The Pre-Roe Pro-Life Movement in Minnesota and New York

More documents

Recommendations

Info

patients and financial resources from performing abortions. 8 Clearly, many pro-life activists were not defeated by Roe, but instead continued their prior efforts and further innovated to fight the decision in new ways after 1973. On a more proactive (rather than preventative) level, MCCL specifically began new statewide educational programs at local chapter meetings and presented displays and lectures at religious and pro-life conventions. 9 While the group expanded its initiatives and redefined its mission, MCCL was pressed to maintain, and even increase, its steady pre-Roe membership rate. As the issue became a national one, MCCL needed to increase its ranks. First, the group lost volunteers to national organizations in Washington D.C., and secondly, the group’s scope was ever-expanding and the victories became more pressing; MCCL’s reach was becoming more widespread. While an MCCL newsletter headlines from 1971 and 1972 claimed “Twenty New Chapters in Nine Days!,” “Several New Chapters Are Being Organized,” and “MCCL Office Staff is Increased,” leaders found the need to expand volunteer ranks increasingly pressing after the Roe decision out of a heightened “Need for Volunteers, Equipment [that] Still Exist[ed]” at the time of the 1973 decisions. 10 Throughout 1974, the group still promoted plans to increase their ranks, proclaiming “’Each One Bring One’: Our Motto for Membership Month” on the May cover of the MCCL Newsletter. 11 8 Ibid. 9 “New MCCL Chapters Engaged in Productive Educational Programs, page 6, MCCL Newsletter, April 1972, MCCL Archives; “Convention Tables Abortion Reference,” MCCL Newsletter, March 1972, MCCL Archives. 10 “Twenty New Chapters in Nine Days!,” MCCL Newsletter, February 1971, page 1, MCCL Archives; “Several New Chapters Are Being Organized,” MCCL Newsletter, February 1972, page 3“MCCL Office Staff is Increased,” MCCL Newsletter, April 1972, page 2, MCCL Archives; “Need for Volunteers, Equipment Still Exists,” MCCL Newsletter, January 1973, page 8, MCCL Archives, Minneapolis, MN. 11 “’Each One Bring One:’ Our Motto for Membership Month,” MCCL Newsletter, May 1974, page 1, MCCL Archives, Minneapolis, MN. 45
When news of Roe and Doe broke, MCCL had over 10,000 members and, according to its own history, “scores of chapters ready to work” toward reversing the decision and defending the cause. 12 While their immediate goals revolved around reversing the decision, or enacting a Human Life Amendment, MCCL’s broader goals were defined around the issue of “restricting the killing as much as possible” after what MCCLers deemed “the Black Monday decision.” 13 Marjory Mecklenburg laid out goals for the 1974 year at the second annual MCCL convention in October of 1973, encouraging “[j]oining hands with other groups. It is not enough to fight [only] abortion and euthanasia…[to] make life with dignity a reality for everyone.” 14 Soon after Roe, the Minnesota Legislature passed a “memorialization resolution” asking Congress to propose and pass a Human Life Amendment, which in essence proclaimed the state legislature’s opposition to the January 1973 abortion decisions. Many other states joined, representing an immediate morale victory for the movement, which was in large part led by MCCL and its leaders. In May of 1973, Minnesota was one of seven states “to submit a ‘rightto-life’ amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would nullify the U.S. Supreme Court abortion decision” by a vote of 51-12 in the Minnesota Senate and 98-21 in the Minnesota House, which significantly cut across party lines. 15 More specifically, the vote asked Congress to send the states a constitutional amendment for approval that would ban all abortions except those necessary to save the life of the mother. 16 12 History of Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life Pamphlet, February 1995, page 3, MCCL Archives. 13 Ibid.; and letter to Justice Blackmun from Mary R. Joyce, 2 February 1973, given to author from the personal archives of Mary and Robert Joyce. 14 Marjory Mecklenburg, quoted in “250 MCCL’ers Participate in Convention Activities,” MCCL Newsletter, December 1973, page 1, MCCL Archives. 15 “Minnesota 7 th state urging abortion ban: State passes pro-life measure,” The Catholic Bulletin, 4 May 1973, ACCL Records, Box 3, Folder: Clippings 1973, Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library. 16 Ibid. 46
Page 1 and 2: Abortion as a “Medical Problem Br
Page 3 and 4: Table of Contents Acknowledgements
Page 5 and 6: Abbreviations ACCL - American Citiz
Page 7 and 8: this first neighborhood grassroots
Page 9 and 10: in New York, California, and Colora
Page 11 and 12: is a unique and important one to te
Page 13 and 14: major factors led to MCCL’s victo
Page 15 and 16: Well before Blackmun’s 1972 Mayo
Page 17 and 18: Chapter 1: The Pre-History of the C
Page 19 and 20: practice. The law as it stands is t
Page 21 and 22: would have functioned independently
Page 23 and 24: instances also increased awareness
Page 25 and 26: threat of abortion criminalization
Page 27 and 28: the actions of new twentieth-centur
Page 29 and 30: of the MCLTP. 3 In the early 1970s,
Page 31 and 32: from the Great Depression in its se
Page 33 and 34: underestimated his opponents, as MC
Page 35 and 36: who shared a “communitarian ethic
Page 37 and 38: However, the Council did not offer
Page 39 and 40: issue-based and activist politics f
Page 41 and 42: Blake and Fred Mecklenburg and lobb
Page 43 and 44: yet united front against abortion l
Page 45 and 46: anti-abortion movement, but also be
Page 47 and 48: emerging organizations across the c
Page 49: the 1970s, and an additional thirte
Page 53 and 54: their efforts prior to the decision
Page 55 and 56: the part of state groups and create
Page 57 and 58: physical space in Minneapolis and r
Page 59 and 60: 58 of them were enacted. 37 Even fo
Page 61 and 62: looms as a menace to all mankind an
Page 63 and 64: War.” 56 President Gerald Ford di
Page 65 and 66: the 1976 Republican Party Platform,
Page 67 and 68: should be noted that pro-life activ
Page 69 and 70: with us.” 81 Needless to say, by
Page 71 and 72: ecord of being vindictive.” 90 Ca
Page 73 and 74: decades of involvement. Yet before
Page 75 and 76: nationwide effort organized by the
Page 77 and 78: in drastic (at the extreme, irrecon
Page 79 and 80: and increase political effectivenes
Page 81 and 82: willing to be window dressing - no
Page 83 and 84: Warren Schaller, and others to form
Page 85 and 86: women, which would become the speci
Page 87 and 88: On multiple levels, ACCL became a p
Page 89 and 90: multi-issue approach was a tactic a
Page 91 and 92: asserted, “often a few key people
Page 93 and 94: Lampe, and others) split to form AC
Page 95 and 96: nomination. Jefferson’s tactics w
Page 97 and 98: administration. 82 Lampe took over
Page 99 and 100: and was also a member of Planned Pa
Page 101 and 102:
As previously explored, Mecklenburg
Page 103 and 104:
million; Schweiker’s stance and a
Page 105 and 106:
Almost immediately after her appoin
Page 107 and 108:
The last straw came when Mecklenbur
Page 109 and 110:
on the national scene cautiously, m
Page 111 and 112:
abortion debate she encountered as
Page 113 and 114:
Conclusion Supreme Court Justice Ha
Page 115 and 116:
legislatures, and celebrated occasi
Page 117 and 118:
ecognized nationwide as “one of t
Page 119 and 120:
Bibliography Archives and Interview
Page 121 and 122:
Gorney, Cynthia. Articles of Faith.
Page 123:
Press, Eyal. Absolute Convictions:
show all

The Pre-Roe Pro-Life Movement in Minnesota and New York

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?