RU-486 and the Politics of Abortion

Hosted by
The United States has legalized the so-called "abortion pill," RU-486-thus re-igniting one of the nation's most explosive medical, moral and political controversies. Today on our program, we'll look at some of the questions that will be hashed out in the next few weeks and months. Will abortion really become as easy as taking a pill? Will the number of abortions increase, and if it seems "too easy," will support for abortion continue? What will the impact be on the presidential campaign?
  • Newsmaker: Appeals from world leaders are being ignored. Israeli and Palestinian leaders are blaming each other as deadly violence continues. The Associated Press reports, "those in the midst of the violence spoke in panicked tones of war." We speek with Tom Segev, a columnist for the daily Israeli newspaper Ha'Aretz and author of "One Palestine, Complete."
  • Reporter's Notebook: With conservatives now holding a delicate majority on the US Supreme Court, the next president's most enduring legacy could come from the people he selects to replace one or more of the aging justices. George W. Bush thinks Antonin Scalia is the very model of a Supreme Court justice. Al Gore likes Thurgood Marhsall and William Brennan. We talk with Robert Greenberger of the Wall Street Journal.

Credits

Host:

Warren Olney