Freedom of Choice Act Splits Activists in Pro-Choice Movement

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CONFIDENT that their cause is on the ascendancy under a new pro-choice administration, abortion-rights advocates, nevertheless, find themselves divided over the Freedom of Choice Act.

The act, aimed at codifying the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision, would limit state restrictions on abortion. But some pro-choice groups and lawmakers are concerned that the legislation will be too watered-down.

"It's interesting to see - now that we don't have a common enemy - how the coalition has fragmented," one House staff member says.

The act was first introduced in 1989 and has been consistently vetoed by President Bush. But even against the backdrop of …