A pericentric inversion has been discovered in one branch of a family, in which a 21/22 translocation of the usual type had been transmitted through three generations. The female carrier of the translocation with inversion appears to be phenotypically normal. She has, however, an obvious tendency to develop aneuploid offspring.
In an early review of abortion polls, Jaffe, Lindheim, and Lee (1981, p. 99) observed that "measuring public opinion is difficult, particularly when the subject is complex and has moral and religious overtones. Opinion polls typically are limited to a few oversimplified questionscrude instruments for making subtle distinctions or tapping attitudinal nuances." They note that question wording and order and societal events occurring when polls are taken can influence poll results. Further, we might add, as events unfold over time, questions that initially measure opinions toward given situations quite accurately may become less adequate as the situations change. This is particularly likely to occur when the objects being measured are court decisions, laws, or policy decisions whose implications, interpretations, and practical effects evolve and cannot be anticipated when the survey item is initially framed. This poses a dilemma familiar to longitudinal researchers-whether to retain original items for the sake of comparability or to change them to enhance validity. These issues are discussed in this review in the context of polls on the Roe v. Wade abortion decision.
Roe v. WadeSince we are considering the public's opinion regarding the legality of abortion, we should first indicate what our legal policy is. The basis of this policy is the U.S. Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision, and its companion, Doe v. Bolton, both promulgated in January 1973. The Court divided pregnancy into three trimesters and ruled that abortion may not be prohibited prior to viability, that is, within the first 6-7 months of pregnancy at the time of its ruling (United States Supreme RAYMOND J. ADAMEK is professor of sociology, Kent State University.
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