provide opportunities forthe opposition to constrain the movement activities by putting the group on the defensive. However; in the case of the pro-choice movement the challenge was risen to. Thepro-choice movement responded to the countermovement and began to create anorganizational structure that allowed them to play in institutionalized arenas like Congress. The years following the Roe v. Wade decision can be seen as a transitional periodfor the movement. The leaders established themselves as political insiders and lobbyistorganizations were created. Pro-choice groups were implementing organizational tacticsthat would prepare them for the long term battle ahead of them. The fight was really justbeginning.The anti-abortion countermovement scored its first victory in 1976 withCongressional passage of the Hyde Amendment which banned the federal funding ofabortions. The countermovement also gained publicity during the 1976 election yearwhich helped to reinvigorate it. New anti-abortion organizations were formed andfundamentalist Christians and political conservatives were attracted. Other anti-abortionsuccesses occurred with anti-abortion victories in the courts that permitted state abortionfunding bans. The majority of states responded to these ruling by refusing to fund mostabortions and many states continued to consider additional restrictive legislation includingparental consent requirements. The pro-choice movement had been successfullythreatened and its prior victories were being challenged. By 1982 the period of threat to the pro-choice movement was showing signs ofdecline. Pro-choice candidates won out over many anti-abortion candidates that year. In1983 anti-abortion legislation was defeated in Congress and the Supreme Court struckdown most of the restrictions that had been passed by state and local governments. Obviously, the countermovements victories produced an overwhelming mobilization ofpro-choice forces.In re...
