What Drives Americans' Shifting Opinions on Abortion Rights?

A new Gallup Poll, issued yesterday, showed a plurality of Americans identifying themselves as "pro-life." You can see the results of the poll here, but the essential statistic that Gallup found is that 47 percent of those asked identified with the “pro-life” position while 45 percent of those responding said they were “pro-choice.” When compared to 1995, when only 33 percent of Americans polled claimed to be “pro-life” while 56 percent said they were “pro-choice,” it shows a marked shift toward the right. On the other hand, as recently as last May the divide was more decided: then, 51 percent were “pro-life” while 42 percent claimed to be “pro-choice.”

Former PJP Board Member Nominated to the High Court

Former Peter Jennings Project Board of Advisors member Elena Kagan was nominated today by President Barack Obama to take Justice John Paul Stevens seat on the Supreme Court. 2008 PJP fellows will remember Kagan as part of our panel on Women in the Law. But Kagan was more than a PJP participant. Until she resigned after assuming the position as Solicitor General for the Obama Administration, Kagan was an active board member, advising director Todd Brewster on programming and showing dedication to PJP's mission to increase constitutional awareness in the press. Here is an admiring piece about her from the New Republic, authored by PJP faculty member Jeffrey Rosen and released today.