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

More documents

Recommendations

Info

eventually supported a constitutional amendment that would pass the abortion debate back to individual states. Faced with such strong Congressional opposition to a prochoice stance, as made clear by the debate surrounding the Hyde Amendment, Ford soon supported the opinion that abortion should be once again decided on a state level. To be sure, when the Hyde Amendment was questioned in court, Ford asked his solicitor general to file an amicus curiae brief in support of the amendment. The president’s positioning around the abortion issue satisfied voters, as he soon won the Republican primary against Ronald Reagan. In the general election, the 1976 Republican Party platform remained sympathetic to the pro-life cause, but did not yet fully endorse it on a party-wide basis. 60 This support, together with Hyde Amendment’s success, gave the NRLC and the pro-life movement a huge confidence boost. Mildred Jefferson, the NRLC president at the time, proclaimed, “[w]e’re now the biggest movement in America” and explained the pro-life movement had become fully ingrained in politics, alarming the opposition. 61 By this time, the U.S. Catholic Bishops had not endorsed specific candidates, but did identify abortion as their most important issue. 62 However, while the abortion issue did appear on 60 A portion of the party platform read: “The question of abortion is one of the most difficult and controversial of our time. It is undoubtedly a moral and personal issue, but it also involves complex questions relating to medical science and criminal justice. There are those in our party who favor complete support of the Supreme Court decision, which supports abortion on demand. There are others who share sincere convictions that the Supreme Court decision must b changed by a constitutional amendment prohibiting all abortions. Others have yet to take a position; or they have assumed a stance somewhere in between the polar positions. We protest the Supreme Court’s intrusion into the family structure through its denial of the parents’ obligation and right to guide their minor children. The Republican Party favors the continuance of the public dialogue on abortion and supports the efforts of those who seek enactment of a constitutional amendment to restore protection of the right of the unborn child.” New York Times, Aug. 11 and 14, 1976; also Lifeletter, Aug. 23, 1976, quoted in Connie Paige, The Right to Lifers (New York: Summit Books, 1983), 115. 61 New York Times, June 23, 1977, quoted in Paige, 115. 62 Charles Heatherly, CPLC President, “Is Abortion the Only Issue?,” California ProLife Council Action News, October/November 1976, page 2, ACCL Records, Box 46, Folder: ACCL Political File: 76 Pres. Campaign – States (1), Gerald R. Ford Library. 59
the 1976 Republican Party Platform, it was not yet an issue that dominated it, nor did Republicans agree on the issue; this would not occur until Reagan ran for president in 1980. Ford’s opponent, Democrat Jimmy Carter, was “personally opposed” to abortion, but did not wish to take action in the public sphere against Roe v. Wade. Carter’s abortion stance was not widely vocalized, and he instead focused on other economic and confidence issues. 63 Pro-life groups distributed literature comparing the candidates, but from the author’s encounter with many archival materials, they were not as plentiful as were materials in the 1980 presidential campaign. The literature that did circulate quoted President Ford as stating, “I have consistently opposed the 1973 decision of the Supreme Court” and reported he supported a Human Life Amendment. 64 Literature also quoted Jimmy Carter as saying, “I oppose Constitutional amendments to overturn the Supreme Court’s decision.” 65 Overall, pro-life literature concluded, “apparently both presidential candidates are finding the pro-life issue a ticklish and confusing one.” 66 Clearly, both candidates were aware of the abortion issue, but it did not yet appear as a central platform pillar, nor did the issue form the basis and central opinion of any presidential candidate to date. Perhaps a large difference between the success of Nixon and Ford around the abortion issue can be attributed to the lack of partisanship of pro-life activists at the time, and also to the believability of appeals to the Catholic Church and the pro-life movement. Firstly, not all pro-life activists sympathized with the Republican Party. In fact, a group 63 Alice Hartle, “GOP to focus on abortion,” National Right to Life News, vol. 3, no. 9, September 1976, ACCL Records, Box 45, Folder: ACCL Political File: 76 Pres. Campaign – Ford (1), Gerald R. Ford Library. 64 “Where do the Candidates Stand” handout, ACCL Records, Box 45, Folder: ACCL Political File: 76 Pres. Campaign – Ford (2), Gerald R. Ford Library. 65 Ibid. 66 South Carolina Citizens for Life Newsletter, October 1976, ACCL Records, Box 46, Folder: ACCL Political File: 76 Pres. Campaign – States (1), Gerald R. Ford Library. 60
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 and 50: the 1970s, and an additional thirte
Page 51 and 52: When news of Roe and Doe broke, MCC
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: War.” 56 President Gerald Ford di
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?