Feminist Leader Ousted From Women’s Movement for Defending Rght to Life

By Carole Novielli
Live Action News

The National Organization for Women (NOW) claims it was the first women’s organization to pass a resolution in favor of liberalizing abortion. NOW founder Betty Friedan openly admitted it was men (Lawrence Lader and Bernard Nathanson) who persuaded her to make abortion part of NOW’s agenda. As a result, abortion drove a wedge within NOW’s membership, resulting in several pro-life members departing the organization.

NOW’s intolerance toward pro-life beliefs drives women away

In 1975, syndicated columnist Nick Thimmesch detailed the dismembership of Karen Lorene Ahern from a NOW chapter in Fresno, California.

“I was hounded out after they learned I was in the pro-life movement,” Lahern told Thimmesch. “They would change meeting places and times without telling me and hassle me at meetings. It’s ironic that I can’t be for equal pay and the other issues and still be against abortion.”

Karen Lorene Ahern ousted by NOW for being prolife

Pro-life feminist on abortion: “These men have women right where they want them”

Pat Goltz joined NOW’s Columbus, Ohio, chapter in 1970 because she opposed the feminist movement being taken over by radicals with a pro-abortion agenda. She wanted to influence members toward a pro-life view.

L to R: Pat Goltz (FFL Co-founder), Rosemary Oelrich Bottcher (former FFL Board President), and Cathy Callaghan (FFL Co-founder) (Image: FFL)

“I was opposed to them taking a stand in favor of abortion because I didn’t want them corrupting the feminist movement with that because it was so evil…. They weren’t interested,” Goltz told Live Action News.

Goltz became unpopular with NOW leaders after referring to the abortion industry as “baby terminators,” and calling abortion a “male chauvinist rip off.”

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