Politics
Thursday January 24, 2008
Abortion Leaders Admit that Pro-Life Arguments are Convincing
Express concern about pictures of abortion shown to public
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By Matthew Cullinan Hoffman
LOS ANGELES, January 24, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Two of the nation's most influential pro-abortion leaders have admitted publicly that the pro-life movement has convincing arguments that pro-abortion forces have no response to.
In an opinion piece published by the Los Angeles Times on January 22nd, Frances Kissling and Kate Michelman write that the phrase "culture of life", coined by Pope John Paul II, has had a significant impact.
"To some people, pro-choice values seem to have been unaffected by the desire to save the whales and the trees, to respect animal life and to end violence at all levels," they write.
"Pope John Paul II got that, and coined the term 'culture of life.' President Bush adopted it, and the slogan, as much as it pains us to admit it, moved some hearts and minds. Supporting abortion is tough to fit into this package."
The authors' also admit that the pro-life movement's focus on the unborn child and its attempts to limit access to abortion have worked, both politically and socially. They lament that "Twenty years ago, being pro-life was déclassé. Now it is a respectable point of view."
Significantly, they acknowledge that the strategy of showing people photos of the gruesome reality of abortion is working, despite the fact that it has been a matter of controversy among some pro-lifers. "In recent years, the antiabortion movement successfully put the nitty-gritty details of abortion procedures on public display, increasing the belief that abortion is serious business and that some societal involvement is appropriate. Those who are pro-choice have not convinced America that we support a public discussion of the moral dimensions of abortion," the authors write.
Such frank admissions of the power of pro-life arguments are significant, coming from two of the most important figures in the pro-abortion movement. Kate Michelman was the president of the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL), the original and most influential pro-abortion organization in the United States, with the possible exception of Planned Parenthood.
Frances Kissling was for many years the leader of "Catholics for a Free Choice," an organization repudiated by the Catholic Church, that promotes abortion, sodomy, and fornication, and fights to eliminate the Vatican's observer status at the United Nations.
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