Pro-Abortion, Gay Rights Groups Join to Rank States on Abortion

National   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Jun 1, 2006   |   9:00AM   |   WASHINGTON, DC

Pro-Abortion, Gay Rights Groups Join to Rank States on Abortion Email this article
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
June 1, 2006

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — Two pro-abortion groups have joined forces with a gay rights organization to rank states on a combined scale covering both abortion and homosexual issues. Though the political issues are unrelated, the organizations released the rankings with the hope of sparking more alliances between pro-abortion and pro-homosexual groups.

In releasing the rankings, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force joined two pro-abortion groups, Ipas and the SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Health Collective.

They ranked the states based on 25 laws including restrictions on abortion such as conscience clauses, promoting the morning after pill, parental involvement laws, abortion facility regulations, and encouraging abstinence.

Most of the laws the groups focused on had to do with abortion and only hate crimes laws, measures promoting heterosexual marriage, prohibition of gay stepparents, and same-sex partnerships covered the gay rights portion of the survey.

According to the rankings, New Mexico and New York share the top spot as the most pro-abortion and gay friendly states. Ohio and South Dakota are tied for last.

States faring poorly in the pro-abortion survey include Oklahoma, Indiana, Utah, Idaho, Mississippi, and North Dakota.

Those states found to be most supportive of abortion and gay rights include California, Washington, New Jersey and most of the New England states.

The rankings don’t necessarily upset pro-life lawmakers who want to increase state limits on abortion until Roe v. Wade is overturned.

In South Dakota, pro-life Republican state Sen. Lee Schoenbeck told the Associated Press the state’s low ranking was a "badge of honor."

"I’d have been disappointed if we’d finished any higher than last," he said.

Leila Hessini, a policy adviser with Ipas, told AP, "In this country, freedom depends on where we live." She claimed South Dakota’s recently passed state abortion ban, "has more in common with Afghanistan than Oregon."

However, not all pro-gay groups are pro-abortion.

With the mission statement, "Human rights start when human life begins," the Pro-Life Alliance of Gays and Lesbians has been advocating the pro-life perspective since 1990.

The group participates in both pro-life and pro-gay marches and rallies in their efforts to convince pro-life people that gays and lesbians can oppose abortion and to persuade the homosexual community to gays should be pro-life.

"PLAGAL has received media attention in both straight and lesbian and gay media at both national and a number of local level," the group says on its web site. "And we hope that we are doing some good."

Related web sites:
PLAGAL – https://www.plagal.org