent – was rejected by the state Senate in March 2008.
In Georgia: Bishops announced in January that they had decided against endorsing a human life amendment to
their state’s constitution because they didn’t believe it would be effective in
reducing abortions. The bishops said they do support calls for a federal
constitutional amendment.
In Montana: Likewise, Catholic bishops
decided not to support a proposed state constitutional amendment in Montana. The
clerics said that although they agree with the measure’s premise, at the state
level more effective means are available and should be pursued in the effort to
end abortion.
Also in Montana, a physician
who ran an abortion clinic in Bozeman in the 1990s announced plans to reopen
it, despite what she said were death threats against her during its previous
operation. Dr. Susan Wicklund, who said she made the decision after realizing
that townspeople were traveling hundreds of miles for the procedure, is the
co-author of the recently published This Common Secret: My Journey as an
Abortion Doctor.
In Colorado: A proposed transfer of hospital
control has generated opposition from groups that support abortion rights.
Denver Archbishop Charles J. Chaput has accused foes of the takeover of trying
to coerce
Catholic hospitals into providing services, including abortion, opposed by the
church.
STATE-BY-STATE INFORMATION
• Search the news service
Stateline.Org for the latest stories about abortion activity in the states. Stateline also
posts a comprehensive backgrounder, “States probe limits of abortion policy.”
• The National Conference
of State Legislatures' Web site includes a page
that links to information on state action on abortion.
• The Center for Reproductive Rights provides a rundown of abortion bills
making their way through state legislatures.
• The National Organization for Women keeps track of abortion legislation
on the state and federal levels.
• NARAL Pro-Choice America, formerly the National Abortion and Reproductive
Rights Action League, offers a state-by-state look
at abortion legislation.
• The Alan Guttmacher
Institute's state center
offers state-by-state information on abortion laws, trends and teen pregnancy
rates.
• The anti-abortion group Americans United for Life rates states on
“protection-of-life” issues and provides detailed information about related
developments during 2007 for each state. In addition, the organization’s State
Supreme Court Project assesses each state’s high court and forecasts what to expect in those courts
should Roe v. Wade be overturned.
U.S. Supreme Court
The Supreme Court in
March let stand a lower ruling that upheld an Arizona inmate’s right to an abortion, and a similar
prisoner-rights case from Missouri is headed to the high court. Beyond that,
the makeup of the court continues to be a topic in the presidential election,
since whoever wins in November could have the opportunity to nominate justices
who would tip the court one way or the other on abortion.
• The
anti-abortion group Americans United for Life
offers a snapshot
of U.S. Supreme Court decisions involving abortion.
• Planned Parenthood Federation of America, an advocate of abortion rights,
provides a fact sheet on U.S. Supreme Court rulings on abortion and reproductive rights, 1965-2007.
• Read the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision,
which includes links to Supreme Court and Circuit Court cases that have cited Roe
v. Wade.
Click
the map for interview sources
in your state and region |
|
National sources
ORGANIZATIONS
AGAINST
ABORTION
• Pro-Life America posts links
to groups working to end abortion.
• Karen Cross is
political director of the National Right to Life Committee in Washington, D.C. It
lists affiliates. Contact
202-626-8800, NRLC@nrlc.org.
• Jay Sekulow is head of the American Center for Law and Justice, a law firm that works to
end abortion. Contact 757-226-2489.
• Americans United for Life describes itself as “the first national pro-life organization in America.” Clarke D. Forsythe is
president of the Chicago-based group. Contact through communications director Matthew Eppinette,
312-568-4701, matthew@aul.org.
• Judie Brown is
president and co-founder of American Life League
in Virginia, which promotes anti-abortion legislation. Contact Amber Dolle,
703-690-2510, adolle@all.org.
• Dr. Elizabeth Shadigian is listed as president of the American Association of Pro Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists. She practices medicine in Ann Arbor, Mich. Contact the organization at 616-546-2639.
• 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. Contact executive director Serrin Foster, 703-836-3354.
RELIGIOUS
• Richard Land is president
of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission
and a frequent commentator on abortion and politics. Contact through Jill
Martin, 615-782-8417, jmartin@erlc.com.
• Deirdre McQuade is director of planning and information for the Pro-Life
Secretariat of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Contact 202-541-3070.
• Tony Perkins is
president of the Family Research Council,
which is active in pushing anti-abortion legislation. Contact Amber Hildebrand,
202-393-2100.
• The Rev. Paul T. Stallsworth is president of the Taskforce of United
Methodists on Abortion and Sexuality and editor of Lifewatch. He lives in Morehead
City, N.C. Contact 252-726-2175.
• Randall Terry is
founder of Operation Rescue
and president of the Society for Truth and Justice. Contact Christian
Communication Network, 202-546-0054, info@maranatha.tv.
• Wendy Wright is
president of Concerned Women for America,
whose mission is to bring biblical principles into all levels of public policy,
lists state chapters.
Contact 202-488-7000.
FOR
ABORTION RIGHTS
• The Association of
Reproductive Health Professionals posts links to numerous organizations,
including many involved in abortion rights.
• The Alan Guttmacher
Institute
is a nonprofit organization focused on sexual and reproductive health research,
policy analysis and public education. Press contact is Rebecca Wind at
212-248-1111, mediaworks@guttmacher.org.
• Planned Parenthood Federation
of America fights against legislation that limits access to abortions It lists centers across the nation.
Contact 202-973-4882 or 212-261-4650.
• Nancy Keenan is
president of NARAL Pro-Choice America,
formerly the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League. It lists affiliates around the country.
Contact Ted Miller, communications director, 202-973-3032.
• 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. Sondra Goldstein, the Reproductive Freedom Project’s State Strategies Attorney, can talk about religious refusals, which are also the topic of the 2007 ACLU publication “Religious Refusals and Reproductive Rights: Accessing Birth Control at the Pharmacy.” Staff attorney Brigitte Amiri has expertise on sex education. They can be contacted through public education director Lorraine Kenny, 212-549-2634, lkenny@aclu.org. See a list of ACLU offices across the country.
• Debra Ness is president
of the National Partnership for Women & Families,
a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works to promote quality health care
for women, including access to abortion. Contact Margaret Summers,
communications manager, 202-986-2600.
• Alexander C. Sanger,
grandson of reproductive rights activist Margaret Sanger, is chairman of the
International Planned Parenthood Council. He wrote Beyond Choice:
Reproductive Freedom in the 21st Century. Contact acsanger@ippfwhr.org.
• Vicki Saporta is
executive director of the National Abortion Federation. Contact communications
department, 202-667-5881, vsaporta@prochoice.org.
• Ann Stone heads Republicans
for Choice
in Alexandria, Va., which says its aim is to remove politics from the abortion
debate. Contact 703-212-0890, gop4choice@erols.com.
• Dr. Suzanne T. Poppema is
chair of the board of Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health. Contact through Amanda Davis, the group’s media manager, 646-649-9927, amanda@prch.org.
• Lois Backus is
executive director of Medical Students for Choice, a group formed by medical
students in 1993 to make sure abortion procedures are taught in medical school.
Contact 510-238-5210 ext. 303, lois@ms4c.org.
RELIGIOUS
• The Religious Coalition
for Reproductive Choice
works to preserve reproductive rights. It lists denominations and other
religious groups that are members.
Contact its president, the Rev. Carlton W. Veazey, who founded the coalition's
Black Church Initiative, through communications director Marjorie Signer,
202-628-7700 ext. 12.
• Jon O’Brien is
president of Catholics for a Free Choice.
Contact 202-986-6093.
INDIVIDUALS
AGAINST ABORTION
• Teresa S. Collett is 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 “pro-life” laws. Contact through her assistant,
Henry Bishop, 651-962-4970, or email her at tscollett@stthomas.edu.
• Robert George
holds the McCormick Chair in Jurisprudence at Princeton University and is the
founding director of its James Madison Program in American Ideals and
Institutions. He is co-author of Embryo: A Defense of Human Life
(Doubleday, 2008). George wrote in the Aug. 6, 2007, edition of the journal First
Things
about what he calls the scandal of prominent Catholics supporting abortion
rights. Contact 609-258-3270, rgeorge@princeton.edu.
• Frederica Mathewes-Green
is a columnist and Orthodox Christian who is against abortion. She is author of Real Choices: Listening to Women; Looking for Alternatives to Abortion (Conciliar
Press, 1997). Contact Frederica@aol.com.
FOR
ABORTION RIGHTS
• 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. Contact 718-340-4503.
• Alexander C. Sanger,
grandson of reproductive rights activist Margaret Sanger, is chairman of the
International Planned Parenthood Council. He wrote Beyond Choice:
Reproductive Freedom in the 21st Century. Contact acsanger@ippfwhr.org.
• Dr. Susan Wicklund is co-author of This Common Secret: My Journey as an
Abortion Doctor (2007). Contact through the book’s publisher, Public
Affairs, 212-397-6666, PublicAffairs@perseusbooks.com.
OTHER
• David E. Joseph is
program director at the Public Conversations Project, where he has facilitated
dialogues between people and groups on opposing sides of the abortion debate.
See an overview of the PCP's abortion dialogues.
Contact 617-923-1216, djoseph@publicconversations.org.
Background
RELIGION
• Beliefnet.com posts a
chart, "What do world religions believe about abortion?"
• ReligiousTolerance.org offers this overview of various denominations' stands
on abortion.
• The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, an interfaith coalition of
40 groups, lists official resolutions
of religious groups that support the right to abortion.
CHRISTIAN
• The U.S. Council of
Catholic Bishops has posted a statement
supporting the Roman Catholic Church's stand against abortion.
• The Southern Baptist Convention's statements on abortion
are posted by the Web site Johnstonsarchive.net.
• Read the United Methodist Church's official statement
on abortion.
• See the Assemblies of God statement
against abortion.
• ReligiousTolerance.org has a listing of statements on abortion
from various faith groups and other organizations.
JEWISH
• A white paper
from the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice discusses Jewish
perspectives on abortion.
• ReligiousTolerance.org summarizes Jewish beliefs
and thoughts on abortion.
• A February 1999 article
looks at anti-abortion Jewish views. The article appears in First Things,
a journal on religion, culture and public life.
MUSLIM
• On IslamOnline, a
Muslim religious scholar writes about Islam's stance
on abortion.
• The Web site ReligiousConsultation.org, which focuses on reproductive issues,
offers this essay on Islamic thoughts
on abortion.
ABORTION MINISTRIES
• The Web site
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
• The Alan Guttmacher
Institute has this overview on abortion
in the United States. Among its findings: 78 percent of women having abortions report a religious affiliation.
• 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 2004.
• The Census Bureau posts
statistics
on the number, rate and ratio of abortions by race from 1980-2003. The bureau
also posts various other data
about women who had abortions from 1990-2003.
POLLS
• The Web site
PollingReport.com has a variety of polls
on abortion.
• The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life conducted a poll
on religion and the 2008 presidential campaign. According to the survey,
conducted in August 2007, social issues such as abortion are not as high a
priority for most voters this year as other domestic issues and the war in
Iraq. Likewise, a Pew Research Center survey of registered voters that was released in June 2007 found that just 40 percent
rated abortion as “very important” in their decision about a presidential
candidate, compared with 74 percent who felt that way about the economy.
ARTICLES
• Read an April 2, 2008, Washington
Post story
about the anti-abortion ballot initiative in South Dakota.
• Read an April 1, 2008,
Associated Press story
about a new study of Census data that suggests some Asian-American parents may
be engaging in gender selection, perhaps through the use of ultrasound and
abortion. The story is posted by The New York Times.
• Read a March 24, 2008,
CNN article about the U.S. Supreme Court letting a lower court ruling stand regarding a
prisoner’s right to obtain an abortion. The case originated in Arizona; a
similar one from Missouri is expected to reach the high court soon.
• Read a March 21, 2008, New
Hampshire Union Leader article about that state’s Senate rejecting a proposal to require that a minor seeking
an abortion be counseled first by an adult. New Hampshire has no
parental-notification requirement, either.
• Read a March 20, 2008,
Associated Press story
in the Missoulian about a Montana physician’s decision to reopen an
abortion clinic despite what she says were death threats during her previous
time running it. The doctor, Susan Wicklund, is also the co-author of a 2007
book, This Common Secret: My Journey as an Abortion Doctor.
• Read a March 19, 2008,
NPR story about the Bush administration’s opposition to a proposal it says could cause
conscience conflicts for obstetrician-gynecologists who oppose abortion. Read a follow-up NPR story in which the administration’s characterization of the proposal is rejected as a
misinterpretation.
• Read a March 14, 2008,
Associated Press story
about the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis discouraging donations to the
Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation because of its association with Planned
Parenthood. The article is posted by the Houston Chronicle.
• Read a March 10, 2008, Wichita
Eagle story
about a bill before Congress that would provide counseling and information to
families who learn that their fetus or newborn has a genetic disorder. U.S. Sam
Brownback, one of the co-sponsors, says he hopes such assistance would lead to
fewer abortions.
• Read a March 1, 2008,
story in the Billings Gazette about Montana bishops’ decision not to back a ballot proposal decreeing that
human life begins at conception and giving embryos constitutional rights. The
measure was written by a state legislator whose party, the Constitution Party,
opposes all abortions.
• Read a Feb. 29, 2008, Capitol
Media Services story
about a push to align Arizona state law with the federal ban on partial-birth
abortion. The story is posted by the Arizona Daily Star.
• Read a Feb. 28, 2008,
Associated Press story
in the Idaho Statesman about a legislative proposal that would make it a
crime in Idaho to coerce a woman into having an abortion.
• Read a Feb. 28, 2008, Washington
Post story about Virginia’s Senate voting to cut off state funding to Planned Parenthood
because of its abortion services. The funding was later restored during the
budget process, as described in this March 15, 2008, Richmond Times-Dispatch story.
• Read a Feb. 24, 2008, Kansas
City Star article about legislative proposals in Missouri and Kansas that advocates say would
help protect women from coercive abortions; opponents say the measures would
interfere with women’s right to decide on the appropriateness of abortion.
• Read a Feb. 19, 2008, New
York Sun article about the Catholic Church’s fight against proposed legislation that would make
abortion a fundamental women’s right in New York state. Read an April 25, 2007, New York Times story
about the measure.
• Read a Feb. 18, 2008, Rocky
Mountain News article
about the controversy over a proposed hospital takeover in Colorado.
• 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.
|
