An American Compact

A full-page advertisement published in the New York Times, Jul. 1992, during the Democratic National Convention:

.... Defending Women's Rights

Abortion is defended today as a means of ensuring the equality and independence of women, and as a solution to the problems of single parenting, child abuse, and the feminization of poverty. The sad truth is that abortion license has proven to be a disaster for women, children, and families — and, thus, for American society.

We have had virtually unlimited access to abortion for nearly twenty years. Yet during that same period, more and more women and children have slipped into poverty. The insistence by supporters of abortion on demand that only "wanted children" be allowed to be born has not improved our infant mortality rates, which have remained among the worst in the industrialized world; nor has it helped us cope effectively with the incidence of child abuse, the frequency and severity of which have increased dramatically during this time.

Unfettered access to abortion on demand has addressed none of women's true needs; nor has it brought dignity to women. It has, in fact, done precisely the opposite. It has encouranged irresponsible or predatory men, who find abortion a convenient justification for their lack of commitment, and has vastly expanded the exploitation of women by the abortion industry. When the U.S. Supreme Court handed down Roe v. Wade, it did not even remotely envision the surgical "assembly line," commercialization, and exploitation which thousands of women say characterize their experiences with an abortion industry intent on maximizing profits. While apologists for abortion on demand raise the specter of "back alley abortions" in response to virtually any proposed regulation of the abortion industry, the truth is that twenty years of abortion on demand have not eliminated this tragic outcome. Women and young girls still die and are injured by legally performed abortions.

We know, now, what happens when society makes the destruction of unborn life a matter of "choice." Mutual, responsible family planning is deemphasized. Not only do women experience abortion alone; most relationships fall apart in its aftermath. The abortion license has not brought freedom and security to women. Rather, it has ushered in a new era of irresponsibility toward women and children, one that now begins before birth. It has retarded the quest for securing women's rights by acting as a cheap substitute for real answers to the injustice women experience today....

(Thanks, Peter.)

Lane Core Jr. CIW P — Tue. 07/13/04 06:45:49 AM
Categorized as Social/Cultural.