Abortion--the role of private foundations.

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An historic precedent for the role of foundations in abortion reform may be drawn from the corresponding part thee played in the evolution of American birth control policy. That private foundations here made a large contribution to bridging the “support gap” between the first stirrings of interest in change and its tangible implementation is now well known. Even when government began to show unmistakable interest in support of research, domestic programs and technical assistance in the family planning field during the sixties, it was necessary for private foundations to initiate and maintain the momentum of countless projects until the slower legislative and policy- making process could catch up with changing public opinion. Du Coeur once noted. “Liberality consists less in giving a great deal than in gifts well timed.” Thus, modification of old laws, enhancement of social acceptance, emergence of public policy and evolution of modern technology were supported by private foundation activities as family planning gradually found its appropriate place in modern health services. A similar evolution in the field of abortion is more difficult, since it involves even more sensitive and controversial issues Nevertheless, whereas significant acceptance of birth control in the United States took fifty years, the corresponding process with regard to abortion seems to be spanning little more than a decade. The fact that the recently passed Tydings Bill specifically excludes abortion from federally supported family planning activities, and that only a handful of states to date have dealt substantially with their outmoded abortion laws, serves to remind us of how much needs to be done. What then is the role of foundations in hastening and abetting this evolution?