Susan B. Anthony abortion dispute

Susan B. Anthony was a leader of the American women's suffrage movement whose position on abortion has been the subject of a modern-day dispute. The dispute has primarily been between anti-abortion activists, who say that Anthony expressed opposition to abortion, and acknowledged authorities in her life and work who say that she did not.

Since about 1989, some anti-abortion feminists have asserted that Anthony was anti-abortion and would support that side of the modern debate over the issue. A prominent supporter of this viewpoint has been Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List, a political organization that seeks to end abortion through the electoral process. Others include Cat Clark and Rachel MacNair of the Feminists for Life, a feminist and anti-abortion organization.

Scholars, especially Ann Dexter Gordon, have disagreed strongly, saying that Anthony showed little interest in the issue of abortion and never expressed opposition to it. Gordon led the Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony Papers project, a 9-year academic undertaking to collect and document 14,000 materials written by those two leaders of the women's rights movement, and she published a six-volume collection of their works. Others on this side of the dispute include Lynn Sherr, author of a biography of Anthony; Harper D. Ward, a researcher associated with the National Susan B. Anthony Museum and House; and Tracy Thomas, a law professor.

The dispute largely revolves around statements that are alleged to have been made by Anthony in opposition to abortion. Scholars say these statements either were not made by Anthony, are not about abortion or have been taken out of context.