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RNS MURRAY OHAIR

Ten years after her mysterious disappearance in August 1995, the legacy of activist Madalyn Murray O'Hair still influences atheists in America today. She was known for her role in the landmark 1963 Supreme Court decision in Murray vs. Curlett, which, combined with Abington vs. Schempp, ended prayer in public schools across the U.S. and turned her into the self- described ``most hated woman in America.'' She is depicted here in a Religion News Service file photo from the 1970s.

madalyn murray o'hair

(RNS1-SEPT15) Ten years after her mysterious disappearance in August 1995, the legacy of activist Madalyn Murray O’Hair still influences atheists in America today. She was known for her role in the landmark 1963 Supreme Court decision in Murray vs. Curlett, which, combined with Abington vs. Schempp, ended prayer in public schools across the U.S. and turned her into the self-described “most hated woman in America.” She is depicted here in a Religion News Service file photo from the 1970s. See RNS-MURRAY-OHAIR, transmitted Sept. 15, 2005.

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