About a third of evangelical Protestants think a gay man should be accepted as a clergy member in their faith, compared with about twice as many Catholics and mainline Protestants.
Publication: abortion
Snopes→ Judge Blocks Ohio Abortion Law, Clinics to Remain Open
Ohio is among a dozen states that have considered similar legislation in 2019.
Snopes→ University of Alabama Rejects $26M Gift after Abortion Flap
University officials denied it had anything to do with the philanthropist's stance on the abortion law.
Snopes→ Judge’s Order Means Missouri Clinic Can Keep Doing Abortions
Planned Parenthood pre-emptively sued this week and argued that the state was "weaponizing" the licensing process.
Snopes→ Louisiana’s Democratic Governor Signs Abortion Ban into Law
The new law will outlaw abortion when a fetal heartbeat is detected.
Truth or Fiction?→ Infant Mortality Rates vs. Abortion Bans Meme
On May 30 2019 the Facebook page “Occupy Democrats” shared the following meme (archived here), purportedly contrasting rates of infant mortality in states which had recently passed or had pending restrictions on abortion: In a column on
Snopes→ Prosecutors Push Back on Enforcing New State Abortion Laws
Four district attorneys who said they would not enforce the laws at all cited the Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion nationwide.
Snopes→ Planned Parenthood: Missouri’s Last Abortion Clinic May Shut
If the clinic's license is not renewed, the organization said Missouri would become the first state without a functioning abortion clinic since the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision.
Snopes→ Supreme Court Upholds Indiana Abortion Law on Fetal Remains
The justices said in an unsigned opinion that the case does not involve limits on abortion rights.
Snopes→ ‘Here We Go Again’: Judge Blocks Mississippi Abortion Ban
U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves is the same judge who struck down a 2018 Mississippi law to ban abortion at 15 weeks.
Truth or Fiction?→ Will a Kentucky Bill Mandate That Women Confirm Whether They’re Pregnant Every Month?
In May 2019, links to and screenshots of Kentucky HB 148 began circulating on social media, often alongside posts baffled about the bill’s purported provisions mandating that women in the state “shall acquire a signed and notarized stateme
Snopes→ At Abortion Clinics, New Laws Sow Confusion, Uncertainty
None of the laws has taken effect, and all are expected to be blocked while legal challenges work their way through the courts.
Snopes→ Is This Katie McCormick’s Gravestone from the 1870s?
A young woman's death from a reported botched abortion in the late 1800s still resonates with many people today.
Truth or Fiction?→ Are New Abortion Laws in Alabama and Ohio Defined as ‘Forced Pregnancy’ under UN Genocide Conventions?
On May 17 2019, a Facebook user shared one of several social media claims that controversial new near-total abortion bans in Alabama, Ohio, and Georgia constituted “forced pregnancy” under United Nations (UN) regulations governing the defi
Snopes→ Lawmaker Tries to Walk Back ‘Consensual Rapes’ Comment
When pressed on whether his explanation made sense, Republican Rep. Barry Hovis said that he believes there is no such thing as “consensual rape.”
Snopes→ Missouri’s GOP-Led Legislature Passes 8-Week Abortion Ban
Doctors would face five to 15 years in prison for violating the eight-week cutoff.
Snopes→ Gillibrand: As President, I’d Seek to Codify Abortion Rights
Her comments came one day after Republican Gov. Kay Ivey of Alabama signed into law the nation's strictest abortion ban.
Snopes→ House GOP Leader Says Alabama Abortion Law Goes Too Far
Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the House minority leader, told reporters that the law, which doesn't allow exceptions for abortions in cases of rape and incest, "goes further than I believe."
Snopes→ Missouri Senate Joins GOP Anti-Abortion Wave with 8-Week Ban
Doctors would face five to 15 years in prison for violating the eight-week cutoff.
Snopes→ Alabama’s Governor Signs Abortion Ban into Law
Republican Gov. Kay Ivey signed the measure.
Snopes→ Alabama Senate Heads Toward Vote on Abortion Ban Measure
Supporters said the bill is intentionally designed to conflict with the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.
Truth or Fiction?→ Does a Proposed Ohio Bill Make the Pill and IUDs Illegal?
In May 2019, a number of posts about “heartbeat bills” in various American states circulated on social media. For example, a rumor about Georgia (archived here) subsequently appeared that proposed legislation would purportedly ban birth c
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Nancy Pelosi Call ‘Late-Term Abortion’ Bans ‘Really Quite a Sad Thing?’
On April 14 2019, a Facebook user shared a text-based status update (archived here), claiming that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had described “late-term abortion” bans as “really quite a sad thing”: Against a purple gradient back
Snopes→ US Judge in Washington State Blocks New Trump Abortion Rule
The ruling came two days after a federal judge in Oregon, hearing a separate challenge by 20 states, said he intended to at least partially block the rules.
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Free Birth Control in Colorado Drop Unplanned Pregnancies by 40 Percent?
On March 31 2019, a Facebook user shared a meme (archived here) about the purported effects of “free birth control” in the state of Colorado: Across an image of mountain scenery, the meme (watermarked by The Other 98%) read: COLORADO HA
Truth or Fiction?→ Does ‘Strange Planet’ Creator Nathan W. Pyle Oppose Abortion?
In March 2019, a webcomic known as “Strange Planet” began dominating Facebook’s feed (as well as Instagram and Twitter), and in April 2019, rumors began circulating about creator Nathan W. Pyle’s purported anti-abortion positio
Truth or Fiction?→ Guardian Angel Crying at the Cradle of an Aborted Fetus?
A February 28 2019 Facebook post (archived here) shared the image reproduced above with the following text: I shared this picture a few minutes ago, then about 5 minutes after I shared it, the post was removed from my page and also from the page of wh
Snopes→ GOP State Lawmakers Approve ‘Heartbeat’ Abortion Bans
A fetal heartbeat is generally detectable at around six weeks, before many women know they are pregnant.
Snopes→ Did Oprah Winfrey Promote the ‘Shout Your Abortion’ Campaign?
Conservative and pro-life observers criticized the media mogul in 2018 and 2019, but what did Oprah actually say?
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘What If the Government Funded Adoptions Instead of Abortions?’
During ongoing national debate about a new abortion law in New York in February 2019, a Facebook user shared a meme with a photograph of an infant atop an American flag, bearing the following caption: WHAT IF THE GOVERNMENT FUNDED ADOPTIONS INSTEAD O
Snopes→ Did Parents Sue Planned Parenthood for Child Support Over a Failed Abortion?
The couple felt they could not afford to add another child to their family.
Snopes→ Trump to Bar Abortion Referrals by Family Planning Clinics
The administration plan would also prohibit family planning clinics from being housed in the same location as abortion providers.
Snopes→ Did an Infant Who Survived Abortion Scream for an Hour While Left to Die?
Aspects of a controversial abortion horror story circulating online since 2016 are unverified.
Snopes→ Did an Oklahoma State Legislator Call Pregnant Women ‘Hosts’?
Comments made by Republican State Rep. Justin Humphrey in February 2017 re-emerged online two years later.
Snopes→ Did a Man Escape a Murder Charge Because of New York’s Reproductive Health Act?
Anthony Hobson, who killed his girlfriend and her unborn child, was originally going to be charged with both unlawful abortion and second degree murder.
Snopes→ Did Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam Say He Would ‘Execute a Baby After Birth’?
U.S. President Donald Trump used his 2019 State of the Union address to criticize the Democratic governor of Virginia.
Snopes→ Abortion Case Shows Roberts Firmly at Supreme Court’s Center
Since the retirement of Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy last summer, Chief Justice John Roberts has become the court's new swing vote.
Truth or Fiction?→ American Sign Language for the Word ‘Abortion’?
Ongoing debate about a January 22 2019 change to abortion law in New York piqued interest in the topic across social media, reviving an old rumor that a long-circulating GIF sbows the American Sign Language translation of the word “abortion.̶
Truth or Fiction?→ Shocking Video of ‘Abortion Doctor’ Saying He ‘Loves Killing Babies’?
On February 7 2019, Facebook user Marcus Rogers shared a video post captioned: “SHOCKING VIDEO of Abortion Doctor GROWLING and Saying He loves Killing Babies. This is just DISGUSTING [emoji] AND YOU KNOW, they don’t want you to see this one
Snopes→ Anti-Abortion Bills: Odds Good in GOP States, Not Congress
Republican legislators in several states are pushing ahead with their own tough anti-abortion bills that they hope can pass muster with the Supreme Court.