Tag Archives: NARAL

Pro-Life Apologetics Spread the Truth

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By Bonnie Finnerty, Education Director

Dr. Bernard NathansonDr. Bernard Nathanson

 The panic is almost palpable.  Abortion supporters are screaming proverbial “Fire!” all over social and mainstream media, attempting to create mass hysteria over recent developments.  Facts are distorted, truths half-told. Why are they ramping up their rhetoric?

The Alabama ban on abortions. The Ohio and Georgia bills protecting babies at early stages of development. The Down Syndrome Protection Act passed by the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. These are just a few among several other legislative efforts to defend the only unprotected class of Americans, the pre-born.

Seemingly all of a sudden, the 40+ years that pro-lifers have worked to change laws are showing signs of progress.

And while all this is certainly an encouragement to those of us on the side of life, we cannot rest easy.  We have a two-fold mission: change laws and change hearts and minds. And neither is easy to do.

So now is the right time for all of us to self-enroll in Pro-Life Apologetics 101.

Apologetics is the systematic defense of a held belief. We pro-lifers must be ready to defend our position amongst the most persistent arguments for abortion. Often this may require a bit of historical research or googling of statistics, but it is well worth it if we can dispel some of the myths that continue to drive the abortion culture.  There is not a single argument for abortion that cannot be answered with science, history, logic, or personal witness.

Take for example, one of the most common arguments that our society will return to the days of illegal back alley abortions, which abortion supporters claim were the cause of countless deaths prior to Roe vs. Wade.  This allegation is meant to strike fear in our hearts, conjuring up horrible images of women suffering from infections due to unsterile instruments and untrained abortionists.

So how do we respond?

First, let’s acknowledge that legalized abortion puts women at risk for those very same things.  Consider the deplorable conditions of Gosnell’s abortuary, where for over 30 years, grown and just-birthed women died, while others were infected with STD’s due to unsterilized instruments.  Consider the Planned Parenthood in Philadelphia, made famous recently by Rep. Brian Sims’ outrageous bullying toward peaceful citizens, which failed 13 of the last 23 inspections. Do we honestly think these are the only two abortion centers not providing a “safe” sterile abortion?  Even in the cleanest of facilities, abortion remains a procedure with multiple risks for women and death to every child.

Secondly, let’s be clear about where abortion advocates get their numbers.

When the sexual revolution, women’s liberation, and the abortion movement all collided in the late 60’s, the co-founder of the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws (later NARAL)  abortionist Bernard Nathanson and his cohorts played off this fear and used the media to spread false statistics.

Nathanson, who later became an outspoken figure in the pro-life movement, confessed to these numbers being fake:

“We aroused enough sympathy to sell our program of permissive abortion by fabricating the number of illegal abortions done annually in the U.S. The actual figure was approaching 100,000 but the figure we gave to the media repeatedly was 1,000,000. Repeating the big lie often enough convinces the public. The number of women dying from illegal abortions was around 200 – 250 annually. The figure constantly fed to the media was 10,000.”

“These false figures took root in the consciousness of Americans convincing many that we needed to crack the abortion law. Another myth we fed to the public through the media was that legalizing abortion would only mean that the abortions taking place illegally would then be done legally. In fact, of course, abortion is now being used as a primary method of birth control in the U.S. and the annual number of abortions has increased by 1500% since legalization.”

In Aborting America (1979) Nathanson writes that since these false statistics were useful to the abortion “revolution”, why would NARAL go out of its way to correct them?

Abortion supporters still rely on these fictitious figures to feed fears and create hysteria.  And it is not beneath them to create additional misleading statistics, like abortion only being 3% of Planned Parenthood’s services. Or that a majority of Americans support abortion on demand throughout pregnancy.

But as students of truth and defenders of life, we can counter the inaccurate, irrational arguments used by abortion supporters to manipulate the American public. Perhaps repeating the truth often enough will convince the public.

There are many excellent resources available to educate ourselves and others, including our website at paprolife.org.

Let’s get busy. Let the truth spread like fire!

 

A Bizarre Pro-Abortion Fundraiser

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Ice cream

By Maria Gallagher, Legislative Director

It is the ultimate in poor taste.  The Oregon branch of the pro-abortion lobbying group known as NARAL is promoting ice cream for sale. But not just any ice cream, mind you. NARAL Pro-Choice Oregon went to Twitter to tout a “new custom flavor” which was “made exclusively for” the abortion promoter. The flavor is called “Rocky Roe v. Wade.”

That’s beyond bizarre. It’s sickening, considering the more than 60 million precious preborn children who have lost their lives to abortion since the tragic 1973 U.S. Supreme Court ruling Roe v. Wade. It is also nauseating when you think about what that court decision ultimately led to—the atrocity of partial-birth abortion, where a baby is partly delivered, then killed. The decision can also be credited with the ultimate in creepiness—the grisly trade of abortionist Kermit Gosnell, who is serving a life sentence in  connection with the murders of three full-term babies. He was also responsible for the death of immigrant patient Karnamaya Mongar.

To take a treat prized by children—ice cream—and turn it into a cash cow for a pro-abortion lobbying group is outrageous. It also shows the insensitivity toward the countless mothers who grieve children lost to abortion.

There is no “fun” in this fundraiser—only the bitter aftertaste spawned by forty-five years of abortion on demand.

 

 

The Man Behind the Myth That Abortion Is Empowerment

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By Maria Gallagher, Legislative Director
gallagher@paprolife.org

SubvertedYou may have heard of Larry the Cable Guy. But do you know about Larry the abortion guy?

In a recently released book entitled Subverted, writer Sue Ellen Browder tells her personal, emotionally riveting story of how she “helped the sexual revolution hijack the women’s movement.” Browder’s personal biography — a writer for Cosmo magazine who eventually saw the light and abandoned the darkness of the culture of death — is fascinating. But here, I want to focus on the individual who might be described as the man behind the modern pro-abortion women’s movement — Larry Lader.

According to Browder’s detailed account, Larry was an atheistic magazine writer whose first foray into the world of book publishing was an account of the life of Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger. Larry was one of the founders of the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws, now known as the abortion lobbying group NARAL.

Browder notes that it was due to Larry’s influence that the woman who might be called the mother of the women’s rights movement, Betty Friedan, inserted abortion into the National Organization for Women’s political platform. This turn of events came about even though Betty originally opposed legal abortion.

As Browder tells it, Larry was on a drive to Bucks County, Pennsylvania, with Dr. Bernard Nathanson (an abortionist who converted into a pro-life champion later in life) in 1967 when Larry stated, “If we’re going to move abortion out of the books and into the streets, we’re going to have to recruit the feminists.”

At a NARAL strategy meeting, Larry told Dr. Nathanson, “We’ve got to keep the women out in front. You know what I mean…and some blacks. Black women especially.”

Interestingly enough, Browder reports that Larry’s commitment to abortion formed a wedge between him and Margaret Sanger, who had called abortion “barbaric.”

Larry ultimately wrote a book on abortion, which was subtitled, “The first authoritative and documented report on the laws and practices government abortion in the U.S. and around the world, and how — for the sake of women everywhere — they can and must be reformed.” Still, as Browder writes, Larry’s book “was laced with poisonous half truth, limited truth, and truth out of context.”

And yet, Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmunn cited Larry’s abortion book at least seven times in writing the tragic decision Roe v. Wade and its companion case, Doe v. Bolton, which brought us abortion on demand for any reason during all nine months of pregnancy.

It is impossible to solve a problem unless we know its origins. Please read Subverted to learn how abortion became the law of the land. History can be difficult to handle, but we owe it to the 58 million and counting abortion victims who have become Larry’s legacy — and to the mothers who are still grieving their children’s deaths.

Reflecting on Abortion in Philly and Black History Month

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By Carla Ezell
Southeast Regional Coordinator, ezell@paprolife.org

Black History Month is a celebration filled with music, dance, and bright colors. The nostalgia of remembering our mothers, fathers, aunts, and uncles who lived colorful lives comes to remembrance. We who are older tell our children and grandchildren about the great actors, mother_and_childwriters, doctors, lawyers, and inventors from the ‘30s and ‘40s who succeeded because they didn’t give up in the face of racism and negativity.

Four hundred years ago, blacks were treated as slaves with no human rights; but today through our hard work and determination, we are able to own a business of any kind and be a part of the political system that makes the laws of the land.

CarlaEzellhed

Carla Ezell

It has been a long journey, full of every imaginable emotion a man or woman can go through. Even though we have had so many accomplishments, we as so many other cultures have been fooled into thinking we can tell our young people it’s OK to kill a child in the womb.

As a Black culture, abortion in the past was not an option. We accepted the gift of a new child knowing the child may have been conceived illegitimately, even by incest or rape. It wasn’t the child’s fault. The child was welcomed as a blessing to the family.

Now we’re listening to organizations like Planned Parenthood and NARAL who promote abortion as a means to a better life. We’re fooled by Planned Parenthood celebrating Black History Month. The abortion giant never tells us that their founder, Margaret Sanger, was a eugenicist who believed people of color were inferior. Adolf Hitler admired her and structured the annihilation of the Jews according to Sanger’s teachings.

We are a culture that can keep secrets, but this is not the time for secrets. Our babies are being aborted at a higher rate than any other race in America. In my city of Philadelphia in 2013, the abortion count was over 15,000. No wonder the schools are closing. In the United States, more than 15 million Afro American children and 57 million children of all races are dead, and millions of women and men are walking around wounded.

Now, we’re going to be facing a bill in Pennsylvania that would legalize doctor-prescribed suicide. Seniors, the disabled, mentally and physically impaired will be targeted. Of course, the issue will be presented as humane; but in reality it’s cost efficient.

Unfortunately, we don’t know our power. We as Afro Americans have to take the time to call our leaders and tell them, we don’t want abortion or doctor-prescribed suicide.

We keep forgetting: Our leaders work for us.

Celebrating an F on Pennsylvania’s Report Card

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Every year, the radical pro-abortion group NARAL gives out grades based on state laws related to abortion.This year, Pennsylvania got an F on its report card.

Here are some of the reasons why:

  • Choose Life!Women in Pennsylvania must be offered accurate information about the abortion procedure, its risks and alternatives before having an abortion.
  • Our legislature provides money for our state’s innovative Alternatives to Abortion program administered by Real Alternatives, which ensures that pregnant and parenting moms don’t feel like abortion is their only option. This funding goes to pregnancy resource centers, maternity homes, and other social service organizations that offer women physical and emotional support while they are pregnant and parenting.
  • Young women under age 18 must have a parent’s consent before having an abortion.
  • Our state holds abortion centers accountable for meeting basic health and safety standards in their facilities.
  • Abortions are not allowed after a baby is viable outside the womb.

You can see their full list of reasons for our grade on NARAL’s website.

Pennsylvania’s report card is a reason to celebrate. Pro-abortion groups like NARAL are feeling afraid because of these basic, common sense provisions in our state. It’s evidence that we are making a difference. That’s why they gave us an F.

Abortions in Pennsylvania dropped to a historic low in 2013, and more women are being empowered with the resources to choose life for their babies. Please help us keep Pennsylvania a strong leader in the fight to protect babies and their moms from the tragedy of abortion. Click here to find out about how you can get involved.

“God’s Not Dead” Movie: Every Life Is Meaningful through God

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A movie with the provocative title, “God’s Not Dead” opened in theatres over the weekend. Although I tend not to be an opening weekend kind of girl, I had been eagerly awaiting this film, ever since I saw the eye-opening trailer.

God'sNotDeadThe intriguing plot centers on a college student who finds his Christian faith challenged on the first day of his philosophy class by a professor with a Mt. Sinai-sized chip on his shoulder. A number of interweaving subplots demonstrate the drama of faith—both the callous rejection of it and the courageous embrace of it.

While the story is fictitious, it is based on a number of fundamental truths about human nature, creation, and relationships. As the final credits indicate, the film was also inspired by real-life court cases, some of which involve college pro-life groups and the challenges they can face on campus.

And that got me to thinking. While pro-abortion groups sometimes use members of the clergy to sell their message about “reproductive rights,” there is something fundamentally atheistic about the whole business of legalized abortion.

For it denies the supremacy of the Creator in determining when life begins and when it ends. It cuts the Almighty out of the equation.

In one poignant scene of “God’s Not Dead,” a pastor helps a young woman to understand that she is not a mistake, because God doesn’t make mistakes. Yet, more than three thousand times a day, the abortion industry tells American women that their babies are mistakes, and therefore should be eliminated. Pro-abortion apologists attempt to shore up the argument by claiming that these undesirable children would have ended up committing crimes and otherwise wreaking havoc on society, as if they were programmed to cause trouble from the moment they appeared in the womb. On one hand, abortion advocates argue that life does not begin at conception, while on the other hand they claim they can know from the start that this baby should not be given a chance at life.

The film deftly points out that a public denial of the existence of God can mask a deep hurt stemming from a profound tragedy which occurs during the course of one’s life. The age-old question appears: How can an all-loving God permit evil? One might wonder, too, what emotional scars prompt a woman to seek abortion—or a doctor to turn to abortion to make a living. Read the book The Hand of God by the late Dr. Bernard Nathanson, NARAL’s founder, and you can catch a glimpse of the world of pain that can exist within an abortionist’s soul.

Nathanson went from being an atheistic abortion rights pioneer to a Christian pro-life advocate. His conversion to the pro-life stand preceded his religious conversion—he first began to see the humanity of an unborn child in an ultrasound before he was able to touch the face of God.

One can come to the conclusion that abortion is unjust purely through the force of reason. Indeed, there are atheists and agnostics who do recognize abortion to be the taking of an innocent human life.

But there is also a profound religious argument to be made in defense of the pro-life stand: Abortion is the ultimate rejection of God and His merciful love.

Pro-Abortion NARAL Gives Pennsylvania “F” Grade

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Every year, the pro-abortion group NARAL issues a report card for each of the states, giving “A” grades to the states that have little to no limitations to abortion-on-demand. States that have protective laws for unborn children and their mothers are given an “F.” Once again, Pennsylvania has earned an “F” grade.

At the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation, we wear that “F” as a badge of honor. It means the laws we worked so hard to pass are having an effect. It also means local chapters of the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation and pregnancy resource centers across the state are having a huge impact on reducing the number of abortions and providing essential aid to mothers-in-need.

Check out the NARAL Report Card.

Click here for more information on abortion law in Pennsylvania.