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I think you are right. There aren't about 1.4 million abortons a year in the USA because it is legal. It is legal because there are 1.4 million abortions a year.

I am pro life but the pro life movement's tactics have been a disaster since the early 1970s. They lost the Roe battle and have lost almost every major battle since.

I have consistently advocated that pro life attention should be in the publicity and persuasion sphere, rather than the legal one.

Hearts and minds were changed in one direction, they can be changed again, though it won't be easy. The truth is that most americans clearly don't mind having abortions legal, even if they find the practice anywhere from distasetful to immoral.

The pro life movement should concentrate on changing minds, as well as being on the right side of the abortion issues in 2005 (parental notification for minors, partial birth abortion, etc) - there is a broad consensus to build on in these positions.

Pro lifers who continue fighting the 1973 battle do more harm that good to the movement. They can't cope with the fact that they lost that battle, and almost continuouisly dropped the ball ever since. Deep denial, clearly. The leadership needs to be replaced and the tactics updated.

The 1973 gameplan failed then and it will continue to fail now.

I have consistently advocated that pro life attention should be in the publicity and persuasion sphere, rather than the legal one.

I have thought that even the democrats could use the 'abortion' issue with that position. Use the Presidency as a bully pulpit and speak about the evils of abortion constantly....but make no effort to change the legality. Perhaps, small changes, like notification, etc. I think people want to follow a moral leader...one who argues against abortions, but not for government involvement.

Who will disagree with a position that abortions are wrong, and should be preformed a rarely as possible? It is only when talking about legality that people start to get emotional. The goal should be to limit abortions, not to change legal text. (think about what you want....a law, or a change in abortions? I know I would not be satisfied with illegal abortions, but them still happening....I would be much happier with legal abortions, but millions fewer occuring.)

I agree that the Pro-Life lobby has done a very poor job, both in their tactics to overturn Roe v. Wade and in counteracting the abortion lobby's tactics. Case and point, how many times have you heard someone say, "I could never get an abortion myself/I would never want my wife to have an abortion, but I'm pro-choice."

I think President Bush has the right idea. We will be far more successful if we make our immediate goal to have abortion seen as a last resort rather than a first resort. Unfortunately, the abortion lobby has made the practice seem on the same level as using birth control. (Personally, I have no problem with birth control...at least birth control defined as something that prevents pregnancy before it happens.) We must first move toward fewer abortions before we can reach none.