What about abortion gives it staying power as the central issue in domestic politics, even in the period of the worst economic situation since the Great Depression of the 1930s? This is a question well worth pursuing.
Although the clinic blockades of the 1980s and early 1990s, called "rescues" by anti-abortion activists, are fewer than they used to be thanks to 1994's Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act [FACE], the ever-present threat of violence remains a fact of life for providers.
The 39th anniversary of Roe v. Wade should be a day of celebration, but instead it's a time where we look across the landscape and realize that women's perception of themselves as free human beings is seriously challenged.
What's going on with the Texas ultrasound law? A representative of the Center for Reproductive Rights explains. More on the now three-way battle between Romney, Gingrich and Santorum.
One key reason for the success of state legislatures in restricting women's right to choose might be that the fight over abortion in the United States historically has been framed as an issue of privacy. And the right to privacy offers poor protection for what is also an issue of life, health, and—above all—discrimination.
Women received a small victory yesterday when the Obama administration announced that most employers will have to provide contraceptives at no cost to their employees. But the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops remain strong and determined to take away your rights.
Earlier this week, Washington Post columnist David Milbank leveled criticism at both sides of the debate over reproductive rights. He said the pro-choice crowd should “drop the sky-is-falling warnings about Roe and acknowledge that…not every compromise means a slippery slope to the back alley." Unfortunately, Milbank is being more than a little naïve.
