A recent Gallup poll reveals fewer Americans identify themselves as "pro-choice" in the abortion debate.

Currently, about 41 percent of the nation supports abortion -- down from 47 percent last July and just one percentage point below the previous record low in May 2009.

In contrast, 51 of Americans called themselves "pro-life."

The results show an obvious shift since 2001, when researchers found pro-choicers represented the majority.

The abortion issue has been in the forefront of this year's election season. One example is the conflict between the Roman Catholic Church and the Obama administration over a health care mandate that would require free contraception...

Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt predicts the U.S. Supreme Court will decide whether the Obama administration can require religious organizations to provide contraception in their insurance coverage.

"We'll see what the court believes the Constitution says on this issue," The Hill quoted the Republican lawmaker.

The mandate requires nearly all health care plans to cover sterilizations and contraceptives.

"It's not about any specific healthcare procedure, but it's about religious liberty," Blunt said. "This should not be something that the administration should be able to force people of faith to do, no matter what the specific thing is that violates their faith."

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JERUSALEM, Israel -- Israelis marked Jerusalem Day on Sunday, the day the city was reunited under its control.

"Israel without Jerusalem is like a body with a weak heart," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

"Sustainable peace is made with strong nations, and an Israel without a unified Jerusalem will be like a body with a weak heart," he said.

Netanyahu was speaking at a ceremony at Ammunition Hill on Sunday -- where one of the major battles of the Six Day War took place -- marking the reunification of the nation's capital.

He also said if Israel gave up sovereignty over the Temple Mount, it would lead to a religious war.

"There are...

WASHINGTON - Even before the defense funding bill hit the House floor for debate Thursday, the White House threatened a veto.

There are plenty of polarizing items in the bill, including debate over its cost. But issues stemming from the repeal of "Don't ask, Don't Tell" are also surfacing.

Republican lawmakers are pushing for a measure that would protect the conscience of all armed services personnel who disagree with homosexuality.

"This is a legitimate conscience protection act," Rep. Todd Akin, R-Mo., said.

Akin said without such protections service members, including chaplains, could be demoted or punished for voicing their moral or religious beliefs.

A New York Times/CBS News poll released Monday night shows that President Obama's gay marriage endorsement could hurt him politically.

Most of those polled say the president's position will not impact how they vote. But 26 percent say they are now less likely to vote for Obama, and only 16 percent are more likely to vote for him.

Many voters also suspect that the president's announcement was politically motivated. Sixty four percent think the president changed his gay marriage stance for political reasons, while only 24 percent think it's because he actually thinks gay marriage is right.

Mitt Romney now has a 3-point lead on Obama in the presidential race. Experts say that in such...

The first Sunday after President Obama's decision to back same-sex marriage had pulpits and news programs buzzing.

In an apparent bid for readers, Newsweek on its cover boldly named President Obama the "first gay president." And Obama's support for same-sex marriage was on churchgoers' minds on Sunday.

"For right now, it's going to make a difference. I don't think [President Obama] is following God's words," Mary Thomas of Rising Sun Baptist Church in Baltimore said.

Her pastor, Democratic State Delegate Rev. Emmet Burns, said politics trumped Christian teaching that marriage is between one man and one woman:

"He's pretty much said that what you believe and...

Barely 24 hours after announcing his support for same-sex marriage, President Obama raked in the cash at a Hollywood fundraiser.
    
Actor George Clooney hosted last night's event and Hollywood turned out in force, showing their support by opening their pocketbooks and raising nearly $15 million.

Celebrities like Billy Crystal, Robert Downey Jr., and Salma Hayek all paid $40,000 apiece for tickets.

"I would suspect the story coming out of it is going to be a sky-high level of enthusiasm, driven as much as anything by this decision and the timing of the decision," political analyst Norm Ornstein predicted.

"The president is going to come in as a conquering hero...

Catholic businesses are challenging the contraceptive rule that requires health care coverage for birth control.

Legatus is a group of Catholic business leaders who have filed the suit in a U.S. District Court in Detroit.

The suit says the law imposes "violations of conscience on Americans who morally object to abortion and contraception."

They are suing the Obama administration to overturn the federal rule included in the president's health care overhaul.

The defendants in the suit are the Departments of Labor, U.S. Treasury, and Health and Human Services.

North Carolina voters approved a constitutional amendment that makes marriage between a man and a woman the only legal union the state will recognize.

More than 500,000 voters cast their ballots in the state's primary Tuesday. In the end, 61 percent voted to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman and 39 percent voted against it.

"I've read the Bible through 3 or 4 times and I think it's the thing to do," Richard Foard explained his decision to vote in support of the ban.

North Carolina is now the 31st state to ban gay marriage with a constitutional amendment. The state already has a law doing so, but this amendment effectively slams the door shut on the issue.