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.
Jump to:
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.
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.
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.
• 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.
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.
Regional sources
IN THE NORTHEAST
• Richard Fallon is a 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). Contact 617-495-3215, rfallon@law.harvard.edu.
• 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). Contact 603-862-2925, michele.dillon@unh.edu.
• Heidi J. Block is assistant professor of criminal justice at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, where she is an expert in abortion politics. Contact 508-533-0361, hblock@umassd.edu.
• George J. Annas is professor and chairman of the health law department at the Boston University School of Public Health and an expert on abortion policy. Contact 617-638-4626, annasgj@bu.edu.
• Jack M. Balkin is a constitutional law professor at Yale Law School and an expert on abortion policy. Contact jack.balkin@yale.edu.
• Phillip B. Levine is a professor in the department of economics at Wellesley College in Massachusetts. He wrote Sex and Consequences: Abortion, Public Policy, and the Economics of Fertility (Princeton University Press, 2004). Contact 781-283-2162, plevine@wellesley.edu.
• Laurence H. Tribe is a constitutional lawyer and Harvard University law professor. He wrote the book Abortion: The Clash of Absolutes (W.W. Norton & Co., 1992). Contact 617-495-4621, tribe@law.harvard.edu.
IN THE EAST
• James Trussell is professor of economics and public affairs at Princeton University in New Jersey. He also is associate dean of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and has expertise on the topic of abortion. Contact 609-258-4946, trussell@princeton.edu.
• W. Clyde Wilcox is professor of government at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. He wrote “Abortion, Gay Rights and Church-State Issues in the 2000 Campaign” for the book Religion and Liberal Democracy: Piety, Politics and Pluralism (Rowman and Littlefield, 2002). Contact 202-687-5273, wilcoxc@georgetown.edu.
• 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). Contact 212-998-8558, faye.ginsburg@nyu.edu.
• Jonathan E. Brockopp is associate professor of religion at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y. He edited the book Islamic Ethics of Life: Abortion, War and Euthanasia (University of South Carolina Press, 2003). Contact 845-758-7207, brockopp@bard.edu.
• Rita J. Simon is professor 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). Contact 202-885-2965, rsimon@american.edu.
• Judith Hauptman is professor of Talmud and Rabbinics at Jewish Theological Seminary of America in New York. She wrote the article “Abortion: Where We Stand” for the journal United Synagogue Review. Contact 212-678-8000, juhauptman@jtsa.edu.
• N.E. Hull is a law professor at Rutgers University in Camden, N.J., and co-author of Roe v. Wade: The Abortion Rights Controversy in American History (University Press of Kansas, 2001). Contact 856-225-6370, nehhull@camden.rutgers.edu.
• Harvey Kornberg is associate professor of political science at Rider University in Lawrenceville, N.J. He has expertise in abortion politics. Contact 609-896-5365, kornberg@rider.edu.
• Marian Lief Palley is a professor of political science at the University of Delaware in Newark and an expert on abortion politics. Contact 302-831-1938, mpalley@udel.edu.
• 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. She is an expert on abortion politics. Contact 732-932-9384 ext. 235, scarroll@rci.rutgers.edu.
IN THE SOUTHEAST
• Christopher Tollefsen is an associate professor of philosophy at the University of South Carolina and co-author of the 2008 book Embryo: A Defense of Human Life. Contact 803-786-1030, tollefsen@sc.edu.
• Stanley M. Hauerwas is professor of theological ethics at the Divinity School at Duke University 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 (Abingdon Press, 1993). Contact 919-660-3420.
• Abdulaziz A. Sachedina is professor of Islamic studies at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville and wrote the entry on abortion for the Encyclopaedia of the Qur’an (Brill Academic Publishers, 2004). Contact 434-924-6725, aas@virginia.edu.
• Alan Abramowitz is a professor of political science at Emory University in Atlanta and an expert on abortion politics. Contact 404-727-0108, polsaa@emory.edu.
• Neal Devins is a professor of law at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va. He is an expert on abortion law. Contact 757-221-3845, nedevi@wm.edu.
• Simone M. Caron is an associate professor at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C. She has studied the history of abortion. Contact 336-758-5556, caron@wfu.edu.
• Larry Morehouse is a professor at the University of South Florida in Tampa. His work focuses on public law and policy concerning abortion. Contact 813-974-3640, morehouse@luna.cas.usf.edu.
IN THE SOUTH
• Nancy Maveety is a political science professor at Tulane University in New Orleans who specializes in women’s issues. (She is spending 2007-08, though, as a visiting professor at Shandong University in China.) Contact nolanance@hotmail.com.
• Martha I. Morgan is a Robert S. Vance Professor of Law at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Her area of study is abortion rights. Contact 205-348-1131, mmorgan@law.ua.edu.
• 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 (Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1996). Contact loynopres@yahoo.com.
• Donald P. Judges is a professor of law at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. He is an expert on the conflict over abortion rights. Contact 479-575-7571, djudges@uark.edu.
• Diane E. Wall is an associate professor of political science at Mississippi State University. She is an expert on women’s issues and the judiciary. Contact 662-325-7864, dew1@ps.msstate.edu.
IN THE MIDWEST
• The Rev. John F. Kavanaugh is a professor of philosophy at St. Louis University. He wrote the book Who Counts as Persons? Human Identity and the Ethics of Killing (Georgetown University Press, 2002). Contact 314-977-3159, kavanasj@slu.edu.
• Charles E. Rice is professor emeritus at the University of Notre Dame law school. 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). Contact 574-631-5667, Charles.E.Rice.1@nd.edu.
• Richard Duncan is a law professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and an expert on abortion law. Contact 402-472-6044, rduncan2@unl.edu.
• Ellen S. Lazarus is a professor at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, and an expert in medical ethics and education and abortion politics. Contact ellen.lazarus@case.edu.
• 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 (Oxford Press, 2003). Contact 414-288-5508, daniel.maguire@marquette.edu.
• Virginia Sapiro is a professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an expert on gender politics. Contact 608-262-5246 or 608-263-2414, vsapiro@wisc.edu.
• Drew Halfmann is a research fellow of public health, health management and policy at the University of Michigan and an expert on abortion policies. Contact 734-763-0387, halfmann@umich.edu.
• 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). Contact 612-625-2907, tjohnson@polisci.umn.edu.
• Gerard Magill is director of the Center for Health Care Ethics at St. Louis University. He co-edited Abortion and Public Policy: An Interdisciplinary Investigation Within the Catholic Tradition (Creighton University Press, 1996). Contact 314-977-6660, magill@slu.edu.
IN THE SOUTHWEST
• Francis Beckwith is a professor of philosophy and church-state studies at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. He wrote Defending Life: A Moral and Legal Case Against Abortion Choice (2007). Contact 254-710-6464, Francis_Beckwith@baylor.edu.
• Mark G. Toulouse is professor of American religious history at the Brite Divinity School at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth. He wrote the article “Perspectives on Abortion in the Christian Community from the 1950s to the Early 1990s” for the journal Encounter (2001). Contact 817-257-7577, m.toulouse@tcu.edu.
• J. Matthew Wilson is a political science professor at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. He is an expert on abortion politics. Contact 214-768-4054, jmwilson@mail.smu.edu.
• 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). Contact 520-621-7600, norrander@arizona.edu.
• Joseph M. Graham is a professor of philosophy at the University of St. Thomas in Houston. He is an expert on abortion legislation. Contact 713-525-3598, grahamj@stthom.edu.
• Robert M. Baird is a professor and chairman of the philosophy department at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. He co-edited the book The Ethics of Abortion: Pro-Life Vs. Pro-Choice (Prometheus Books, 2001). Contact 817-755-3368, Robert_Baird@baylor.edu.
• 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 (Chatham House Publishers, 2000). Contact 505-277-7130, dmcf@unm.edu.
IN THE WEST/NORTHWEST
• Melody Rose is chair of the political science division of Portland State University’s Mark O. Hatfield School of Government. She founded and directs National Education for Women’s Leadership Oregon, and she is the author of Abortion: A Documentary and Reference Guide (Greenwood Press, 2008) and Safe, Legal and Unavailable?: Abortion Politics in the United States (CQ Press, 2006). Contact 503-725-3137, rosem@pdx.edu.
• Dorothy E. McBride is emeritus professor of political science at Florida Atlantic University, where she was a founding member of the women’s studies faculty. She now resides in Washington state. Her books include Abortion in the United States (ABC-CLIO, 2007) and, as editor and contributing author, Abortion Politics, Women’s Movements and the Democratic State: A Comparative Study of State Feminism (Oxford University Press, 2001). Contact 253-503-6114, dmcbrid6@fau.edu.
• The Rev. Robert Spitzer is president of Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash. He wrote the book The Right to Life Movement and Third Party Politics (Greenwood Publishing Group, 1987). Contact 509-328-4200, president@gonzaga.edu.
• Ted G. Jelen is a professor of political science at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He has followed the role abortion politics plays in elections. He co-edited the book Abortion Politics in the United States: Studies in Public Opinion (Praeger, 1994) and co-wrote the book Between Two Absolutes: Public Opinion and the Politics of Abortion (Westview, 1992). Contact 702-895-3355, jelent@unlv.edu.
• 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. Contact 541-346-5903, jmohr@oregon.uoregon.edu.
• Carole Joffe is a sociology professor at the University of California, Davis. She wrote the article “Roe v Wade at 30: What are the Prospects of Abortion Provision,” for the journal Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health (January 2003). Contact 530-752-7747, cejoffe@ucdavis.edu.
• John E. Seery is a professor of politics at Pomona College in Pomona, Calif. He is an expert on abortion politics and wrote the article “Moral Perfectionism and Abortion Politics” for the journal Polity (2001). Contact 909-607-2458, John_Seery@pomona.edu.
