I.

The Issue

1. Define Abortion

What is abortion?

-Abortion is the intentional termination of a pregnancy after conception. It allows women to put
an end to their pregnancies, but involves killing the undeveloped embryo or fetus.
-Abortion is the surgical or medical termination of a pregnancy. If you condense the subject of
abortion down to its central issue, you find that it is really about a womans right to decide what
to do with her own body. Should a woman be forced to give birth when she does not want to, or
cannot, carry a pregnancy to full term? Current laws say no, but they are being challenged in the
courts routinely. In the United States today, you have the right to decide your own destiny as a
woman. If you are faced with an unexpected, unplanned, or unwanted pregnancy, you should
know some important facts about abortion.

Whats the effect of it for the youth today?

Women choose to have abortions for many reasons. Some feel they are too young for the
responsibilities of parenthood. Some are not in a stable relationship or worry about being a single
parent. Some cannot afford a child, or do not want their lifes goals interrupted. Some are
concerned they will not be a good mother. Some pregnancies involve an unhealthy fetus, or one
with lethal anomalies.
Many of lifes decisions can be postponed for a period of time. One decision that cannot wait for
long is the difficult decision about whether or not to continue a pregnancy. This decision needs
to be made as soon as possible. It is helpful to talk with someone such as your parents, a close
friend, a minister, or other professional counselor in addition to your husband or boyfriend.
2. History of the issue

When does abortion started? (State the date)

HISTORY OF ABORTION
Over several centuries and in different cultures, there is a rich history of
women helping each other to abort. Until the late 1800s, women healers in
Western Europe and the U.S. provided abortions and trained other women
to do so, without legal prohibitions.
The State didn't prohibit abortion until the 19th century, nor did the
Church lead in this new repression. In 1803, Britain first passed
antiabortion laws, which then became stricter throughout the century. The
U.S. followed as individual states began to outlaw abortion. By 1880,
most abortions were illegal in the U.S., except those ``necessary to save
the life of the woman.'' But the tradition of women's right to early abortion
was rooted in U.S. society by then; abortionists continued to practice
openly with public support, and juries refused to convict them.

Abortion became a crime and a sin for several reasons. A trend of

humanitarian reform in the mid-19th century broadened liberal support for
criminalization, because at that time abortion was a dangerous procedure
done with crude methods, few antiseptics, and high mortality rates. But
this alone cannot explain the attack on abortion. For instance, other risky
surgical techniques were considered necessary for people's health and
welfare and were not prohibited. ``Protecting'' women from the dangers of
abortion was actually meant to control them and restrict them to their
traditional child-bearing role. Antiabortion legislation was part of an
antifeminist backlash to the growing movements for suffrage, voluntary
motherhood, and other women's rights in the 19th century. *For more
information, see Linda Gordon's Woman's Body, Woman's Right, rev. ed.
(New York: Penguin Books, 1990).
At the same time, male doctors were tightening their control over the
medical profession. Doctors considered midwives, who attended births
and performed abortions as part of their regular practice, a threat to their
own economic and social power. The medical establishment actively took
up the antiabortion cause in the second half of the 19th century as part of
its effort to eliminate midwives.
Finally, with the declining birth rate among whites in the late 1800s, the
U.S. government and the eugenics movement warned against the danger of
``race suicide'' and urged white, native-born women to reproduce. Budding
industrial capitalism relied on women to be unpaid household workers,
low-paid menial workers, reproducers, and socializers of the next
generation of workers. Without legal abortion, women found it more
difficult to resist the limitations of these roles.
Then, as now, making abortion illegal neither eliminated the need for
abortion nor prevented its practice. In the 1890s, doctors estimated that
there were two million abortions a year in the U.S. (compared with one
and a half million today). Women who are determined not to carry an
unwanted pregnancy have always found some way to try to abort. All too
often, they have resorted to dangerous, sometimes deadly methods, such
as inserting knitting needles or coat hangers into the vagina and uterus,
douching with dangerous solutions like lye, or swallowing strong drugs or
chemicals. The coat hanger has become a symbol of the desperation of
millions of women who have risked death to end a pregnancy. When these
attempts harmed them, it was hard for women to obtain medical treatment;
when these methods failed, women still had to find an abortionist.

Abortion is often presented as if it were new, cutting-edge,

scientific--a product of the modern era--when it is, in fact, as old
as recorded history.
The earliest known description of abortion comes from the Ebers
Papyrus (ca. 1550 BCE), an ancient Egyptian medical text drawn,
ostensibly, from records dating as far back as the third
millennium BCE. The Ebers Papyrus suggests that an abortion
can be induced with the use of a plant-fiber tampon coated with a
compound that included honey and crushed dates. Later herbal
abortifacients included the long-extinct silphium, the most prized
medicinal plant of the ancient world, andpennyroyal, which is
still sometimes used to induce abortions (but not safely, as it is
highly toxic). In Aristophanes' Lysistrata, Calonice refers to a
young woman as "well-cropped, and trimmed, and spruced with
pennyroyal."
Abortion is never explicitly mentioned in the Bible, but we know
that the ancient Egyptians, Persians, and Romans, among others,
would have practiced it during their respective eras. The absence
of any discussion of abortion in the Bible is conspicuous, and
later authorities attempted to close the gap. The Babylonian
Talmud (Niddah 23a) suggests a Jewish response, by a Rabbi
Meir, that would have been consistent with contemporaneous
secular sources permitting abortion during early pregnancy: "[A
woman] can only abort something in the shape of a stone, and
that can only be described as a lump." Chapter two of
the Didache, an early Christian text, prohibits all abortion, but
does so only within the context of a longer passage that also
condemns theft, covetousness, perjury, hypocrisy, and pride.
Abortion is never mentioned in the Qur'an, and later Muslim
scholars hold a range of views regarding the morality of the
practice - some holding that it is always unacceptable, others
holding that it is acceptable up to the 16th week of pregnancy.
The earliest legal ban on abortion dates from the 11th-century
BCE Code of Assura, and imposes the death penalty on married
women who procure abortions without the permission of their

husbands. We know that some regions of ancient Greece also had

some sort of ban on abortion, because there are fragments of
speeches from the ancient Greek lawyer-orator Lysias (445-380
BCE) in which he defends a woman accused of having an abortion
- but, much like the Code of Assura, it may have only applied in
cases where the husband had not granted permission for the
pregnancy to be terminated. The Hippocratic Oath forbade
physicians from inducing elective abortions (requiring that
physicians vow "not give to a woman a pessary to produce
abortion"), but Aristotle held that abortion was ethical if
performed during the first trimester of pregnancy, writing in
the Historia Animalium that there is a distinctive change that
takes place early in the second trimester:

About this period (the ninetieth day) the embryo begins to resolve into distinct parts, it
having hitherto consisted of a fleshlike substance without distinction of parts. What is
called effluxion is a destruction of the embryo within the first week, while abortion
occurs up to the fortieth day; and the greater number of such embryos as perish do so
within the space of these forty days.
As far as we know, surgical abortion was not common until the end of the 19th century-and would have been reckless prior to the invention of the Hegar dilator in 1879, which
made dilation-and-curettage (D&C) possible. But pharmaceutically-induced abortions,
different in function and similar in effect, were extremely common in the ancient world.
A brief history of abortion
In 1861, the Offences Against the Person Act made it illegal to supply or use any "poison or other noxious
thing" or to use "any instrument or other means" to cause a woman to miscarry. It outlawed abortion by
either the woman or any other person such as a doctor, nurse, midwife or pharmacist.
In 1938, Dr. Alec Bourne performed an abortion on a 14-year-old girl who claimed to have been raped by
soldiers. He gave himself up to the police, was charged with performing an illegal abortion, put on trial
and acquitted on the grounds that the girl would have become 'a mental wreck' if she had not had the
abortion. As a result of the Bourne case, more and more abortions began to be practised in Britain in
cases where the woman's physical or mental health was thought to be in danger, a loophole in the law
that was interpreted increasingly loosely. Dr Bourne became so concerned about the results of his action
that he became a founder member of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children.

In 1966, David Steel MP introduced the bill into parliament that became the 1967 Abortion Act.
Supporters of the Abortion Act claimed then that it was 'not the intention of the promoters of the bill to
leave a wide open door for abortion on request' although this is precisely what has happened. The
Abortion Act allowed abortion with the signature of two doctors, on the grounds that:
1. continuing the pregnancy would involve a greater risk to the physical or mental health of e
pregnant woman or her family than if the baby was born
2. there was a risk that the child would be disabled
Though no specific time limit was introduced by the Act, it referred to the Infant Life (Preservation) Act
1929 which said that no unborn child could be killed who was 'capable of being born alive'. This was
taken to be 28 weeks gestation.
In 1990, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act liberalised the abortion law even further, allowing
disabled babies to be aborted up until birth. Since then, doctors have cited disabilities such as spina bifida
and cleft palate as 'serious abnormalities' deserving late-term abortion.

1959
The American Law Institute (ALI) proposes a model penal code for state abortion laws. The code
advocates legalizing abortion for reasons including the mental or physical health of the mother,
pregnancy due to rape and incest, and fetal deformity.
1967
Apr. 25: Colorado Gov. John A. Love signs the first "liberalized" ALI-model abortion law in the
United States, allowing abortion in cases of permanent mental or physical disability of either the child
or mother or in cases of rape or incest. Similar laws are passed in California, Oregon, and North
Carolina.
1970
Apr. 11: New York allows abortion on demand up to the 24th week of pregnancy, as Gov. Nelson A.
Rockefeller signs a bill repealing the state's 1830 law that banned abortion after quickening except to
save a woman's life. Similar laws are passed in Alaska, Hawaii, and Washington state.
1971
Apr. 21: The U.S. Supreme Court rules on its first case involving abortion inUnited States v. Vuitch,
upholding a District of Columbia law permitting abortion only to preserve a woman's life or "health."
However, the Court makes it clear that by "health" it means "psychological and physical well-being,"
effectively allowing abortion for any reason.
1972

By year's end a total of 13 states have an ALI-type law. Four states allow abortion on demand.
Mississippi allows abortion for rape and incest [1966] while Alabama allows abortion for the mother's
physical health [1954]. However, 31 states allow abortion only to save the mother's life.
New York repeals its 1970 abortion law but Gov. Rockefeller vetoes the repeal.
1973
Jan. 22: The U.S. Supreme Court issues its ruling in Roe v. Wade, finding that a "right of privacy" it
had earlier discovered was "broad enough to encompass" a right to abortion and adopting a
trimester scheme of pregnancy. In the first trimester, a state could enact virtually no regulation. In
the second trimester, the state could enact some regulation, but only for the purpose of protecting
maternal "health." In the third trimester, after viability, a state could ostensibly "proscribe" abortion,
provided it made exceptions to preserve the life and "health" of the woman seeking abortion. Issued
on the same day, Doe v. Boltondefines "health" to mean "all factors" that affect the woman, including
"physican, emotional, psychological, familial, and the woman's age."
May 14: The National Right to Life Committee is incorporated.
June: The first NRLC Convention is held in Detroit, gathering activists from pro-life groups around
the nation to form what has become the largest pro-life organization in the United States.
Nov. 1: The first issue of NRL News is published.
1974
Jan. 22: The first March for Life is held in Washington, D.C., on the west steps of the Capitol.
Thousands of pro-lifers have attended the March for Life every year on the anniversary of the Roe v.
Wade decision.
Nov. 6: Pro-life Sen. Bob Dole (R-Ks.) is elected in the first major statewide political battle after
the Roe v. Wade decision. Dole, with the help of newly formed groups of pro-life activists, defeats
Congressman William Roy, a doctor who performed abortions.
1975
Feb. 15: Boston abortionist Kenneth C. Edelin is found guilty of manslaughter for the death of an
unborn child. (See also Dec. 17, 1976.)
Mar. 10: The first Human Life Amendment is introduced in the U.S. Senate by Sens. James L.
Buckley (Cons.-NY) and Jesse Helms (R-NC).
1976

Apr. 28: The U.S. Senate conducts a "test vote" on the Human Life Amendment. The amendment
draws 40 votes. A two-thirds vote (67 senators) is needed to approve a constitutional amendment.
June 28: The first Hyde Amendment, sponsored by Rep. Henry Hyde (R-Il.), is approved by the U.S.
House. The amendment to the Department of Health and Human Services appropriations bill
prohibits Medicaid funding of abortions with narrow exceptions.
July 1: In Planned Parenthood of Central Missouri v. Danforth, the court rejected a parental consent
requirement and decided that (married) fathers had no rights in the abortion decision. Furthermore,
the Court struck down Missouris effort to ban the saline amniocentesis abortion procedure.
Dec. 17: The manslaughter conviction of abortionist Edelin is overturned by the Massachusetts
Superior Judicial Court, which rules that legal abortions are manslaughter only if the baby is
definitely alive outside the mother's body.
1977
Feb.: Mission Possible is launched - - a project of Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life, an NRLC
state affiliate, to provide organizational development assistance and matching grant "seed" money
for developing state right to life groups, primarily in the Southeastern United States.
June 20: In Maher v. Roe, Beal v. Doe, and Poelker v. Doe, the U.S. Supreme Court holds that
federal and state governments are under no obligation to fund abortion in public assistance
programs, even if childbirth expenses are paid for indigent women and even if the abortion is
deemed to be "medically necessary."
July: NRLC Pro-Life Legal Action Project is initiated to provide and fund the legal defense for pro-life
legislation and to seek affirmative legal action to obtain the judicial implementation of pro-life goals.
1979
June: A major pro-life book is released. Dr. Bernard Nathanson, the National Abortion Rights Action
League cofounder who renounced the pro-abortion movement, publishes Aborting America, which
exposes the lies used by abortion supporters in their quest to overturn legislation protecting unborn
children.
Sept. 15-16: National Right to Life PAC is organized.
1980
Jan. 10: NRLC files a friend-of-the-court brief with the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of the Hyde
Amendment.

June 30: In Harris v. McRae, the U.S. Supreme Court upholds the Hyde Amendment, ruling that
there is no constitutional right for women to receive abortions at public expense.
Nov. 4: Republican pro-life candidates Ronald Reagan and George Bush defeat pro-abortion
President Jimmy Carter and Vice President Walter Mondale. In addition, a remarkable 11 Senate
seats switched from the pro-abortion column to the pro-life column. It is the first year NRL PAC is
involved in elections.
1981
Mar. 23: In H.L. v. Matheson, the U.S. Supreme Court approves a Utah parental notification law.
The law requires an abortionist to notify the parents of a minor girl who is still living at home as her
parent's dependent when an abortion is scheduled.
July 9: A U.S. Senate subcommittee approves a bill sponsored by Sen. Helms designed to
challenge Roe v. Wade. (See also Sept. 15, 1982.)
Dec. 16: A U.S. Senate subcommittee approves a constitutional amendment proposed by Sen. Orrin
Hatch (R-Utah) declaring that the Constitution secures no right to abortion. (See also Sept. 15,
1982.)
1982
Mar. 10: The Senate Judiciary Committee approves the Hatch Amendment, which would give the
states and Congress joint authority to regulate abortion.
Mar. 27-28: NRLC Board of Directors adopts a resolution supporting the Hatch Amendment, the
Human Life Bill, and the NRLC Unity Amendment.
April.: French researcher Dr. Etienne-Emile Beaulieu of Roussel Uclaf announces that a test was
conducted using the abortifacient RU 486 to abort 11 women.
Sept. 15: The Helms bill to challenge Roe v. Wade is blocked by a pro-abortion filibuster in the U.S.
Senate.
1983
June 15: In Akron v. Akron Center for Reproductive Health, the U.S. Supreme Court strikes down
state requirements that abortions performed after the first trimester be done in a hospital, women's
right to know laws, and waiting periods after information is provided to the woman seeking abortion
before she can consent to an abortion. However, the Court rules that states may insist that only
licensed physicians perform abortions.
June 28: The U.S. Senate rejects the Eagleton-Hatch Amendment, which declared "a right to an
abortion is not secured by the Constitution," by a vote of 49-50. A two-thirds vote is required to pass
a constitutional amendment.

Nov. 10: The U.S. Congress approves the Ashbrook Amendment, barring the use of federal
employees health benefits program to pay for abortions, except for the life of the mother.
1984
June 17: The Reagan Administration announces the "Mexico City Policy," denying funds to foreign
organizations that "perform or actively promote abortion as a method of family planning in other
nations."
Nov. 6: Pro-life President Reagan is reelected, defeating the pro-abortion Democratic ticket of
former Vice President Walter Mondale and Rep. Geraldine Ferraro.
1985
Jan. 7: Pro-Life Perspective, NRLC's daily radio program, is first aired.
June: National Teens for Life is founded.
July 10: U.S. House reaffirms the Mexico City Policy by a 45-vote margin. The Kemp/Kasten
Amendment is also enacted, denying U.S. population-assistance funds to "any organization or
program which, as determined by the President, supports or participates in the management of a
program of coercive abortion or involuntary sterilization."
July 15: U.S. Justice Department files a friend-of-the-court brief in the Thornburgh case urging the
Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade.
1986
June 11: In Thornburgh v. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the U.S. Supreme
Court strikes down state laws mandating that an abortionist use the method most likely to allow the
child to be born alive in post-viability abortions. It also strikes down women's right to know laws and
a waiting period after information is provided to the woman seeking abortion before she can consent
to an abortion.
Sept. 17: Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Ma.) and other leading pro-abortion senators fail in an attempt to
block President Reagan's promotion of Associate Justice William Rehnquist to chief justice. Antonin
Scalia is confirmed to replace Rehnquist as an associate justice.
1987
July 30: President Reagan announces at a meeting of pro-life activists that "a program which does
provide counseling and referral for abortion services as a method of family planning will not be
eligible for Title 10 funds."

Aug. 25: President Reagan appoints a federal task force to encourage adoption as an alternative to
abortion.
Oct. 23: Nomination of pro-life Judge Robert Bork to the U.S. Supreme Court is rejected by the U.S.
Senate, 58-42. Pro-abortion groups conducted a fierce campaign, which resulted in his defeat. This
seat ultimately went to Anthony Kennedy, who voted to reaffirm the core holdings of Roe in 1992.
1988
March.: The Reagan Administration issues a moratorium on new federally funded fetal tissue
transplant research.
July 2: The U.S. District Court in New York upholds the constitutionality of Reagan Administration
regulations barring Title 10 programs from involvement in abortion.
Sept. 23: The French government approves licensing of RU 486 for use in the country.
Sept. 26: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issues an "Import Bulletin" banning the
importation of RU 486 for personal use.
Sept. 30: The U.S. Senate passes an amendment to the District of Columbia appropriations bill to
bar D.C. from paying for abortions or performing abortions in its city-operated hospital. Since the
U.S. House had already passed the amendment, it goes into effect immediately.
Oct. 29: The French government orders Roussel Uclaf to reverse its Oct. 27 decision to halt
distribution of RU 486.
Nov. 8: Pro-life Republican candidates Vice President George Bush and Dan Quayle defeat proabortion Democratic candidates Michael Dukakis and Lloyd Bentsen.
1989
Apr. 9: Pro-abortion supporters hold a rally in Washington, D.C. Although the media reported
attendance at 300,000, a Park Police captain told congressmen he would have estimated between
75,000 and 85,000.
July 3: In Webster v. Reproductive Health Services, the U.S. Supreme Court, upholding portions of
a Missouri law, finds that the federal Constitution does not require government to make public
facilities such as hospitals available for use in performing abortions.
Nov. 17: The so-called "Freedom of Choice Act" is introduced for the first time in the U.S. House by
Rep. Don Edwards (D-Ca.) and in the U.S. Senate by Sen. Alan Cranston (D-Ca.). (See also Mar. 5,
1992; June 30, 1993.)

Nov. 18: Pennsylvania Gov. Robert Casey signs the Abortion Control Act. (See also June 29, 1992.)
Nov. 22: President Bush vetoes a foreign aid appropriations bill because it contains the Mikulski
Amendment, which would have restored funding to the UNFPA, an organization that played a key
role in China's coercive population-control program. This program violates the 1985 Kemp-Kasten
Amendment, which denied U.S. "population assistance" to any organization that "supports or
participates in the management of a program of coerced abortion or involuntary sterilization."
1990
Mar. 7: A federal court in New York dismisses Planned Parenthood's lawsuit challenging the Mexico
City Policy.
Mar. 30: Idaho Gov. Cecil Andrus vetoes a law that would have prohibited the use of abortion as a
means of birth control.
Apr. 28: Over 300,000 pro-lifers flock to Washington, D.C., for the NRLC-organized Rally for Life
May 22: The Washington Post reports that Roussel Uclaf has changed its policy and will market RU
486 outside France.
June 25: In Ohio v. Akron Center for Reproductive Health, the U.S. Supreme Court upholds a oneparent notification requirement with a judicial bypass procedure. The Court also rules, in Hodgson v.
Minnesota, that a two-parent notification law with a judicial bypass is constitutional.
June 26: In a letter to key U.S. House leaders, President Bush restates his commitment to both the
Kemp/Kasten Amendment and the "Mexico City" policy, which cut off U.S. aid to organizations that
promote the legalization and utilization of abortion in foreign nations.
June 27: U.S. House rejects a proposal to fund two organizations that promote abortion in lessdeveloped nations by a vote of 224-198.
July 1-4: "Abortion and the Media," a four-part Los Angeles Times series by David Shaw,
documents the widespread pro-abortion media bias.
Aug. 1: The AFL-CIO Executive Council rejects a proposal for the union to abandon its traditional
neutrality on abortion and take a pro-abortion stance.
1991
Jan. 25: The French Council of State rules that the government did not have the authority to force
Roussel Uclaf to resume distribution of RU 486. The decision removes Roussel's excuse that it had
no choice but to continue distributing the drug.

May 23: In Rust v. Sullivan, the U.S. Supreme Court upholds the Bush Administration's regulations
that prohibit routine counseling and referral for abortion in 4,000 clinics that receive federal Title Ten
family planning funds. [In November, President Bush vetoes a $205 billion health and human
services appropriations bill because it includes a provision that would have blocked enforcement of
the pro-life regulations; the veto is sustained by a 12-vote margin.]
June 3: In a letter to House Speaker Thomas Foley, President Bush vows, AI will veto any
legislation that weakens current law or existing regulations" pertaining to abortion.
June 18: The Louisiana legislature overrides Gov. Buddy Romer's veto of a law protecting unborn
children from abortion in all cases other than when the life of the mother is at stake or in cases of
rape or incest. (See also Mar. 8, 1993.)
July 1: President Bush nominates Judge Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court. (See also Oct.
15, 1991.)
Oct. 15: The U.S. Senate confirms the nomination of pro-life Judge Thomas to the Supreme Court
by a vote of 52-48.
Oct. 25: Ana Rosa Rodriguez survives a third-trimester abortion attempt by New York City
abortionist Abu Hayat, but is born with one arm severed at the shoulder. (See also Feb. 22, 1993.)
Nov.: Threat of Bush veto maintains the Reagan-era ban on the performance of abortion on U.S.
military bases, except to save the mother's life.
1992
Feb.: Bush Administration threatens to veto legislation that would require federal funding of research
that encourages or depends on abortion, including transplantation of tissue harvested from aborted
babies.
Mar. 5: President Bush vows that the radically pro-abortion Freedom of Choice Act "will not become
law as long as I am President of the United States."
June 29: In Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the U.S. Supreme Court reaffirms the core holdings
of Roe but modifies it by discarding the trimester scheme, upholding certain restrictions on abortion,
and adopting the "undue burden" test of abortion laws that requires opponents of an abortion
regulation to prove the provision would create an "undue burden" on a woman's right to abortion in
order for it to be declared unconstitutional. The vote is 6-3.
July 13: The U.S. House sustains President Bush's veto of a bill to require federal funding for
transplanting tissue taken from aborted babies by a narrow 14-vote margin.

Sept. 13: A gruesome abortion technique is described by abortionist Martin Haskell at a National
Abortion Foundation seminar. The technique, later called "partial-birth abortion" by Congress,
involves the abortionist delivering all but the head of a baby from her mother's womb, piercing the
skull, and suctioning out the brain, then completing the delivery.
Nov. 3: Pro-abortion Democratic candidates Gov. Bill Clinton and Sen. Al Gore defeat pro-life
President George Bush and Vice President Dan Quayle.
1993
Jan. 22: President Clinton reverses years of pro-life progress by issuing five executive orders
reversing Title 10 regulations banning abortion referral by federal employees, repealing the Mexico
City Policy restricting federal funding of international organizations that work to reverse countries'
abortion laws, negating the ban on funding for fetal tissue transplants, ordering military hospitals to
perform abortions, and asking the FDA to "review" the import ban on RU 486.
Feb. 22: Abortionist Abu Hayat is convicted of assault and illegal abortion for his attempt to kill Ana
Rosa Rodriguez by abortion.
Mar. 8: The U.S. Supreme Court refuses to hear an appeal of a lower court ruling striking down
Louisiana's protective abortion law.
Apr. 14: The Los Angeles Times reports that the Clintons plan to include coverage for elective
abortion in their massive health care plan that they intend to propose to Congress later in the year.
(See also Sept. 26, 1994.)
May 12: NRL News reports that all obstetrics staff at U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force hospitals in
Europe are unwilling to perform abortions, despite President Clinton's executive order authorizing
them to do so.
June 18: Pro-lifers demonstrate against RU 486 at sites across the United States.
June 30: The U.S. House renews the Hyde Amendment by an 85-vote margin. An NRLC-led
lobbying campaign defeats the so-called "Freedom of Choice Act," a proposed federal statute to
invalidate even the narrow types of state abortion regulations permitted by the Supreme Court.
Nov. 22: The Clinton Administration announces that the International Planned Parenthood
Federation will receive $75 million over the next five years.
Dec. 28: The Clinton Administration faxes a letter to every state's Medicaid director ordering the
states to change their laws and provide payments for abortions when an abortionist reports that a
pregnancy resulted from rape or incest.
1994

Jan.: The American Council of Obstetricians and Gynecologists' Executive Board becomes the first
national doctors' organization to endorse training non-physicians to perform abortions.
Feb. 3: Mother Teresa speaks at the National Prayer Breakfast in front of Bill and Hillary Clinton,
saying "the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion."
Apr. 20: First annual "Proudly Pro-Life" Awards Banquet is held in New York City.
May 15: Roussel Uclaf donates U.S. patent rights for RU 486 to the Population Council.
June 30: In Madsen v. Women's Center Inc., the U.S. Supreme Court says judges may create buffer
zones to keep pro-life demonstrators away from abortion clinics.
Sept. 26: Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell (D-Me.) announces that the Clinton Health Care
Plan will not be introduced in the U.S. Senate in the current session. A massive public education and
lobbying campaign, led by NRLC, contributes heavily to the ultimate defeat of the Clinton proposal to
force all Americans into a national health system that would ration lifesaving care and pay for
abortion on demand.
Oct. 27: The Population Council announces that testing of RU 486 is underway in the United States.
Nov. 8: In nationwide congressional elections, not a single pro-life member of Congress, of either
party, is defeated by a pro-abortion challenger. Republicans take over majority control of both
houses of Congress. Pro-lifers pick up six votes in the Senate and about 40 in the House.
1995
Mar. 30: Pope John Paul II publishes the encyclical The Gospel of Life, a call to commitment and
action in defense of human life.
June: National College Students for Life is founded.
June 14: Rep. Charles Canady (R-Fl.) introduces the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act in the U.S.
House of Representatives.
Aug. 10: Norma McCorvey, the "Jane Roe" of Roe v. Wade, tells a nationwide audience
on Nightline that she rejects abortion and the pro-abortion movement and now supports the right to
life of unborn children. She had already revealed that this pregnancy was not the product of a rape - as she had previously contended - - showing that Roe had been built on a lie.
Aug. 18: NRLC launches its web site at www.nrlc.org.
Aug. 22: Abortionist David Benjamin is convicted of second-degree murder in the botched-abortion
death of Guadalupe Negron. He is the first New York abortionist to be convicted of murder.

Nov. 1: The U.S. House passes the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, the first federal bill since Roe v.
Wade to ban one type of abortion, with a vote of 288-139.
Dec. 7: The U.S. Senate passes the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, 54-44.
1996
Apr. 10: President Clinton issues his first veto of the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act.
May 2: A new federal law is enacted to protect medical training programs and personnel from being
forced to participate in performing or training in the performance of abortions. President Clinton
reluctantly signs the measure as part of an omnibus spending bill.
July 19: The Food and Drug Administration's Reproductive Health Advisory Committee
recommends that the FDA approve marketing of RU 486 for women up to 49 days pregnant.
Sept. 11: Planned Parenthood announces the FDA authorized a nationwide abortion study of
methotrexate and misoprostol, another abortifacient combination.
Sept. 18: The FDA declares RU 486 Approvable," although it asks the Population Council to provide
more information on "labeling and manufacturing practices" before the drug can be marketed.
Nov. 5: Pro-abortion President Clinton and Vice President Gore defeat the pro-life Republican ticket
of Bob Dole and Jack Kemp.
1997
Jan.: The PBS documentary program Media Matters documents pervasive pro-abortion bias and
distortion in major media coverage of the partial-birth abortion debate.
Feb.: Ron Fitzsimmons, head of the National Coalition of Abortion Providers, tells journalists he "lied
through my teeth" in claiming that partial-birth abortions were performed very rarely and only for
extraordinary medical reasons, explaining that he had just "spouted the party line" developed by
leaders of other pro-abortion groups.
Mar. 20: The House passes the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act by a veto-proof margin of 295-136.
Apr. 8: Hoechst AG announces it is ceasing all future production, marketing, and distribution of RU
486. Instead, it says it is transferring all rights to the abortifacient in the U.S. to the Population
Council and worldwide to Edouard Sakiz, former Roussel Uclaf president.
May 20: The American Medical Association's Board of Trustees endorses the Partial-Birth Abortion
Ban Act.

May 21: The U.S. Senate, in its second attempt, passes the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act 64-36,
three votes short of the majority needed to override President Clinton's expected veto.
June 16: The U.S. Supreme Court upholds a Montana law that requires that abortions be performed
only by physicians, not their assistants.
Oct. 10: President Clinton again vetoes the ban on partial-birth abortions.
Dec. 8: Fortune magazine declares NRLC the 10th "most powerful" public interest group in the
country. The pro-abortion National Abortion and Reproduction Rights Action League is only No. 43
and Planned Parenthood ranks 65th
1998
Feb. 12: Sen. Spencer Abraham (R-Mi.) introduces the Child Custody Protection Act into the U.S.
Senate, which would make it illegal for adults to transport minors across state lines for an abortion if
that action would circumvent the parental involvement law of a state.
Apr. 1: Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fl.) introduces the Child Custody Protection Act into the U.S.
House of Representatives.
Apr. 30: Results of a U.S. trial of RU 486 are published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The Population Council declares the drug "safe" downplaying the serious complications suffered by
many women.

a. 2000 B.C. Hittites (The Hittite Laws ss.17)

"If anyone caused a free woman to miscarry if (it is) the 10th month, he shall give 10
shekels of silver, if (it is) the 5th, he shall give 5 shekels and pledge his estate as
security." Later Version: "If anyone causes a free woman to miscarry, he shall give 20
shekels of silver."
ca. 1792 B.C. - 1750 B.C. Hammurabi, a Babylonian Ruler (Code of Hammurabi
ss.209)
"If a seignior struck a (nother) seigniors daughter and has caused her to have a
miscarriage, he shall pay ten shekels of silver for her fetus...If by a blow he has caused a
commoners daughter to have a miscarriage, he shall pay five shekels of silver."
ca. 150 A.D. The Didache (2:2)
"You shall not slay a child by abortions."
160 A.D. - 230 A.D. Tertullian

Called abortion "homocidium" (murder, manslaughter)

ca. 177 A.D. Athenagoras (Supplicatio 35)
Said the embryo is already a human being and the object of divine love and providence.
1483 - 1546 A.D. Martin Luther
When a child is conceived the soul is created together with the body.
1965 - June 7:
Griswold v. Connecticut - The Supreme Court rules that the U.S. Constitution protects a
"right to privacy." The case involves a Connecticut law that prohibited the use of
contraceptives. By a vote of 7-2, the Supreme Court invalidates the law on the grounds
that it violated the "right to marital privacy."
1967 - April 25:
Colorado Gov. John A. Love signs the first "liberalized" ALI-model abortion law in the
United States, allowing abortion in cases of permanent mental or physical disability of
either the child or mother or in cases of rape or incest. Similar laws are passed in
California, Oregon, and North Carolina.
1970 - April 11:
New York allows abortion on demand up to the 24th week of pregnancy, as Gov. Nelson
A. Rockefeller signs a bill repealing the states 1830 law that banned abortion after
quickening except to save a womans life. Similar laws are passed in Alaska, Hawaii, and
Washington state.
1971 - April 21:
The U.S. Supreme Court rules on its first case involving abortion in United States v.
Vuitch, upholding a District of Columbia law that permits abortion only to preserve a
womans life or "health." However, the Court makes it clear that by "health" it means
"psychological and physical well-being," effectively allowing abortion for any reason.
1973 - January 22:
The U.S. Supreme Court issues its ruling in Roe v. Wade, finding that a "right of privacy"
it had earlier discovered was "broad enough to encompass" a right to abortion and
adopting a trimester scheme of pregnancy. In the first trimester, a state could enact
virtually no regulation. In the second trimester, the state could enact some regulation, but

only for the purpose of protecting maternal "health." In the third trimester, after viability, a
state could ostensibly "proscribe" abortion, provided it made exceptions to preserve the
life and "health" of the woman seeking abortion. Issued on the same day, Doe v.
Bolton defines "health" to mean "all factors" that affect the woman, including "physical,
emotional, psychological, familial, and the womans age."
1975 - February 15:
Boston abortionist Kenneth C. Edelin is found guilty of manslaughter for the death of an
unborn child (see also Dec. 17, 1976).
1975 - March 10:
The first Human Life Amendment is introduced in the U.S. Senate by Sens. James L.
Buckley (Cons.-NY) and Jesse Helms (R-NC).
1976 - April 28:
The U.S. Senate conducts a "test vote" on the Human Life Amendment. The amendment
draws 40 votes. A two-thirds vote (67 senators) is needed to approve a constitutional
amendment.
1976 - June 28:
The first Hyde Amendment, sponsored by Rep. Henry Hyde (R-IL), is approved by the
U.S. House. The amendment to the Department of Health and Human Services
appropriations bill prohibits Medicaid funding of abortions with narrow exceptions.
1976 - July 1:
In Planned Parenthood of Central Missouri v. Danforth, the U.S. Supreme Court strikes
down a Missouri law that banned the use of saline amniocentesis as an abortion method
and that obliged a married woman seeking an abortion to obtain her husbands consent.
The Court also holds that states could require a minor to obtain consent of one parent
before obtaining an abortion, but the law must contain a "judicial bypass" option for
minors who do not wish to obtain parental consent.
1976 - December 17:
The manslaughter conviction of abortionist Edelin is overturned by the Massachusetts
Superior Judicial Court which rules that legal abortions are manslaughter only if the baby
is definitely alive outside the mothers body.

1977 - June 20:

In Maher v. Roe, Beal v. Doe, and Poelker v. Doe, the U.S. Supreme Court holds that
federal and state governments are under no obligation to fund abortion in public
assistance programs, even if childbirth expenses are paid for indigent women and even if
the abortion is deemed to be "medically necessary."
1980 - June 30:
In Harris v. McRae, the U.S. Supreme Court upholds the Hyde Amendment, ruling that
there is no constitutional right for women to receive abortions at public expense.
1981 - March 23:
In H.L. v. Matheson, the U.S. Supreme Court approves a Utah parental notification law.
The law requires an abortionist to notify the parents of a minor girl who is still living at
home as her parents dependent when an abortion is scheduled.
1982 - April:
French researcher Dr. Etienne-Emile Beaulieu of Roussel Uclaf announces that a test
was conducted using the abortifacient RU 486 to abort 11 babies.
1983 - June 15:
In Akron v. Akron Center for Reproductive Health, the U.S. Supreme Court strikes down
state requirements that abortions performed after the first trimester be done in a hospital,
womens right to know laws, and waiting periods after information is provided to the
woman seeking abortion before she can consent to an abortion. However, the Court
rules that states may insist that only licensed physicians perform abortions.
1983 - November 10:
The U.S. Congress approves the Ashbrook Amendment barring the use of federal
employees health benefits program to pay for abortions, except for the life of the mother.
1984 - June 17:
The Reagan Administration announces the "Mexico City Policy," denying funds to foreign
organizations that "perform or actively promote abortion as a method of family planning
in other nations."
1985 - July 10:

U.S. House reaffirms the Mexico City Policy by a 45-vote margin. The Kemp-Kasten
Amendment is also enacted, denying U.S. population-assistance funds to "any
organization or program which, as determined by the President, supports or participates
in the management of a program of coercive abortion or involuntary sterilization."
1986 - June 11:
In Thornburgh v. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the U.S.
Supreme Court strikes down state laws mandating that an abortionist use the method
most likely to allow the child to be born alive in post-viability abortions. It also strikes
down womens right to know laws and a waiting period after information is provided to
the woman seeking abortion before she can consent to an abortion.
1987 - July 30:
President Reagan announces at a meeting of pro-life activists that "a program which
does provide counseling and referral for abortion services as a method of family planning
will not be eligible for Title 10 funds."
1987 - August 25:
President Reagan appoints a federal task force to encourage adoption as an alternative
to abortion.
1987 - October 23:
Nomination of pro-life Judge Robert Bork to the U.S. Supreme Court is rejected by the
U.S. Senate, 58-42. Pro-abortion groups conduct a fierce campaign, which results in his
defeat. This seat ultimately goes to Anthony Kennedy, who votes to reaffirm the core
holdings ofRoe in 1992.
1988 - March:
The Reagan Administration issues a moratorium on new federally-funded fetal tissue
transplant research.
1988 - September 23:
The French government approves licensing of RU 486 for use in the country.
1988 - September 26:
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issues an "Import Bulletin" banning the
importation of RU 486 for personal use.

1988 - September 30:

The U.S. Senate passes an amendment to the District of Columbia appropriations bill to
bar D.C. from paying for abortions or performing abortions in its city-operated hospital.
Since the U.S. House had already passed the amendment, it goes into effect
immediately.
1988 - October 29:
The French government orders Roussel Uclaf to reverse its October 27 decision to halt
distribution of RU 486.
1989 - July 3:
In Webster v. Reproductive Health Services, the U.S. Supreme Court, upholding portions
of a Missouri law, finds that the federal Constitution does not require the government to
make public facilities such as hospitals available for use in performing abortions.
1989 - November 17:
The so-called "Freedom of Choice Act" is introduced for the first time in the U.S. House
by Rep. Don Edwards (D-CA) and in the U.S. Senate by Sen. Alan Cranston (D-CA).
1989 - November 22:
President Bush vetoes a foreign aid appropriations bill because it contains the Mikulski
Amendment, which would have restored funding to the UNFPA, an organization that
played a key role in Chinas coercive population-control program. This program violates
the 1985 Kemp-Kasten Amendment, which denied U.S. "population assistance" to any
organization that "supports or participates in the management of a program of coerced
abortion or involuntary sterilization."
1990 - June 25:
In Ohio v. Akron Center for Reproductive Health, the U.S. Supreme Court upholds a oneparent notification requirement with a judicial bypass procedure. The Court also rules,
in Hodgson v. Minnesota, that a two-parent notification law with a judicial bypass is
constitutional.
1990 - June 26:

In a letter to key U.S. House leaders, President Bush restates his commitment to both
the Kemp/Kasten Amendment and the "Mexico City" policy, which cut off U.S. aid to
organizations that promote the legalization and utilization of abortion in foreign nations.
1991 - January 25:
The French Council of State rules that the government did not have the authority to force
Roussel Uclaf to resume distribution of RU 486. The decision removes Roussels excuse
that it had no choice but to continue distributing the drug.
1991 - May 23:
In Rust v. Sullivan, the U.S. Supreme Court upholds the Bush Administrations
regulations that prohibit routine counseling and referral for abortion in 4,000 clinics that
receive federal Title X family planning funds.
1991 - October 25:
Ana Rosa Rodriguez survives a third-trimester abortion attempt by New York City
abortionist Abu Hayat, but is born with one arm severed at the shoulder (see also
February 22, 1993).
1991 - November:
Threat of Bush veto maintains the Reagan-era ban on the performance of abortion on
U.S. military bases, except to save the mothers life.
1992 - June 29:
In Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the U.S. Supreme Court reaffirms the core holdings
of Roe but modifies it by discarding the trimester scheme, upholding certain restrictions
on abortion, and adopting the "undue burden" test of abortion laws that requires
opponents of an abortion regulation to prove the provision would create an "undue
burden" on a womans right to abortion in order for it to be declared unconstitutional. The
vote is 6-3.
1992 - September 13:
A gruesome abortion technique is described by abortionist Martin Haskell at a National
Abortion Foundation seminar. The technique, later called "partial-birth abortion" by
Congress, involves the abortionist delivering all but the head of a baby from her mothers
womb, piercing the skull, and suctioning out the brain, then completing the delivery.

1993 - January 22:

President Clinton reverses years of pro-life progress by issuing five executive orders
reversing Title X regulations banning abortion referrals by federal employees, repealing
the Mexico City Policy restricting federal funding of international organizations that work
to reverse countries abortion laws, negating the ban on funding for fetal tissue
transplants, ordering military hospitals to perform abortions, and asking the FDA to
"review" the import ban on RU 486.
1993 - February 22:
Abortionist Abu Hayat is convicted of assault and illegal abortion for his attempt to kill
Ana Rosa Rodriguez by abortion.
1993 - November 22:
The Clinton Administration announces that the International Planned Parenthood
Federation will receive $75 million over the next five years.
1993 - December 28:
The Clinton Administration faxes a letter to each states Medicaid director ordering the
states to change their laws and provide payments for abortions when an abortionist
reports that a pregnancy resulted from rape or incest.
1994 - January:
The American Council of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Executive Board becomes the
first national doctors organization to endorse training non-physicians to perform
abortions.
1994 - May 15:
Roussel Uclaf donates U.S. patent rights for RU 486 to the Population Council.
1994 - June 30:
In Madsen v. Womens Center Inc., the U.S. Supreme Court says judges may create
buffer zones to keep pro-life demonstrators away from abortion clinics.
1994 - October 27:
The Population Council announces that testing of RU 486 is underway in the United
States.

1995 - June 14:

Rep. Charles Canady (R-FL) introduces the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act in the U.S.
House of Representatives.
1995 - August 10:
Norma McCorvey, the "Jane Roe" of Roe v. Wade, tells a nationwide audience
on Nightline that she rejects abortion and the pro-abortion movement and now supports
the right to life of unborn children. She had already revealed that this pregnancy was not
the product of a rape --- as she had previously contended --- showing that Roe was built
on a lie.
1995 - November 1:
The U.S. House passes the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, the first federal bill since Roe
v. Wade to ban one type of abortion. The vote was 288-139.
1995 - December 7:
The U.S. Senate passes the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, 54-44.
1996 - April 10:
President Clinton issues his first veto of the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act.
1996 - May 2:
A new federal law is enacted to protect medical training programs and personnel from
being forced to participate in performing or training in the performance of abortions.
President Clinton reluctantly signs the measure as part of an omnibus spending bill.
1996 - September 18:
The FDA declares RU 486 "approvable," although it asks the Population Council to
provide more information on "labeling and manufacturing practices" before the drug can
be marketed.
1997 - February:
Ron Fitzsimmons, head of the National Coalition of Abortion Providers, tells journalists
he "lied through my teeth" in claiming that partial-birth abortions were performed very
rarely and only for extraordinary medical reasons, explaining that he had just "spouted
the party line" developed by leaders of other pro-abortion groups.

1997 - April 8:
Hoechst AG announces it is ceasing all future production, marketing, and distribution of
RU 486. Instead, it says it is transferring all rights to the abortifacient in the U.S. to the
Population Council and worldwide to Edouard Sakiz, former Roussel Uclaf president.
1997 - June 16:
The U.S. Supreme Court upholds a Montana law that requires that abortions be
performed only by physicians, not their assistants.
1997 - October 10:
President Clinton again vetoes the ban on partial-birth abortions.
1998 - February 12:
Senator Spencer Abraham (R-MI) introduces the Child Custody Protection Act into the
U.S. Senate, which would make it illegal for adults to transport minors across state lines
for an abortion if that action would circumvent the parental involvement law of a state.
1998 - April 30:
Results of a U.S. trial of RU 486 are published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The Population Council declares the drug "safe," downplaying the serious complications
suffered by many women.
1999 - December:
A new report from Northeastern University in Boston shows that, rather than
overpopulation, the real problem is just the opposite: underpopulation. Birthrates have
fallen so dramatically in the northeastern United States that, for the first time, New
England is dependent on foreign immigrants to sustain its workforce.
2000 - June 28:
In Stenberg v. Carhart, the Supreme Court votes 5-4 to strike down Nebraskas law
banning the late-term abortion procedure. The justices say the law, similar to those in 29
other states, imposes an "undue burden" on womens right to end their pregnancies,
because it lacks an exemption to preserve womens health and could have been used to
ban more than one abortion method.
2001 - January 22:

Two days after taking office, President Bush signs an executive order barring U.S. aid to
international groups that use their own money to support abortion --- either through
performing the procedure, counseling abortion as a family-planning option or lobbying
foreign governments on abortion policy.
2002 - July:
FDA removes warning from second part of RU 486 abortion drug. The FDA agrees to
remove that warning in April, and the new label instead states that women who are
taking Cytotec to treat ulcers should not become pregnant. The change is made to reflect
the fact that the drug is widely used by doctors to induce labor.
2002 - October:
A study shows that the abortion rate is dropping significantly since 1994. The overall
U.S. abortion rate fell from 1994 to 2000 --- from 24 abortions for every 1,000 women of
childbearing age to just 21, according to the Alan Guttmacher Institute.
2003 - January:
A study examining a variety of physical and psychological consequences associated with
abortion calls for physicians to inform women about a breast cancer risk known to
scientists for 33 years (the delayed first term pregnancy effect) and about the existence
of research examining abortion as an independent risk factor for breast cancer.
2003 - February 17:
Holly Patterson, 18, from California dies after taking RU 486. The Alameda County
Coroners official autopsy report states her death was a result of an incomplete abortion.
2003 - August:
Bush administration expands the Mexico City Policy. The new memo makes it clear that
the pro-life policy applies to federal State Department funding of all population programs
-- even if they are not funded through USAID.
2003 - November 5:
President George W. Bush signs the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003 into law to
end the abhorrent practice of partial birth abortion.
2004 - April 1:

The Unborn Victims of Violence Act, commonly known as "Laci and Conners Law,"
passes in Congress and is signed into law by President George W. Bush.
2004 - May 20:
The Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act is introduced in the U.S. House by Senator Sam
Brownback (R-KS). A similar bill is introduced in the U.S. House by Senator Chris Smith
(R-NJ). The bill seeks to ensure that women seeking an abortion are fully informed
regarding the pain experienced by their unborn child.
2004 - June 2:
Federal Judge Phyllis Hamilton of California strikes down the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban
Act. Similar decisions are expected from federal courts of Nebraska and New York.
2004 - August 2:
The Bush Administration appeals the partial-birth abortion injunction ordered by Federal
Judge Phyllis Hamilton in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The case is expected to
be argued in the U.S. Supreme Court.
2004 - August 26:
Federal District Judge Richard Casey in New York rules that the federal government
cannot enforce the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act because the law conflicts with an
earlier 5-4 Supreme Court ruling in favor of partial-birth abortion.
2004 - September 14:
A Circuit Court judge dismisses a motion brought forward by Norma McCorvey, known in
legal history as "Roe" in Roe v. Wade, to overturn the landmark 1973 decision that
legalized abortion in the U.S..
2004 - November 29:
The Justice Department files its brief in the appeal of Nebraska Judge Richard Kopfs
decision overturning the federal ban on partial-birth abortions. The Bush Administration
asks the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit to reverse the decision of the U.S.
District Judge.
2004 - December 20:

The Department of Justice appeals to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals a decision by
San Francisco-based U.S. District Judge Phyllis Hamilton to strike down a federal ban on
partial-birth abortion because the law does not include a health exception for mothers.
2005 - January 8:
Attorneys for the Center for Law & Religious Freedom of the Christian Legal Society file
a friend of the court brief in the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis, Missouri,
supporting Congress ban on partial-birth abortion. Center attorneys argue that the lower
court in Nebraska erred in concluding that the Constitution requires the Partial-Birth
Abortion Act of 2003 to contain an exception for the health of the mother. Attorneys for
the Center for Law & Religious Freedom of the Christian Legal Society file a friend of the
court brief in the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis, Missouri, supporting Congress
ban on partial-birth abortion. Center attorneys argue that the lower court in Nebraska
erred in concluding that the Constitution requires the Partial-Birth Abortion Act of 2003 to
contain an exception for the health of the mother.
2005 - July 8:
The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals rules that the national ban on partial-birth abortions is
unconstitutional, citing the ban does not contain an exception for the health of the
mother.
2006 - February 21:
The United States Supreme Court announces its intentions to hear the case involving the
constitutionality of the national ban on partial birth abortion known as the Partial Birth
Abortion Act.
2006 - February 28:
The U.S. Supreme Court rules for the third time that extortion laws cannot be used to
silence protesters who demonstrate at abortion clinics.
2006 - March 6:
South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds signs into law the first abortion law in the U.S.
since Roe v. Wade. The law bans most abortions in the state, excluding those abortions
necessary to save a womans life. Doctors who are convicted of performing abortions
face a felony charge of up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
2006 - June 17:

Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco signs into law a statewide ban on abortion. The law,
fashioned after South Dakotas, would be effected only if the U.S. Constitution is
amended to allow states to ban abortion, or if the U.S. Supreme Court strikes down the
1973 Roe v. Wade ruling. Doctors found guilty in performing abortions face up to ten
years in prison and fines as high as $100,000.
2006 - August 24:
The FDA announces approval of Plan B, a contraceptive drug, as an over-the-counter
(OTC) option for women ages 18 years and older. Plan B is often referred to as
emergency contraception or the "morning after pill."
2007 - April 18:
The U.S. Supreme Court rules 5-4 in Gonzalez v. Carhart to uphold the ban on partial
birth abortion known as the Partial Birth Abortion Act.
2009 - January 23:
In a presidential memorandum, President Obama repealed the "Mexico City Policy" that
had prevented U.S. funding for international family planning groups tp offer advice on or
perform abortions.
2009 - May 10:
Gallup reveals for the first time since it began polling, more Americans called themselves
"pro-life" than "pro-choice."
2010 - March 23:
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (aka "Obamacare") is signed into law.
2010 - April 13:
Nebraska beoomes the first state to pass the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act
(which took effect October 15), banning abortions after 20 weeks' gestation on the basis
of the pain abortion causes to the unborn child.
2011:
Research from the Alan Guttmacher Institute finds the number of abortions is at its
lowest level since Roe v. Wade, remaining steady at about 1.2 million reported
procedures in 2011, down 25% since the all-time high in 1990.

2013:
A total of 23 states enact 70 abortion restriction laws during 2013. This makes 2013
second only to 2011 in the number of new abortion restrictions enacted in a single year.
More abortion restrictions are enacted between 2011 and 2013 than in the entire
previous decade.

Factors that support the issue

2. Analysis of the Issue

What is the moral dilemma involved in abortion?
Positive aspects of abortion
Negative aspects of abortion
3. Christian view of the issue
If Jesus were here today, how would he respond to this specific issue?
What specific events in Jesus life and mission (words and deeds New Testament )
and his faith tradition (Old testament) enable you to make such a response?
How does the church respond to the issue? (support our answers by siting scriptures,
church teachings)

4. Group/Individual Stand on the Issue/ Theological Reflection

Sources:

http://civilliberty.about.com/od/abortion/f/what_abortion.htm
http://www.hodesnauser.com/abortion/
http://civilliberty.about.com/od/abortion/f/When-Did-Abortion-Begin.htm
http://www.feminist.com/resources/ourbodies/abortion.html
https://www.spuc.org.uk/youth/student_info_on_abortion/history
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/resources/abortion/about-abortion/abortion-historytimeline/
http://www.christianliferesources.com/article/abortion-history-4