IN DENIAL ABOUT ABORTION

By Bill Donahue

Next Tuesday marks the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Those who support abortion rights are in denial, and for eminently good reason: the public has turned against them. Indeed, more Americans consider themselves pro-life than at any time since 1973.

On November 21, the Centers for Disease Control released a report, “Abortion Surveillance—United States, 2009,” that found there was a 5 percent decrease in abortions between 2008 and 2009, the largest single-year decrease in a decade. This makes sense given the general revulsion against abortion. Then there is the increasing reluctance of doctors to kill children in utero: it takes a special kind of person to do that. This is why New York Governor Andrew Cuomo wants to allow non-doctors to do abortions—they don’t have the same scruples about killing the innocent.

The number of abortions peaked in 1990 and has been declining ever since. The number of abortion providers peaked in 1982, and while they have been steadily declining, a leveling off has been evident since 2005. The good news is that 27 states and the District of Columbia have experienced a decrease in abortion providers.

Pro-abortion activists are in denial. For instance, the Center for American Progress’ (CAP) Faith and Reproductive Justice Leadership Institute issued a statement yesterday by a few clergy members that is classic doublespeak. It says they are committed to “justice and dignity for all God’s people” [my italic], which is obviously a lie. They also say they “affirm the sacredness of conscience…as a foundation of religious liberty.” This is also a lie: Sally Steenland, director of CAP’s Faith and Progressive Policy Initiative, who is touting this statement today, cheered when Catholic conscience rights were nixed by the HHS mandate.

For the record, George Soros funds CAP and the Ford Foundation funds its Faith and Reproductive Justice Leadership Institute.