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Stephen Freind

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Stephen F. Freind
Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
from the 166th district
In office
1976[1]–1993
Preceded byFaith Ryan Whittlesey
Succeeded byGreg Vitali
Personal details
Born (1944-04-22) April 22, 1944 (age 80)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Political partyRepublican

Stephen F. Freind (born April 22, 1944) is a retired American politician from Pennsylvania who served as a Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the 166th district from 1976 until 1993.[2] He unsuccessfully challenged Arlen Specter in the 1992 Republican primary election. He was most notable for authoring the Abortion Control Act of 1982, a law that includes, with some exceptions, "requirements that a married woman notify her husband, that there be a 24-hour wait before any abortion, and that doctors show patients a pamphlet with pictures of developing fetuses,"[3][4] as well as another law to prevent suit against doctors for wrongful birth or wrongful life for not giving information about risk of fetal abnormalities.[5] The Abortion Control Act was mostly upheld by the Supreme Court of the United States except for the spousal notification provision in the case of Planned Parenthood v. Casey.[6]

In 1988, Freind provoked controversy by claiming that it is "almost impossible" for a woman to become pregnant through rape, as it causes her to "secrete a certain secretion, which has a tendency to kill sperm".[7]

In 1984, a bill drafted by Freind was enacted into law that changed the way adults who were adopted as children access their original birth certificates.[8] This became Act 195 of 1984 or Adoption Act of 1984. This act is a lesser-known component of Freind's abortion agenda. Freind was convinced that denying adult adoptees access to their original birth certificates would lower abortion rates.[9] As of 2012, 44 states allowed adult adoptees equal access to their original birth certificates.[citation needed][needs update]

Early life and education

Freind was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and graduated from the Malvern Preparatory School in 1962. He received a B.A. from Villanova University in 1966 and a J.D. from Temple University Law School in 1969.[10]

Run for Senate

In 1992 Freind gave up his state house seat to challenge Arlen Specter in the Republican U.S. Senate Primary. Freind ran well to the moderate-liberal Specter's right, accusing Specter of having more in common with Democrats than Republicans. Although Specter went on to win, he had to spend a considerable amount of money to do so. This left him in a weakened position for the general election, in which he just barely defeated Democratic challenger Lynn Yeakel.

Republican primary for the United States Senate from Pennsylvania, 1992:[11]

  • Arlen Specter (inc.) - 683,118 (65.08%)
  • Stephen F. Freind - 366,608 (34.92%)

See also

Books by Freind

  • Stephen F. Freind (1987). God's Children. Beech Tree Books. ISBN 0-688-06691-7.

References

  1. ^ Cox, Harold (November 3, 2004). "Pennsylvania House of Representatives - 1975–1976" (PDF). Wilkes University Election Statistics Project. Wilkes University.
  2. ^ DiFlaviana, K.; Pennsylvania; Pennsylvania. Dept. of Property and Supplies; Pennsylvania. Bureau of Publications (1991). The Pennsylvania Manual. Vol. 110. Department of Property and Supplies for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. ISBN 9780818201455. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  3. ^ Hinds, Michael deCourcy (1992-02-21). "The 1992 Campaign: Pennsylvania; Trouble Shadows Specter in Senate Race". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 August 2009.
  4. ^ "A Place Where the State Does Not Belong - Supreme Court takes up Pennsylvania abortion law". Los Angeles Times. 1992-04-22. Retrieved 15 August 2009.
  5. ^ Kowitz, Julie F. (2008), "Not Your Garden Variety Tort Reform: Statutes Barring Claims for Wrongful Life and Wrongful Birth Are Unconstitutional Under the Purpose Prong of Planned Parenthood v. Casey", in Ehrenreich, Nancy (ed.), The Reproductive Rights Reader: Law, Medicine, and the Construction of Motherhood, New York University Press, p. 228, ISBN 978-0-8147-2231-2
  6. ^ Planned Parenthood v. Casey, 505 U.S. 833, 860 (1992).
  7. ^ Baer, John M. (March 23, 1988). "Freind's Rape-pregnancy Theory Refuted". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on July 12, 2012. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
  8. ^ Freind, Stephen (1984). "House Bill 278". 1983-1984 Regular House Session. The General Assembly of Pennsylvania. Retrieved August 24, 2012.
  9. ^ Freind, Stephen (1979). "House Bill 1663" (PDF). House Legislative Journal. The Pennsylvania General Assembly. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
  10. ^ "STEPHEN F. FREIND". www.legis.state.pa.us. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
  11. ^ "PA U.S. Senate". ourcampaigns.com.
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