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Defending Roe vs. Wade with Proactive and
Radical Strategies
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It need not be feared - It must be embraced
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| Over the years, abortion
rights organizations have become more "conservative"
in their approach to protecting Roe vs. Wade. In
the 80's, seeking to expand their base of support
at the ballot box and bank, they courted moderate
republican and independent voters. Their vote and
money began to exert tremendous influence over the
type of defense strategies employed, virtually disarming
the abortion rights movement leaving it unable to
employ proactive and radical strategies to protect
Roe. Such disarmament has resulted in state and
congressional legislation that's unraveling the
balancing of the right to life and liberty of woman
and fetus that Roe accomplished and that disarmament
facilitated the election of a President in 2000,
who is hostile to Roe, owes a debt to the fundamental
Christian right and who in his first four year tenure
is likely to be successful in overturning Roe through
Supreme Court appointments. |
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| The street corner pro-activism
and radicalism of the 60's and 70's had won women
the right to finally control their own fertility,
a crucial |
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| step toward obtaining
equality. But since the 80's pro-activism and radicalism
have become so unacceptable to an aging, increasingly
more conservative or middle of the road abortion
rights constituency with the ability to deny their
vote and generous amounts of money, that pro-activism
and radicalism haven't just been abandoned as strategies
to protect Roe, they've become strategies to fear
and run from. |
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pro-activism and radicalism haven't just
been abandoned as
strategies to protect Roe, they've become strategies to fear
and run from
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| Life
and Liberty for Women doesn't fear and will
not run from radicalism or from the opportunity
to be proactive. We will embrace those strategies. |
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| For the want of courageous
pro-activism and radicalism by the abortion rights
movement since the early 1980's, many die hard abortion
rights supporters are tired and frustrated and many
have hunkered down, fearing either antiabortion
harassment and violence or loss of friendships and
jobs because of their abortion rights support. |
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| For the want of courageous
pro-activism and radicalism by the abortion rights
movement the pictures of alleged aborted fetuses
and the baby killing rhetoric has stood on the public
street corner without the graphic pictures of illegal
abortion challenging the pro-life declarative that
fetuses have a right to life and liberty over women
conception to birth and for |
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| many without exception
- ever. That has made many women and abortion rights
supporters feel ashamed to publicly declare that
women and not just fetuses have a right to life
and liberty, which Roe vs. Wade correctly and morally
balanced with that of a fetus. Privately women speak
of their belief in their right to life and liberty
as proclaimed in Roe but it isn't safe to publicly
say so any longer let alone stand on the street
corner with a graphic reminder of the toll on women's
lives illegal abortion had pre-Roe. That is the
fault of the current abortion rights movement who
has failed to courageously lead the way. |
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| The abortion rights movement
no longer speaks in bold loud and vivid language,
or with body language that emanates confidence,
courage, and the knowledge that the higher moral
ground is where we stand, not where they stand,
and certainly not on their radar screen anymore
is proactive radical strategies. |
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The current abortion rights movement has
failed its core constituency and
sustained heavy losses of access to abortion and contraceptive
services
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| The current abortion rights
movement has tied themselves in knots by thinking
too much about what it is they say and how they
say it. They tie themselves to simple one line political
messages to protect moderate voters and financial
supporters from hearing truth about the various
issues of abortion that they don't want to hear
rather than educating them about those truths and
they worry way too much about appeasing various
political allies. Without a doubt these judgments
and strategies have adversely affected the movement's
influence and effectiveness. They are no longer
acting in the best interest of the issue, the best
interest of every woman and they can no longer honestly
and forthrightly defend and protect Roe vs. Wade.
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| The current abortion rights
movement has failed its core constituency and sustained
heavy losses of access to abortion and contraceptive
services at the federal level and in many states,
and they have failed to make an important case to
their constituency that there are times, more often
now than not, when they must consider being one
issue voters. |
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| It is time that pro-activism
and radicalism return as strategies to protect and
defend Roe vs. Wade. When you publicly compare the
alleged pictures of aborted fetuses with the graphic
pictures of illegal abortion and the emotional stories
of women who were hurt and killed by illegal abortion,
the impact and response from an audience of antiabortion
persons and persons who have grown up since Roe,
is not something to be feared but replicated over
and over again. Consider this experience: |
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| Life
and Liberty for Women did just that in a
November 2000 debate with an antiabortion extremist
and in the picture above where the night before,
on Saturday January 20, 2001, 4 of us stood, braving
freezing cold temperatures outside the local Planned
Parenthood with the graphic picture you see above.
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| On Sunday, January 21st
when the Larimer County Colorado Right to Life held
its rally opposing the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade
at this church, two of us again braved the freezing
cold to contrast their pictures of alleged aborted
fetuses and baby killing rhetoric with the truth
and reality of illegal abortion. |
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How can they defend their position that
criminalizing abortion will save
babies when we so publicly and graphically expose that strategy
of dealing
with abortion as a killer of women and babies, not the savior?
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| To say the least our appearance
was unexpected, left them shocked and somewhat speechless.
We were approached by their leader and asked to
cover our picture when their children emerged from
the building to begin their march. (Interestingly
- not 20 minutes later did an elderly man emerge
from the church with one of their pictures and went
across the street.) We of course said no. We told
them that parents could steer their children away
from the picture or they could explain the picture
to their children. |
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| The press covered our
appearance because the press always shows up at
antiabortion events. So from now on - we will be
where they are - we'll continue to counter-demonstrate.
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| Not one antiabortion letter
to the editor appeared after either the November
debate or our counter-demonstration. After all,
what can they say when publicly confronted with
the truth in such graphic style? Think about it.
What can they say and how can they defend their
position that criminalizing abortion will |
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| save babies when we so
publicly and graphically expose that strategy of
dealing with abortion as a killer of women and babies,
not the savior? |
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| So very disingenuously,
antiabortion extremists blubber about the sacredness
of human fetal life. They bemoan fetal death from
legal abortion all the while willing to allow a
woman and her fetus to die from illegal abortion.
The sign above Gerri's picture reads: "Pro-life
Your Name Is A Lie - You Don't Care If Women Die."
Confront them - publicly - call a spade a spade
- and they have no rock to hide under. They have
no defense and what's more - trust me when I tell
you that they are as aware of that as anybody. Knowing
that - using that AND not being afraid to defend
the killing of innocent human life - prior to viability
- under the strict guidelines of Roe vs. Wade -
preventing the death of women and innocent human
life from illegal abortion, is not only right and
moral but it is our higher moral ground. |
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Life
and Liberty for Women has
taken the plunge
and will be proactive and radical.
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| Life
and Liberty for Women believes in the mission
of the various abortion rights organizations that
today make-up the whole of the abortion rights movement
and we believe they all have a critical role, uniquely
alone, and in coalition with other abortion rights
organizations, in defending and protecting Roe vs.
Wade, but to continue the current failing strategy
that exiles pro-activism and radicalism, that hinders
the placement of the issue itself as first and foremost
to be concerned with and which continues to fail
poor and minority women and teenage girls is unacceptable.
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| Life
and Liberty for Women has taken the plunge
and will be proactive and radical. We will create
the forthright language, lose the fear, call a spade
a spade, display the horrific sights and sounds
of illegal abortion wherever we can - including
on the street corner in a counter-demonstration
- and we'll defend the killing of human fetal life
- prior to viability - under the guidelines of Roe
vs. Wade. |
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| We will preach and teach
the need to women and men of preventing unintended
pregnancy |
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| and boldly and publicly
challenge the male gender to be real men and take
responsibility for preventing thousands upon thousands
of abortions by correct and consistent condom use.
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| Life
and Liberty for Women will do it alone -
just two or three of us if need be - because protecting
and defending Roe vs. Wade, keeping abortion safe
and legal for all women is our only focus and goal.
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| We are encouraged from
what we hear, that there are many abortion rights
supporters who believe in our approach, strategy,
and our activities and who would be willing to financially
support us in our efforts and/or be willing to join
us on the street corner. |
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| In advance we wish to
let you know we appreciate and are gratified by
your encouragement, and your financial and volunteer
support, more than any words could ever convey.
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Peggy Loonan
Founder and Executive Director |
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Please let us hear from you today!
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