Fri, Oct 10 2008
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Published January 22, 2008 12:12 am - Today marks the 35th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion. It has persisted as a charged political issue since 1973, and there is debate about how large it will loom in this year’s elections. National polls show abortion has been eclipsed by a number of issues, including the economy, the war in Iraq and health care, as subjects that are of the greatest concern to Americans in the presidential primaries and November’s general election. In a Gallup poll released late last year, only 1 percent of respondents cited abortion as one of the top priorities for the president and Congress to address, compared with 62 percent for the war in Iraq, 29 percent for health care and 18 percent for the economy. Abortion could be bigger issue in Missouri voting By Derek Spellman dspellman@joplinglobe.com Today marks the 35th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion. It has persisted as a charged political issue since 1973, and there is debate about how large it will loom in this year’s elections. National polls show abortion has been eclipsed by a number of issues, including the economy, the war in Iraq and health care, as subjects that are of the greatest concern to Americans in the presidential primaries and November’s general election. In a Gallup poll released late last year, only 1 percent of respondents cited abortion as one of the top priorities for the president and Congress to address, compared with 62 percent for the war in Iraq, 29 percent for health care and 18 percent for the economy. Several developments have stirred debate about whether abortion will factor larger in Missouri than in other states. A proposal could appear on the state’s November ballot that abortion-rights advocates contend would virtually outlaw abortions. Anti-abortion groups say their members have traditionally been active in Missouri politics, particularly at the grass-roots level. But there also is the chance that Missouri voters, whose diversity has arguably made the state into a microcosm of the country, will simply mirror the national trends. “I don’t think Missouri is that different,” said Tom Simpson, a professor of political science at Missouri Southern State University, of voting trends. Ballot measure Late last month, a lawsuit financed by Planned Parenthood was filed in an effort to bar an abortion proposal from appearing on the November ballot. Officially called the Prevention of Coerced and Unsafe Abortion Act, the proposal would make it illegal for doctors to perform an abortion at any time in a woman’s pregnancy unless “the doctor determines, either immediately or after extensive and documented emotional, psychological, physical, situational, and demographic evaluations, that the procedure is necessary to prevent imminent death or serious medical risks,” according to the ballot language. The proposal would allow a woman who later regrets an abortion to sue the doctors or nurses on allegations that they failed to screen her for risk factors or evaluate whether she was coerced into having the abortion. The case is pending in court, but foes of the measure have argued that it should be stricken from the ballot because it would make virtually all abortions illegal, in defiance of federal rulings. Proponents, although they have objected to the way the ballot question has been worded, counter that the proposal only establishes a way for women to get full disclosure of the risks, and to redress negligence in pre-abortion screening and counseling. 
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