WaPo columnist after attending March for Life: “Roe supporters (including me) are justifiably nervous”
Interesting observations from pro-abort Washington Post columnist Robert McCartney on January 24:
I went to the March for Life rally Friday on the Mall expecting to write about its irrelevance. Isn’t it quaint, I thought, that these abortion protesters show up each year on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, even though the decision still stands after 37 years. What’s more, with a Democrat in the White House likely to appoint justices who support abortion rights, surely the Supreme Court isn’t going to overturn Roe in the foreseeable future.
How wrong I was. The antiabortion movement feels it’s gaining strength, even if it’s not yet ready to predict ultimate triumph, and Roe supporters (including me) are justifiably nervous….
I was especially struck by the large number of young people among the tens of thousands at the march. It suggests that the battle over abortion will endure for a long time to come.
“We are the pro-life generation,” said signs carried by the crowd, about half its members appearing to be younger than 30. There were numerous large groups of teenagers, many bused in by Roman Catholic schools and youth groups….
Also contributing to the confidence among abortion opponents are some recent political and judicial events. In the House version of the health-care reform bill before Congress, conservatives succeeded in inserting a remarkably strong antiabortion provision. And in November, antiabortion Republican candidates won governor’s races in VA and NJ.
And although he still lacks the 5 votes needed to scrap Roe, which established a constitutional right to abortion in 1973, Chief Justice John Roberts warned explicitly in a Supreme Court decision Thursday that there was no “inexorable command” that the court must preserve past rulings….
Activists who support abortion rights conceded that there’s less energy among young people on their side of the debate.
“Unfortunately, I feel my generation is a little complacent,” said Amanda Pelletier, 20, co-director of the abortion rights group at American University. “It just doesn’t seem to be a very hip issue.”
Erin Matson, action vice president for the National Organization for Women, said that the current political climate is “terrifically hostile” to abortion rights and that her group hopes to organize a national march similar to a huge rally for NOW’s side of the issue in 2004.
Matson criticized President Obama and Democrats in Congress for having “put forth the most punitive proposed restrictions on abortion in my lifetime.” She referred to the provision in the House bill sponsored by Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI), which would prevent women who receive federal insurance subsidies from buying insurance that pays for abortions.
Matson and Pelletier were among fewer than 100 abortion-rights supporters who demonstrated in front of the Supreme Court on the anniversary of Roe.
Young people in the March for Life said they thought they were more opposed to abortion than people in their parents’ generation because they had more information about the issue, in part because of their education….
“I’ve seen the pain that abortion causes women,” said Michelle Fabian, youth minister of St. Catherine of Siena Church in Lancaster County, PA. She said her mother still “can’t listen to a vacuum cleaner without shuddering” because it reminds her of the equipment used when she had an abortion before Fabian was born.
When feelings run that raw, this issue could stir controversy for 37 years more.
Despite his observations, McCartney closed his column still not getting it. Pro-lifers have no intention of letting abortion on demand merely “stir controversy” another 37 years. We intend to make it illegal.
Furthermore, McCartney doesn’t understand abortion on demand will always “stir controversy.” Abortion kills children. It is not an issue that will die down and become part of the American framework over the course of time. Pro-aborts freely admit they thought Roe v. Wade would settle it. Clearly, it didn’t, nor has the passage of time made abortion any more acceptable. Time does not quell evil. Time works oppositely. Evil is always ultimately defeated.
[HT: reader Jay; photos via DCist]
Jill Stanek is a nurse turned speaker, columnist and blogger, a national figure in the effort to protect both preborn and postborn innocent human life.
“It just doesn’t seem to be a very hip issue.”
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The murder of innocent, unborn babies was never ever and never will be HIP, no matter which generation you come from.
The young girl’s sign says Won’t Get Laid Without Roe V Wade………WHHHAAAA???!!!
Love the first photo of the Obama sign.
Young people are coming out in droves!! I thank Lila Rose for the example she sets! Young people no longer believe the lies of the abortion industry. They have seen what abortion has done to their friends and they know so many of their generation are missing.
No doddering old spinsters pushing 200 years old? No “hordes of parochial school children”?
Was she at the right march?
Personhood now!
I’ve been fighting killing innocent lives since 1986.
Lord willing, abortion will end in my lifetime!
http://www.personhoodusa.com
Young people:
I saw thousands of you at the March For Life.
How do those of you under 37 feel about the violence done to your generation? Does it make you feel outraged? Does it make you feel as though your generation was singled out to a greater extent than any previous generation? Do you resent the older generation of abortionist activists (NOW, NARAL, etc.) who helped bring this evil down upon you?
I am a baby boomer and a large part of the blame for the destruction of your generation rests with us (although I have supported unborn human rights since I was 13 in 1971 and played no part in the killing of unborn children).
On another matter, I find absolutely distressing the casual acceptance of abortion violence by the people at the Washington Post and other media outlets. Really distressing?
“Keep your rosaries off my ovaries”…
Do they REALLY think that only Catholics showed up for the March OR is it they don’t even know who they’re dealing with?
Hi RSD,
Just an example of the appalling bigotry that was promoted by PAs and their media lapdogs.
That young girl’s “Won’t get Laid…” sign is exactly why people want abortion available. That’s it. Without Roe, statutory rapists won’t be able to cover up their crimes, with Planned Parenthood’s eager assistance. Bar hook-ups will occur a lot less often, because the “punishments” that result from a drunken one-night stand can’t easily be erased. Fewer teen boys and girls will have sex, but the ones who do will put a lot more thought into it before taking the plunge, just as they did before Roe.
What is the false promise of Roe? Sex without consequences. Young girls being encouraged, often by their own parents, who should be protecting them, to overcome their inhibitions (which really stem from their innate desire to protect their innocence and avoid hurt) by giving in to their boyfriends.
As for the column, I will give Robert McCartney credit. He was prepared to write the Newsweek column all over again (by the way, Newsweek is owned by the same media company as the Washington Post). But he didn’t. He watched the march, he talked to the participants, and even quoted the woman whose mother still shudders at the sound of a vacuum cleaner. McCartney gave the march a very fair shake. I don’t know if he could be persuaded to become pro-life or not, but he is at least honest enough to attend the event and report what he saw- lots and lots of young pro-lifers and a miniscule number of counter-protestors.
We must never let up. Never.
Our future as a country is at stake.
End the genocide now.
Loved this line from the article: “the current political climate is “terrifically hostile” to abortion rights”. What is more hostile than shredding a baby, dismembering a baby, sucking out the brains of a BABY!!!
We will not stop until the killing stops!!!
Hi Michael and Carla,
Are the PAs total morons? What they are saying here is that unwanted pregnancy may indeed be prevented by making abortion illegal! Isn’t it their supposed goal to prevent unwanted pregancy?
They remind me of people walking around not realizing they have a “kick me” sign on their back.
Mary,
Their rhetoric is so empty and old. Total lies and deception. What’s the line that Obama always uses? Oh, yeah. Let’s make abortion RARE!!(by promoting abortion)
The abortionist pigs are admitting defeet! Artmis What do you think? RJ
Thank you, young people, for taking up the cause! I’ve been prolife for more than 20 years, and this “oldhead” is tired! My daughter, 21, is very prolife, my 19 year old son not so much, but I’m working on him (ironically, my son is adopted. When I asked him how he would have liked to have been aborted, he said, that would have sucked – no pun intended)!
The young girl’s sign says ‘Won’t Get Laid Without Roe V Wade’
————————————————-
See there, the thoughtful lass is making the case that prohibiting abortion on demand will reduce unplanned pregnancies and by extension abortions.
[Are you listening B.O. ? Wisdom is raising her voice in the market place and at the head of the busy streets.]
If you don’t get ‘laid’ you won’t get played’ and you won’t require an elective surgical procedure to escape the conseguence of your actions.
yor bro ken
McCartney: “I was especially struck by the large number of young people among the tens of thousands at the march.”
QUICK! Somebody call NEWSWEEK!
“Keep your rosaries off my ovaries”…
RSD: “Do they REALLY think that only Catholics showed up for the March OR is it they don’t even know who they’re dealing with?”
There’s that…and then it’s also true that people on both sides will write just about anything if there’s even an imperfect rhyme.
“Keep your rosaries off my ovaries”…
Another example of the convienent stereotypes that are typical of bigots.
The implication is that only catholics are opposed abortion on demand and the sole basis for their opposition is ‘religion’.
yor bro ken
The abortionist pigs are admitting defeet! Artmis What do you think? RJ
Posted by: RJ Sandefur at January 25, 2010 11:05 AM
Only in your wildest, wet dreams. The pro-choice movement is alive and well. With every silly bit of street theater done by the anti-aborts, our side gets stronger. And we have money, too. The pro-choice movement is supported by educated men and women with cash – and that includes suburban Republican women. Some of the strongest supporters of reproductive rights, in my state, are fiscally conservative but socially liberal women. Those of us who came of age in pre-Roe days know what’s at stake. And “abortionist pigs” – nice talk for women who make their own decisions about their own bodies; but as their is an underlying misogyny (evil women who have sex and could care less about your fetus worship need to be punished, right?) to your movement, I get it. The “pigs” are the zealots who claim that the rights of the fetus supercede those of the woman who carries it.
“Fewer teen boys and girls will have sex, but the ones who do will put a lot more thought into it before taking the plunge, just as they did before Roe”
Posted by: Michael at January 25, 2010 10:09 AM
ROFLMAO – What planet do you live on, Michael. People were always “doing it.” The same old abstinence promoters in the early twenties were upset about the automobile because it afforded people the opportunity to have unsupervised sex. The twenties were “roaring,” in part, with new found sexual freedom. When the birth control pill also was a major landmark for sexual freedom but bad for those guys who wanted to keep their “wimmin” barefoot, pregnant, and out of the board room. Anybody who says that folks were chaste before marriage, pre-Roe, is very naive. I attended a Catholic girls “academy” (class of 66) where we were told about abstinence ad nauseum. It was so funny. Not only the devout “Sodality” girls; but most of the rest of the student body were bumping like bunnies by the time they were seniors. It was a well known fact that the waiting room, at the local Planned Parenthood, was filled with girls from all the local Catholic schools. It is a well known fact that Planned Parenthood has more than a few women from the local Dominican college.
You can kill every abortion doctor and burn down every clinic, but abortion will always be available. (D&C’s were quite popular in the pre-Roe days) And BTW, shouldn’t you be demanding that the in-vitro clinics closed because they “murder” the “babies?”
But if Roe goes down, my state is safe. Others won’t be – but there will always be people willing to transport women to safe states or Canada. Just like the old days when the Episcoplian (still a pro-choice religion) Chaplain of a local Ivy school provided this service. Unfortunately, some women, like a friend of mine, will douche with acne medication and so forth. Ah, good time. But not to worry. I’m sure all the religious types, who oppose abortion, will open their homes to the babies who are unwanted, especially the minority and medically challenged one. I do hope the wealthy Catholic bishops hear the pitter patter of little feet.
“The rich get rich and the poor get babies…aint we got fun!”
Artemis, I would gladly open my home to any “unwanted” child of any color — I already have.
Above sentence “When the birth control pill also was a major landmark for sexual freedom…” should read, “When the birth control pill came along in the 60’s, it was a major….”
“Unfortunately, some women, like a friend of mine, will douche with acne medication and so forth. ”
Artemis,
That sounds ridiculous but more importantly, don’t you think it’s a bit irresponsible of you to throw that out there for impressionable (unchaste) minds to pick up?
Artemis,
No, I am not naive. People didn’t start having sex only after the sixties and birth control. However, young people also didn’t hook up on the first or second date or have “friends with benefits.” If/when a couple did have sex, there was the acknowledgement that marriage would be the expected outcome of a pregnancy. Not to mention, marriage was the expected outcome of the relationship!
As for your tales of the local Planned Parenthood being “filled girls from all the local Catholic schools,” I have two points: 1) Sure, there were some Catholics getting abortions then as there are now, but 2) I’m sure that the Planned Parenthoods whose clientele were primarily Catholic school girls must be located in the same places as those hospitals that pro-aborts say had equal-sized wings for maternity and sepsis infection from illegal abortions. Ie, darn if every pro-choice politician and advocate visited one but can’t find a single record to prove they existed.
As for abortion will always be around, well so will infidelity, lying, lying about infidelity, etc. That doesn’t mean it’s okay. And as long as abortion is still around, and other threats to life such as euthanasia, ESCR, and the like, so will be the pro-life movement. And we will continue to expose those who commit illegal abortions.
Those pictures of the March look like Spring Break in January.
Hmm . . I attended a Catholic high school (even though I am not Catholic)run by the Daughters of the Heart of Mary. I graduated in 1976 (sigh) and at the time there there was a definite stigma attached to girls (and boys) who were sexually active. I’m not saying that none of my fellow classmates had sex — one young woman allegedly got pregnant and had an abortion, but generally those who “did it” were looked down upon.
Artemis,
You spout the same old tired PA rhetoric.
Did your friend do this douche before or after Roe? I mean, even you acknowledge she could have had a D&C before Roe, they were quite popular according to you.
Your friend douched with acne medication? I’ve seen people attempt suicide be eating Drano. That proves what? Bingo. People do very stupid things. Why they do is another question I am not prepared to answer.
I remember pre-Roe as well and if you do any serious review of history, you will not find an era when people were particularly chaste.
Also, it could be argued that abortion being illegal may have made it safer, as doctors performing illegal abortions feared prison, which meant they had to be extremely careful, and were.
BTW, the term “back alley” comes from women entering doctor’s offices from the alley entrance door after hours so as not to get caught, it does not describe the conditions under which the abortion was done.
Oh yes the rich and poor argument. Tell me Artemis, do you really think the CEO’s wife or daughter, or the Hollywood celebrity, sits in the same abortion clinic waiting room as the welfare mother from the housing project or trailer park? How has abortion been some great equalizer between the rich and poor?
Hi Michael,
I hate to bring the PAs into the modern world but they cannot compare 50 plus years ago to now.
“Septic Abortion Wards” went the way of iron lungs and quarantine signs, thanks largely to better surgical technique, aseptic technique, antibiotics, and IV and blood transfusion therapy long before Roe.
I have vague childhood memories of iron lungs and TB sanatariums like people have memories of septic abortion wards. This proves what?
Wow…it’s a good thing PP is there to “help” these sexually active children by killing their babies instead of…oh…I dunno….NOTIFYING THEIR PARENTS OF THEIR CHILDREN’S BEHAVIOR SO THEY CAN GET SOME ACTUAL REAL HELP FROM AUTHORITIES IF THEY ARE BEING TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF BY AN ADULT OR HAVE PARENTS ALTER THEIR SUPERVISION LEVEL SO THEY’RE NOT ENGAGING IN RISKY BEHAVIOR IN THE FIRST PLACE.
The “help” people like Artemis and Planned Parenthood offer is like saying you’re helping put out a forest fire by dousing it with gasoline. Once again, if everyone just did what they were supposed to in the first place, abortion wouldn’t exist.
Once again, if everyone just did what they were supposed to in the first place, abortion wouldn’t exist.
Posted by: xalisae at January 25, 2010 2:42 PM
what about married people who get abortions. What did they do wrong “in the first place?”
Hal “What did they do wrong “in the first place?”
They closed their marriage to new life.
X, what do you think? According to pro-aborts you need to keep your rosaries off their ovaries.
My former friend angrily told me that after she read my pro-life blog on myspace. Which made me chuckle since I am not Catholic. The pro-aborts don’t know how to defend their position. They can only chant tired, overused slogans. Thats their only weapon. Its all they’ve got. Catchy bumper stickers sum up their whole position. pathetic.
Oh, good grief… Artemis, engage your God-given ability to think rationally, won’t you?
You wrote:
You can kill every abortion doctor and burn down every clinic, but abortion will always be available.
Right (your histrionics about violence aside). So will rape. So will murder. You seem to be arguing that, since abortion will never go away entirely, “we might as well give up fighting it.” Please tell me why rape and murder shouldn’t be decriminalized, since we’re even less likely to be rid of those.
Care to put down the bumper-stickers, and try an actual coherent argument?
Sydney, I’m not Catholic either, so that makes at least two of us here.
Three! I consider myself agnostic (although you will find some religious references in my blog articles, archived from way back when I considered myself “Catholic”)
Four.
Five and two. Like Rachel C I consider myself agnostic.
Six. Seven, if you count my boyfriend.
Hal, I was talking specifically about those “catholic school girls” to which Artemis was referring.
But if you’d like to delve into married couples’ bedroom habits, I’ll be more than happy to oblige you. I have a tubal ligation, for starters. However, if that ever were to fail, we’d happily accept our new child into our family. Before this, it was condoms AND birth control. If you are to the point at which any failing of birth control means you are literally going to take another human’s life (your child’s life, at that), I would think you would do anything and everything in your power to avoid doing so. I would. But then again, I’d lay down my own life before taking the lives of any of my children. You’ve already opted to take your child’s life-twice, no less-so I suppose your priorities are a little different than mine.
Leslie, when you say that you hope “abortion will end in your time”, you’re deluding yourself.
Abortion will NEVER end because there is absoilutely no way to stop women from seeking and obtaining them. They’ll find a way. They always have and always will.
You can’t get around this fact. Praying for abortion to end is like praying for God to stop the tide at the seashore. This just isn’t going to happen.
Tje only thing that can be done is to prevent as many unwanted pregnancies as possible, which is more easily said than done, and to provide more help for poor pregnant women.
And contraceptives MUST be available, because if they aren’t, it will only cause a rise in abortions.Saying that there are charities to help poor pregnant women ignores the fct that these can only do so much. It would cost billions of dollars to provide more help so that poor pregnant women would not have to worry about providing decent food,clothing,shelter,education and medical care for their children.
If there were a way to prevent all unwanted pregnancies, pro-choicers would be all for it.
But I’m afraid that’s pie in the sky.
Making abortion illegl again in America won’t stop them at all. It will only make abortion more dangerous.
You don’t have much faith in women, do you, Robert Berger? You also don’t seem to have a very high opinion of their intelligence.
Like you, I agree that this present world will always be evil. The Flood only washed away the evil for a time, although God’s further restraints on evil may have prevented such a level of violence as existed before the Flood. Unlike you, God’s sovereignty comforts me. He is not only powerful but good. In the end, evil will be vanquished (dealt with in hell), and God will be glorified and eternally enjoyed by His people.
I have to say, then, that while I don’t have the greatest faith in people, I do strive for greater faith in God. While I myself sin, I do try not to sin. My trying is not useless because after I die, I will be glorified, and I will no longer sin. And my present seeking to end the pro-death culture of abortion might actually result in fewer abortions. There will be a difference for those babies that are saved, and the honour (such as it is) of a country that has already killed millions of its own.
Don’t be Denethor, Robert.