Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

Religion & Abortion


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    Public Sees Religion’s Influence Waning

    Nearly three-quarters of Americans now think religion is losing influence in American life, and most who say this also see it as a bad thing. Perhaps as a consequence, a growing share of the public wants religion to play a role in U.S. politics.

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    Abortion Viewed in Moral Terms

    Most Americans think that having an abortion is a moral issue, but the public is much less likely to see other issues involving human embryos – such as stem cell research or in vitro fertilization – as a matter of morality.

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    Cuomo’s Proposal Aims to Protect Late-Term Abortion Access in NY

    After months of anticipation, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has introduced a proposal that seeks to protect access to abortion in the third-largest U.S. state. A new Pew Research Center analysis explores the details of Cuomo’s bill, which aims to codify Roe v. Wade in state law.

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    Federal Appeals Case Brings Contraception Coverage Mandate Back Into Spotlight

    Some for-profit businesses are joining religiously affiliated nonprofits in challenging the Affordable Care Act’s contraception mandate, claiming it violates their religious liberty rights. A Pew Research Center analysis reviews the situation before a significant case is heard by the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals.

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    The Contraception Mandate and Religious Liberty

    On Feb. 1, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released new rules for how the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act’s contraception mandate applies to religious nonprofits, including houses of worship, schools and hospitals. Church-state law scholars Ira C. Lupu and Robert Tuttle explain the new rules and the legal arguments that religious groups might make.

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    How Important is the Abortion Issue?

    The public is split on whether abortion is a critical or important issue or whether it is not that important an issue. But this masks stark differences in opinion between regular churchgoers and those who attend religious services less often.