OCT. 24, 2005

ABORTION
A guide to covering abortion issues

The national debate over abortion is boiling again with changes to the makeup of the U.S. Supreme Court and two pivotal abortion cases on its docket this fall. At the same time, state legislatures continue to wrangle over competing bills aimed at curbing or expanding access to abortions. ReligionLink offers an updated guide to covering the debate.

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What's New
Why It Matters
U.S. Supreme Court
Congress
Federal Regulations
State Legislatures

National sources
State and regional sources
Background

Religion Reports and studies Polls Articles

What's New
• The Supreme Court has the potential of having a Catholic majority for the first time. The new chief justice, John Roberts, is Catholic and so is Samuel A. Alito Jr., whom Bush nominated after White House Chief Counsel Harriet Miers, a born-again Christian, withdrew. Alito would bring the number of Catholics on the court to five.
• The court will hear arguments Nov. 30 on two abortion cases: one dealing with New Hampshire's parental notification law and another dealing with the use of federal anti-racketeering laws to prosecute violent anti-abortion protesters.
• More than 500 bills aimed at restricting abortion have been introduced in state legislatures this year, according to an article from Stateline.org.
• Twenty-eight bills were passed or introduced this congressional session that dealt wholly or in part with abortion. Two bills passed by the House and Senate dealt with withholding U.S. funds to U.N. population control programs that allow abortions.
• The Food and Drug Administration commissioner announced Aug. 26 that he was delaying approval to allow over-the-counter sales of the "morning after" contraceptive, Plan B, to women age 16 and over. The decision caused two members of the FDA's Nonprescription Drugs Advisory Committee to resign in protest. Read the Aug. 26, 2005, FDA statement.

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.

U.S. Supreme Court

JUSTICES
Religion gained the spotlight in the discussion of Supreme Court justices this fall when President Bush talked about White House Chief Counsel Harriet Miers’ evangelical Christian faith. Miers withdrew, but the debate remains. If Alito is confirmed, the Supreme Court will have five Catholic justices for the first time in history.
• See a resource page on the Alito nomination from the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.

CURRENT CASES
The court will hear oral arguments Nov. 30 on two major abortion cases.

AYOTTE V. PLANNED PARENTHOOD OF NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND
Ayotte v. Planned Parenthood of Northern New England et al. asks whether New Hampshire's parental notification law is constitutional.
• See Northwestern University's Medill resource page on the Ayotte case. It includes contact information for all the attorneys, links to previous decisions and a background article.
• Read a legal backgrounder from the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. The Pew Forum is sponsoring a forum Nov. 29 to discuss the issues and impact of the case.
• Ayotte v. Planned Parenthood is a web site with legal background on the case. It is sponsored by Planned Parenthood, the American Civil Liberties Union and other organizations that favor abortion rights.
• NARAL Pro-choice America, which filed an amicus brief in the Ayotte case, offers a summary of the case with a link to a six-page report.

OPERATION RESCUE V. NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR WOMEN
Operation Rescue v. National Organization for Women concerns the use of federal anti-racketeering laws to prosecute violent anti-abortion protesters. The court consolidated two cases into one when it agreed in June 2005 to review them --Scheidler, Joseph, et al. v. National Organization for Women, Inc., et al. and Operation Rescue v. NOW.
• See Northwestern University's Medill resource page on the case. It includes contact information for all the attorneys, links to previous decisions and a background article.
• The American Center for Law and Justice, which filed a petitioner's brief in the case, has a resource page on the case.
• See the National Organization for Women's resource page on the case.

BACKGROUND
• 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, 1965-2003.
• Read the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which includes links to Supreme Court and Circuit Court cases that have cited Roe v. Wade.

Congress

Twenty-eight bills were passed or introduced this congressional session that dealt wholly or in part with abortion. Two bills passed by the House and Senate dealt with withholding U.S. funds to U.N. population control programs that allow abortions.

The House passed bills preventing the transportation of minors across state lines to obtain abortions, and an appropriations bill that restricts the use of federal funds for abortions except in cases of rape and incest or when the mother's health is endangered. It does not prohibit the use of state, local or private funds to pay for abortions.

Other bills introduced in the House and Senate include: providing parental notification and intervention in cases where minors are seeking an abortion; providing for hospitals to give emergency contraception to rape victims; declaring that human life begins at conception; and forcing the FDA to withdraw approval of the so-called "morning after" pill RU-486.

Federal Regulations

On Aug. 26, the FDA commissioner announced he was delaying approval to allow over-the-counter sales of another "morning after" contraceptive, Plan B. The decision caused two members of the FDA's Nonprescription Drugs Advisory Committee to resign in protest.
• Read the Aug. 26, 2005, FDA statement.
• A Sept. 1, 2005 Washington Post article looks at the controversy over the FDA's decision to delay approval on over-the-counter sales of Plan B.

State Legislatures

CURRENT LEGISLATION
According to Stateline.org, more than 500 bills aimed primarily at curbing abortion rights were introduced this year in state legislatures. Among those passed:
• Arkansas, Georgia and Minnesota require that women who want an abortion either be told about fetal pain or offered anesthesia to help eliminate pain to the fetus.
• In Mississippi, some abortion procedures can only be performed in hospitals or ambulatory surgical centers.
• Arkansas and Idaho joined 33 other states in passing laws requiring parental consent for minors seeking an abortion. Courts have struck down such laws in nine other states, and New Hampshire's measure goes before the Supreme Court in November. A parental notification initiative is on the ballot next year for California voters.
• Maine, Alaska, California, Hawaii, Washington, New Hampshire and New Mexico passed laws allowing the so-called "morning after pill" to be obtained without a prescription. Massachusetts' governor vetoed a similar measure in his state, and New York's governor is considering vetoing such a bill as well.

STATE BY STATE INFORMATION
• The National Conference of State Legislatures offers a rundown of the status of parental notification laws around the country.
• The Alan Guttmacher Institute's state center offers state-by-state information on abortion laws. The institute is a nonprofit organization focused on sexual and reproductive health research, policy analysis and public education.
• The Center for Reproductive Rights, which favors abortion rights, offers this overview on state legislative trends.

National sources

AGAINST ABORTION
• 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.
• 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.
• Jay Sekulow is head of the American Center for Law and Justice, a law firm that works to end abortion. Contact 757-226-2489.
• Karen Cross is political director of the National Right to Life Committee in Washington, D.C. Contact 202-626-8800, NRLC@nrlc.org.
• Tony Perkins is president of the Family Research Council, which is active in pushing anti-abortion legislation. Contact Amber Hildebrand, 202-393-2100.
• Wendy Wright is executive vice president of Concerned Women for America. Contact 202-488-7000.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Dr. Byron C. Calhoun is president of the American Association of Pro Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists. He is also a member of the department of OB/Gyn, F. Edward School of Medicine at Madigan Army Medical Center. Contact 616-546-2639, byron.calhoun@nw.amedd.army.mil.
• 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.

FOR ABORTION RIGHTS
• 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 (Public Affairs, 2004). Contact acsanger@ippfwhr.org.
• 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. Contact public education coordinator Lorraine Kenny, 212-549-2634, lkenny@aclu.org. See a list of ACLU offices across the country.
• Elizabeth Arndorfer is director of the Proactive Policy Institute of NARAL Pro-Choice America, formerly the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League. Contact 202-973-3032.
• Debra Ness is president of the National Partnership for Women and Families, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works to promote quality health care for women, including access to abortion. Contact Myra Clark-Siegel, director of communications, 202-986-2600, mcs@nationalpartnership.org.
• 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 212-248-1953, rwind@guttmacher.org.
• Planned Parenthood Federation of America fights against legislation that limits access to abortions. Contact Erin Libit, 202-973-4883.
• 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.
• The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice works to preserve reproductive rights. 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.
• Frances Kissling is president of Catholics for a Free Choice. Contact 202-986-6093.
• 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.
• Vicki Saporta is executive director of the National Abortion Federation. Contact communications department, 202-667-5881, vsaporta@prochoice.org.

OTHER
• David E. Joseph is director of project development 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. Laura Chasin, PCP's founder and president of the board, has facilitated dialogues with Boston-area leaders on both sides of the abortion debate. Contact lchasin@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.
• ReligousTolerance.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.

REPORTS AND STUDIES
• The Alan Guttmacher Institute has this overview on abortion in the United States.

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 what Americans believe should make up the U.S. Supreme Court's agenda. According to the poll, which was released Aug. 3, 2005, people surveyed said the rights of terror suspects were almost as important to them as the issue of abortion.

ARTICLES
• Read a Nov. 7, 2005, Washington Post story about the possibility of the Supreme Court having a Catholic majority.
• Read a May 23, 2005, Associated Press story on MSNBC's web site on the Supreme Court agreeing to hear arguments on parental notification for minors who want abortions.
• An Aug. 23, 2005, USA Today story looks at how the abortion battle is playing out. The story also includes a poll.
• An Oct. 4, 2005, NBC News article on MSNBC's web site explores whether a new Supreme Court will have any effect on Roe v. Wade.
• Read an Oct. 6, 2005, Reuters article on CNN's web site on a second member of an FDA advisory panel resigning over the FDA commissioner's decision to delay final approval of over-the-counter sales of the "morning after" pill Plan B.