The Abortion Debate Heats Up

The States: Mississippi Churning
Anti-abortion activists in Ole Miss debate the wisdom of a frontal assault on Roe v. Wade.

Newsweek

March 20, 2006 issue - When "Jane" discovered a few weeks ago that she was pregnant, she nearly collapsed. She already has four kids, ages 6 to 18, to raise on her own, while working full-time as a housekeeper. "I'm struggling trying to take care of them," said the 33-year-old Vicksburg, Miss., native, who gave a fictitious name to protect her privacy. "I'm not financially able" to handle a fifth child. So she turned to what had always been, for her, an unthinkable and morally repugnant option: abortion. On her way in to the Jackson Women's Health Organization in Mississippi last week, anti-abortion protesters descended on her, imploring her not to "murder" her unborn baby. "It isn't that we're selfish, heartless people," she said once inside, her eyes brimming with tears. "When you have that baby, those people aren't going to be around to pay for Pampers or day care." (full story)

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Reality Check for 'Roe'
With the hard right hoping for reversal, the black-and-white war over abortion finds itself immersed in shades of gray.

By Martha Brant and Evan Thomas
Newsweek

March 6, 2006 issue - At first glance, it appeared that the forces of the pro-life movement were on the march last week. The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a case on partial-birth abortions, and the betting was that the justices would uphold a federal law that bans the controversial procedure. In South Dakota the state legislature voted to outlaw all abortions except to save the life of the [woman]. The legislation, which did not even include the usual exception for rape or incest, was clearly intended as a frontal assault on the high court's 1973 decision, Roe v. Wade, guaranteeing a woman's right to an abortion. (full story)