U.S. divide on abortion widens along regional lines

Aug 1 2013

Opposition to abortion has grown in parts of the South, while those in the Northeast and West Coast continue to be strong supporters of abortion rights, a study says. In the meantime, a judge in Indiana made permanent her order barring the state from denying Medicaid funds to Planned Parenthood.

Reuters: U.S. Differences On Abortion Widen Along Regional Lines: Survey
U.S. attitudes on abortion are split along regional lines, and opposition to legal abortion has grown in some parts of the South while Americans in the Northeast and on the West Coast still strongly favor abortion rights, according to a new study. While a little more than half of all Americans continue to favor abortion rights and two in five oppose them, the divide is reflected in legal and legislative battles over the issue this month in the two regions with the most opposition to legal abortion: the South Central and Midwestern states (Gillam, 7/30).

The Associated Press/Washington Post: Judge Ends Indiana's Failed Battle To Deny Medicaid Funds To Planned Parenthood Over Abortions
A judge on Tuesday made permanent her order barring Indiana from denying Medicaid funds to Planned Parenthood clinics, ending the state's two-year legal fight. U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt issued the permanent injunction after the U.S. Supreme Court in May refused to hear Indiana's appeal in the case. Days later, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued an administrative ruling siding with Planned Parenthood (7/30).