8mm
Posted on 01/22/2007 4:15:15 PM PST by wagglebee
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Abortion advocates are celebrating 34 years of legalized abortion under Roe v. Wade today at various events. Yet, the pro-abortion movement appears to be losing ground and its leaders are switching gears trying to find an issue that resonates with people.
With advancements in technology such as 4D ultrasounds and a litany of women telling their stories of regret and pain following an abortion, the American public is less supportive of abortion now than at any time since Roe.
In celebrating the abortion anniversary, NOW president Kim Gandy said abortion advocates "must continue to be vigilant about upholding a woman's right to make her own childbearing decisions, including access to birth control and abortion."
Gandy's inclusion of birth control in the statement is an important change in strategy as polls show Americans opposing abortions.
Last January, a CBS News poll found that 55 percent of Americans took a pro-life position on abortion.
Some 33 percent said abortions should only be "permitted only in cases such as rape, incest and to save the woman's life," 17 percent said they would limit abortion only to cases where a woman's life is in danger and 5 percent said abortions should never be permitted.
Just 42 percent in the CBS News poll indicated they support legalized abortion.
Acknowledging that most Americans either want abortions illegal or are uncomfortable with unfettered abortion, the pro-abortion movement has shifted its focus to promoting birth control and the morning after pill.
That's the case even though abortion advocates now have control of Congress.
Instead of broad legislation that pro-abortion groups supported int he Clinton years -- such as the FOCA bill that would tear down virtually every pro-life law limiting abortions -- Congressional leaders are focusing on trying to reduce unwanted pregnancies.
They reintroduced legislation intended to improve access to family planning and the Plan B drug.
"There are few more divisive issues in America today than abortion, but there is an opportunity to find common ground if we are willing to join together and seize it," pro-abortion Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said recently.
Leading pro-abortion activists acknowledge this change in framing the abortion debate.
"You're going to see a change in the tone of the debate, and a move toward more solutions, rather than the divisiveness," Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL, told the Washington Post.
One unnamed abortion activist was more blunt in assessing the political climate, telling the Post, "We've made gains, but we don't have carte blanche on anything."
Pro-life advocates are noticing the change in policy and direction as well.
"Abortion-rights advocates, by their own admission, are panicked about the cultural trend away from the acceptance of a hard-line abortion policy," Marjorie Dannenfelser, head of the Susan B. Anthony List, writes in a National Review column Monday.
"The abortion movement's response so far has been to deflect the debate away from the central question," Dannenfelser explains.
"Abortion-rights advocates are willing to argue about anything, except the 'A'-word itself," she says. "They reason that, so long as the debate is kept on the periphery, there will be no discussion of why abortion is allowed for all nine months of pregnancy, for any reason or none at all — a policy that is not very popular with the American people."
Dannenfelser says the trend is good for the pro-life movement because it shows that "the vast majority of Americans and women in particular are trending away from the old hard-line abortion position."
It must be difficult to explain to people why you think butchering innocent and defenseless babies is a good idea.
Pro-Life Ping
I wonder how some of them explain it to their other kids. Kids can't be fooled about this and they take it real, real personal.
Memo to Kim Gandy: The time to be "eve vigilant" is BEFORE getting pregnant.
eve = ever
Case in point: Last year at the march for life in Atlanta, all the big names came out in pouring rain, starting with the governor. Zell Miller spoke through the worst of the storm. This year, with the election safely over, we got some remarks from the lieutenant governor and a long (though wonderful) sermon from a Baptist preacher, who warned us against trusting in our so-called pro-life politicians.
When my children were young, my sister and I were involved with a pro-life group in our area. One night after we came home from a meeting, my 8 year old daughter overheard our conversations (little children have big ears). She asked me what abortion was and I tried to explain it to her as best I could. (She was an inquisitive child and I had already explained to her where babies come from.)
After I told her that some people don't believe that the fetus is a baby and they think it's alright to destroy it before it's born, she looked at me with big eyes filled with horror and picked up a brochure I had on the table with the picture of an early term fetus in the womb. She pointed to the picture and said, "Can't they just look at it and SEE that it is a baby?!?!"
My three-year-old looks at it and sees that it's a baby. He says "Eta! Eta!" - he's still learning to pronounce English, as we adopted him from Russia six months ago. His birth mother couldn't rear him or place him with her family, but she gave him his life, so that he could grow into a stunningly beautiful little boy and bring such indescribable joy into the hearts and lives of my wife and I. Apparently the innocent minds of our children have more common sense in them than the typical abortion-pusher.
ProLife Ping!
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A similar incident prompted the title of a pro-life classic. The author's child saw a picture of a dismembered fetus and asked "Who broke the baby?"
How wonderful! Congratulations.
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I detest abortion!!!
Thanks for the ping!
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