Pro-Life Women Shift to Majority...Hallelujah!

[southerngale]

The balance between pro-choice women and women who say abortion should be outlawed or severely restricted is shifting toward the pro-life side, bumping that group into the majority in the debate over reproductive rights, according to a new national poll.

Fifty-one percent of women surveyed by the Center for the Advancement of Women said the government should prohibit abortion or limit it to extreme cases, such as rape, incest, or life-threatening complications.

The findings, with a 3 percent margin of error for the 1,000 women surveyed, tips the scale from the last sampling in 2001, when 45 percent of women sided against making abortion readily available or imposing only mild restrictions. Only 30 percent support making it generally available, down from 34 percent in 2001, the survey found.

The New York-based center that sponsored the survey is a nonpartisan advocacy group for pro-choice women's rights. The center's president, Faye Wattleton, headed the Planned Parenthood Federation of America for 14 years.

"While we do have a certain point of view on women's issues, we don't believe we should suppress information," Mrs. Wattleton said in an interview yesterday with The Washington Times. "You don't want to create false or artificial data."

The results, announced with a series of women's responses to issues such as domestic violence and affirmative action, found that fewer women — 41 percent — consider protecting abortion a top priority, an 8 percent drop from 2001. Of the 12 top priorities, keeping abortion legal was second to last, beating only the percentage of women who want to increase the number of girls participating in organized sports.

Eighty percent of women also reported having no second thoughts about their views on abortion.

Mrs. Wattleton, a women's rights activist in the 1970s, called the survey's results a "disturbing" step against the pro-choice perspective. She pointed to another part of the survey in which 50 percent of women said they believe the Supreme Court will let current abortion laws stand. Women who predicted the court would change the law said by a 2-to-1 margin that the court would make getting an abortion more difficult instead of easier, the survey said.

At issue during the high court's recent session was whether one or several of the justices would step down, opening the door to a President Bush appointee. The Bush administration has been tightening the restrictions on certain types of abortions after President Clinton undid many limitations from previous administrations.

"It's a broader issue now than mere reproductive rights," said Mrs. Wattleton, adding that changing administrations shouldn't seesaw on what she considers an inalienable right. "I've always felt it struck at the status of women in society.

"But even if we hold our noses at it, we want to be sure we show women's true perspective."

Pro-life groups applauded that portion of the survey, saying they were glad the organization did not skew results in its favor.

"They're concerned about the shift, and rightfully so," said Ann Scheidler, executive director of the Chicago-based Pro-Life Action League. "We are winning. It's by no means going to be in a year are two, but our effort is to eventually make abortion unthinkable."

The survey findings come just after the Supreme Court decided not to hear a case in which a federal appeals court barred anti-abortion groups from publishing Internet "wanted" posters for doctors who perform abortions. The lower court's judge ruled a year ago that although the posters contained no threatening language, the criminal-style look amounted to "true threats" not protected by the First Amendment.

The poll also found that 43 percent of women reported facing prejudice or discrimination in the workplace because of their sex, although only 50 percent said affirmative-action programs should continue. Roughly one-third said affirmative action should either be phased out or ended immediately.

The center's poll, titled "Progress and Perils: New Agenda for Women," was conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates, an independent research company specializing in social and policy work. The center's Web site and survey is located at http://www.advancewomen.org.

[wx247]

While this may indeed be a significant development I am a little wary of the polls like this. Just exactly who they surveyed, where, how many, etc. can cause some fluctuations. I really hope there has been a shift, however.

[southerngale]

Polls are always that way Garrett. I always wonder why they didn't poll ME!

The poll was conducted by a pro-choice group whose president was the head of Planned Parenthood for 14 years. Planned Parenthood....what an odd name for what that group stands for. I can think of a few better names but I'll restrain and keep them to myself.

[JCT777]

This is some very good news indeed!

[j]

another small step, but a step in the right direction regardles.

Speaking of Pro-life....a woman over the weekend decided she would give her baby a chance to live...in a toilet at a roadside truck stop in SC. THe cashier was alerted by a patron that there was a baby in the bathroom. She went in and there was a recently delivered (or should I say deposited) baby laying face up in the blood filled toilet. The good news....the baby was still alive and this hero of a woman reached in and pulled the baby out...she pinched the chord until Paramedics arrived, and the Baby "Doe" is in good condition according to hospital officials.

The sickest thing about all this is that this State has a Law that protects woman for 30 days I think it is, after a baby is born that they can be safely "abandoned"(not in a freackin' toilet), without any fear of prosecution. When she is caught, I hope she is put away for a long long time.

Imagine....valuing a human life to the extent that you would birth it into a toilet and then leave it there to die. I wonder what the Pro Choice side will say to support this act? After all, it's her body, and technically they might argue, that baby is still a fetus until it takes its first breath. Maybe she looked down into the toilet and saw that it wasn't crying and breathing and this gave her some peace of mind so she could grab a Big Mac and head home to catch Saturday Night Live.

[petal*pusher]

I often wonder what happened to "instinct" when it comes to humans.

How many of us have heard goose-pimple stories about how a mother cat that crawled a mile with 2 broken legs back to nurse her tiny kittens.......or a mother quail flailing around in the dust looking injured only to draw attention away from its tiny covey.......the list goes on and on of heart-jerking ANIMAL/BIRD stories!

Many humans have lost their natural instinct to protect and nurture their own.....both male and female. I see it daily in the educational setting. Is it that we are constantly bombarded with things that play on our other senses........or perhaps........is that instinct simply not as strong????.............p

[pvroses]

Stories like these (mothers dumping babies) make me sick to my stomach. I just don't get it. Maybe these mothers( I am using this term loosely) are scared to death,maybe just incredibily selfish,I'm not sure. All I can say is my motherly instinct is so strong that when I breast fed I'd hear another baby cry and leak milk all over ( too much info ?? ). It breaks my heart to hear parents berating and screaming at their kids.I've left stores because if I hadn't I'd be in jail for knocking out a mother who slapped her year old child in the face in public.

Babies don't ask to be brought into this world. Each one deserves all the love and attention they can soak up. I hope and pray that babies w/ this kind of start in life find the most perfect home possible. I know what it feels like to want a child and not be able to concieve. Tom and I tried for 13 yrs. Out of the blue we were blessed w/ Livi. She is my sunshine. We would of gladly gave any unwanted infant a home and loved it. This just kills me.I really want to just cry.~K

[JetMaxx]

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[j]

Isn't that the truth. Nothing like giving birth to a child to make you realize it's wrong to murder a baby. I've seen it in my immediate family too Perry.