Beginning Nov. 2, the NIU Social Science Research Institute will host a series of colloquia on the topic of abortion.

All sessions will be on Thursdays at 3 p.m., in the lower level of the SSRI on Third and Locust streets in DeKalb. The discussions are free and open to the public.

The colloquia will begin by focusing on two significant court cases involving abortion. First, NIU political scientist Craig Ducat will propose “Does Roe vs. Wade Have a Future?” Then, on Nov. 30, NIU law professor Jeffrey Parness will analyze “The Legal Status of the Unborn after Webster.” This refers to the Webster vs. Reproductive Health Services case, which depicted a variety of attacks on abortion in Missouri.

Parness said he plans to address areas open to the state government to protect the unborn and to discuss other ways unborn can be protected.

Steve Franklin of NIU public information said this topic was chosen because it is “a hot topic both publicly and politically.”

Other topics will be Constraining Fetal Research: The Impact of Abortion Policies, Rhetorical Strategies of Documentary Films about Abortion, and Prime Time Abortions: Network Television and Political Issues.

Finally, Ellen Dran and Anne Hildreth will do a joint presentation about “Public Opinion and the Politics of Abortion.”

“In the colloquia personal point of view will not be important I don’t think, it is rather just informative,” Franklin said.