file: /pub/resources/text/ProLife.News/1993: PLN-0319.TXT ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Life Communications - Volume 3, No. 19 September, 1993 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This newsletter is intended to provide articles and news information to those interested in Pro-Life issues. All submissions should be sent to the editor, Steve or the assistant editor Sean ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) Feminist Launches Pro-Life Political Action Committee (PAC) SAN FRANCISCO, CA - To counter pro-abortion fund-raising organizations like Emily's List and WISH List, pro-life feminist activist Rachel MacNair decided to launch the Susan B. Anthony List, a group dedicated to providing early campaign money to pro-life women. (_Wash. Times_ 11/7/92) The Susan B. Anthony list is sponsored by the National Women's Coalition for Life, an umbrella organization of pro-life women's groups. Feminists for Life, and Rachel MacNair in particular, helped to found NWCL in 1992. For information on the Susan B. Anthony List, please contact the NWCL at PO Box 1553 Oak Park, IL 60304 (708) 848-5351 or FFL at 811 E. 47th St. Kansas City, MO 64110 (816) 753-2130. NWCL consists of 15 pro-life, pro-family women's groups from all religious and political perspectives. They currently represent 1,800,000 women in the US. The groups that form the NWCL are American Victims of Abortion, Capitol Hill Women for Life, Concerned Women for America, Feminists for Life, Fortress International, International Black Women's Network, Life After Assault League, National Association of Pro-Life Nurses, National Council of Catholic Women, Professional Women's Network, Victims of Choice, Women Affirming Life, Women Exploited By Abortion, Women for Faith and Family, and Women for Women. We have more information on NWCL in the resource file [NWCLaddresses]. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) Spiritual Crusade to End Abortion ETERNAL LIFE, a lay Catholic pro-life organization, recently announced the start of a new Eucharistic Crusade to end abortion. Believing that the underlying cause of abortion in America is fundamentally a spiritual crisis, ETERNAL LIFE says the group will seek to combat a spiritual problem with spiritual means. The group is encouraging lay Catholics across America to arrange to have regular Masses celebrated for the SPECIFIC INTENTION OF ENDING ABORTION in our time. ETERNAL LIFE leaders point out that there are approximately 24,000 [Catholic] Churches and chapels in the U.S. In a member of the faithful arranged for a Mass to be said in each Church and chapel once a week to end abortion, that would be 1.2 million Masses offered each year. Although this can be done very informally, ETERNAL LIFE is undertaking to record, as accurately as possible, the number of Masses being offered nationwide to end abortion. More information on the Eucharistic Crusade to End Abortion may be obtained by contacting ETERNAL LIFE at P.O. Box 787, Bardstown, KY 40004; or calling (502) 348-3963. - Eleen Kamas ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) Book Reviews: _A Social History of Abortion_ _A Social History of Abortion_ by M. Olasky (Crossways Press, Wheaton, IL., C 1993) is a historical review of abortion in America from colonial times until the early 1960's (except for some concluding remarks, he ends with the famous Thalidomide abortion in Arizona in 1962(?)). The book is divided into roughly four parts: the first part examines the history of abortion and abortion laws in colonial America. The second part traces the rise in abortion in early nineteenth century America and the piecemeal development of anti-abortion laws. The third part deals with the upsurge of anti-abortion activity in the late nineteenth century, particularly focusing on opposition by doctors and the press, but also covers the rise of "crisis pregnancy centers". The fourth part deals with the collapse of anti-abortion sentiment among doctors and the press and the general rise of pro-choice feelings in the public at large. The book concludes with a brief chapter summarizing Olasky's conclusions and suggestions for action by the pro-life movement. _A Social History of Abortion_ has several adulatory jacket blurbs from people like Bernard Nathanson, Fr. Neuhaus, Fredrica Matthews-Greene, etc., and is certain to be a popular book in many circles. I, on the other hand, found the book interesting but fatally flawed. Olasky's thesis is that abortion, while far more common in America than is admitted by many in the pro-life camp, was restricted to certain segments of society and was opposed by the law and other moral agents such as churches and doctors until the mid twentieth century. Much of the book is an explicit attempt to refute a different thesis advanced by Mohr in the 1970's in his book _Abortion in America_ that abortion was generally accepted in America prior to quickening, and that the tough anti-abortion laws of the mid to late 19th century were an aberration due to attempts by the AMA to suppress "rival" medical professionals. The book is at its best when documenting the history of press coverage of abortion; according to the jacket notes Olasky is the author of an entire volume on this subject. He shows that press coverage slowly changed from a pro-life, to a neutral, to a pro-choice stance, and discusses some of the social factors which contributed to this. He also gives some interesting historical background on the 19th century predecessors of the current crisis pregnancy clinics (though the one chapter he devotes to "rescue" work among prostitutes in New York in the 1830's is fascinating but tangential to his work). While interesting and rich in carefully researched historical details, the book is ultimately a failure; this failure is due in no small part to logical errors and poorly supported assertions made by the author. The following logical error is the most egregious: to support his contention that abortion was restricted to narrow segments of American society in the early 19th century, Olasky carefully documents its prevalence among prostitutes, "seduced and abandoned women", and members of the "spiritist" movement (a 19th century precursor to the "New Age" movement which had a strong "free love" faction). Based on this evidence he concludes that these are the _only_ segments of society in which abortion occurs. The logical fallacy is immediate: A,B,C in X does not imply that X consists _entirely_ of A,B and C. One of the more poorly supported assertions is that changes in the way doctors (and the public at large) perceived abortion was due to a change in the American understanding of "compassion" - a change from a desire to support others in moral rectitude to a vaguer sense of "understanding" which demanded non-interference with personal autonomy. Again according to the jacket notes he has written a book on this thesis, but it is not supported very well in the current book. Missing from his book, despite its presence lurking beneath the surface of much of his evidence, is any discussion of the fundamental hypocrisy which tears at mainstream America today and apparently did so in the past: "abortion is evil and we must stop others from getting them, but if my daughter/sister/wife has a crisis pregnancy then it may be okay." In my opinion, this would have been a more accurate thesis around which to marshall the evidence he presents. Part of the problem may be that he has used an artificial dichotomy to organize his evidence--the "virgin/whore" distinction which many feminists posit in our society (and which, with some reservations I believe is a valid one). This is clear from the triple distinction mentioned above; more so since the author is an evangelical christian (a fact he makes clear in his conclusion) and holds the "spiritist" movement in such thinly veiled contempt that I think it is safe to say that he considers them "spiritual whores". A closer and more nuanced examination of the evidence in the "seduced..." and "spiritist" categories may well lead to a better understanding of the situation. Comments and criticisms would be most welcome. - Yours in Christ, David Cruz-Uribe, SFO ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) Off-Line Resources _Consider the Sources: Vol I Corporate Support of Abortion and Population Control_ - lists those donating to PP, NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund, NARAL, contributions to the ACLU specified "for defense of reproductive rights", abortion "clinics" not associated with PP, organizations funding school-based clinics or bad sex-ed curriculum, groups pushing for RU-486, groups actively promoting international population control by abortion, other pro-abort groups like Catholics for Free Choice. The information contained is "compiled from public records and annual reports" The cost is exactly $2 + 2 [.29] stamps [U.S. Postage] sent to: Diane Dew PO BOX 14311, West Allis, WI 53214 - Dan Lieuwen -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- _Matters of Life and Death: Calm Answers To Tough Questions About Abortion and Euthanasia_ by Francis J. Beckwith and Norman L. Geisler (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1991) $14.99 paperback. This is a question and answer book intended for the nonscholar, and contains the complete decisions of _Roe v. Wade_, _Doe v. Bolton_, _Webster v. Reproductive Health Services_, and _Cruzan v. Harmon_. I wouldn't recommend the book for people who want to get into more detailed philosophical/public policy discussions concerning abortion._Matters of Life and Death_ can be ordered by calling Baker Books between 9 am and 5 pm (Central Time) at 1-800- 877-2665. The 24-hour fax # is 1616-676-9573. - Frank Beckwith ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) Reader Comments Mother-to-Child AIDS Transmission: v3n18 I want to thank Mike for his tale (see editorial in v3n18), but I did want to offer what I believe is a factual correction. Mike stated that all children born to HIV+ women are HIV+. I don't believe this is correct, that there is a fluctuating percentage which can be affected by delivering the baby via Caesarean section. - David Cruz-Uribe, SFO A source regarding mother-to-child HIV infection: In "The Lancet," 1991; v. 338, n. 8761, p. 203 "HIV in pregnant women and their offspring: evidence for late trans- mission" A. Ehrnst, et. al. cite three studies--"the relative risk of vertical transmission has been estimated to be between 15 - 40 percent." I don't intend to minimize the tragedy of Mike's situation, but thought this is important to know. - Kevin Hammer I believe that about one third end up HIV+. Some may test HIV+ directly after birth (possibly due to the mother's antibodies?) but only one third remain HIV+. I have seen these studies but do not recall the exact numbers. There was a review entitled "Mother-to-child transmission of human immunodeficiency virus" in FASEB J. 5:2419-2426. (1991) by Rossi,P. and Moschese,V.. - Dave Collart -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Morality of Rescue: v3n18 Many of the arguments Mike used in his editorial on the morality of killing abortionists are practically identical to the arguments I made a year ago opposing "rescues." In fact, I said that one danger in the OR approach is that it could lead to an escalation of violence, something which we are beginning to see now. If one accepts that trespassing is also a moral evil (albeit a much smaller one), then the difference seems to be mainly a difference of degree. "Rescues" postpone a few abortions, may prevent some, but cause PR problems for pro- lifers. Killing abortionists postpones many abortions, may prevent more, but causes more severe PR problems for the movement. I can't understand how one could favor one tactic and oppose the other ... unless one could show that the good (stopping abortions) outweighed the bad (moral evils) more heavily in one case than in the other. I would be interested in empirical evidence that would show whether it does. Of course, i would still argue that the right way to oppose abortion is to oppose it without committing any moral evils oneself. - Ed Gehringer [ The basic difference that i have seen in print is that even criminal trespass can be justified to save the life of a child, because trespass laws were not invented to protect people who kill other people from having their activities prevented. This fits with the issue Mike brought up, that being the 'least evil' notion - letting the children die is clearly *more* evil than the trespass or blockade that saves that child. Of course not all rescues result in a mother/child being saved from the abortion, but many do. Of course, there is more to this, and i can see why many do not like rescue, or do not feel called to rescue. Personally, i have difficulty seeing the pro- life movement without non-violent direct action (like rescue), if we really believe that this is a human life that is being destroyed. Ed. ] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) Reader Questions Two Questions: Is Islam opposed to abortion ? AND Is Judaism opposed to abortion ? Any enlightenment on this would be appreciated. - Kevin Esler [Orthodox Judaism opposes almost all abortions - this was described in an article in backissue v3n4 for those who are interested. Ed.] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Quote of the Month: "A baby is God's decision that the world should go on" - Carl Sandburg +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Credits: | | 1 - Many thanks to reader Dennis Johnson for the _Washington Times_ quote | | on which part of this article is based. | | 2 - This announcement came from the DIOCESE OF ORANGE BULLETIN [August, 1993| | page 10]. Many thanks to reader Eleen Kamas and others. | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ Anyone desiring information on specific prolife groups, literature, tapes, or help with problems is encouraged to contact the editor.