Stephen F. Freind (born April 22, 1944) is an American politician from Pennsylvania who served as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the 166th district from 1976 until 1993. He unsuccessfully challenged

Arlen Specter Arlen Specter (February 12, 1930 – October 14, 2012) was an American lawyer, author and politician who served as a United States Senator from Pennsylvania from 1981 to 2011. Specter was a Democrat from 1951 to 1965, then a Republican fr ...

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 Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pre ...

, and that doctors show patients a pamphlet with pictures of developing

fetus A fetus or foetus (; plural fetuses, feti, foetuses, or foeti) is the unborn offspring that develops from an animal embryo. Following embryonic development the fetal stage of development takes place. In human prenatal development, fetal dev ...

es," as well as another law to prevent suit against doctors for wrongful birth or

wrongful life Wrongful life is the name given to a cause of action in which someone is sued by a severely disabled child (through the child's legal guardian) for failing to prevent the child's birth. Typically, a child and the child's parents will sue a doctor ...

for not giving information about risk of fetal abnormalities. 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''. 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'. 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. 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. As of 2012, 44 states allow adult adoptees equal access to their original birth certificates.

Early life and education

Freind was born in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

and graduated from the Malvern Preparatory School in 1962. He received a B.A. from

Villanova University Villanova University is a private Roman Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania. It was founded by the Augustinians in 1842 and named after Saint Thomas of Villanova. The university is the oldest Catholic university in Penns ...

in 1966 and a J.D. from Temple University Law School in 1969.

Run for Senate

In 1992 Freind gave up his state house seat to challenge

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 Lynn Hardy Yeakel (July 9, 1941 – January 13, 2022) was an American administrator and political figure. She was the Director of Drexel University College of Medicine's Institute for Women's Health and Leadership and held the Betty A. Cohen Ch ...

. Republican primary for the United States Senate from Pennsylvania, 1992:PA U.S. Senate
ourcampaigns.com *

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

Books by Freind

*''God's Children'' by Stephen F. Freind (Beech Tree Books 1987)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Freind, Stephen F. 1944 births Living people Republican Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Pennsylvania lawyers Temple University Beasley School of Law alumni Villanova University alumni

Early life and education

Run for Senate

See also

Books by Freind

References