Representational government rests on a simple idea: that the laws the nation lives under generally reflect what the public wants. In the United States, few issues test that idea more than abortion.
‘Roe v. Wade’ Eroded the Church’s Historic Pro-Life Consensus
After the Supreme Court’s polarizing Roe v. Wade decision in 1973, the liberal Protestant organ, The Christian Century, sometimes expressed deep ethical concerns about freer access to abortion. Though generally supportive of the ruling, some of the magazine’s contributors were willing to express…
‘Pro-family’ policies may worsen American women’s maternal health
Christian groups that identify as “pro-family” say America’s declining birth rates are an urgent crisis, and they support President Trump’s efforts to spawn a “baby boom.” But policies promoted by these groups may actually make becoming mothers more difficult —…
3 years after abortion rights were overturned, contraception access is at risk
On June 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization eliminated a nearly 50-year constitutional right to abortion and returned the authority to regulate abortion to the states.
Roe v. Wade revisited
“At least six Texas children under 12 got abortions out of state in 2023,” according to an article by Taylor Goldenstein of the Houston Chronicle. “The number, possibly an undercount, underscores the effect of blocking the procedures for one of…
Women are dying due to vague abortion laws in states
Evidence is mounting that abortion bans are threatening the lives of mothers in states where the prohibitions are the strictest. Medical experts and pro-choice activists in states like Florida, Georgia and Texas say women are increasingly subjected to life-threatening health…
Strong majority of Americans favor in vitro fertilization, Gallup survey shows
Republican efforts to ban in vitro fertilization are way out of step with a major share of the U.S. population, according to new research. Gallup’s July 30 “Update on American Values” survey found 90% of Americans consider the use of…
Some evangelicals changed their minds on abortion bans after Roe was overturned
The largest decline in support for fully banning abortion after the U.S. Supreme overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022 was among evangelicals, political scientist Ryan Burge said in a recent “Graphs About Religion” report. The Substack post combines statistics from…
Reporters reveal power players and strategies that overturned Roe
Many Americans were caught off guard when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022. But for a group of committed Christian legal activists, the end of Roe was the fruit of a successful seven-year legislative and…
One year after Roe was overturned, states have a ‘hodgepodge of laws’
The U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24, 2022, ending half a century of broad abortion access. Since then, the battles have moved to the states, creating a multi-hued map one state official called a “hodgepodge of…
Life post-Roe: Is there middle ground between religious liberty and medical freedom?
This weekend marked the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Roe v. Wade, the court case that decriminalized abortion nationwide. But it was not the kind of anniversary celebration pro-choice advocates wanted to celebrate. Opponents of abortion,…
The costly victory of evangelicals and Catholics
Have evangelical leaders and Catholic bishops made a strategic blunder? When they decided the cultural war battlefield needed to be the Supreme Court, they engaged in a decades-long battle to have the Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade. In the…