Part One

Editor's note. The following are the welcome remarks delivered last night by NRLC President Wanda Franz, Ph.D. at the 13th annual Proudly Pro-Life Awards Dinner.

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Valued donors, distinguished members of Congress, and friends of the National Right to Life to Life Committee,

I am pleased to welcome you to the 13th Annual Proudly Pro Life Awards Dinner of the National Right to Life Educational Trust Fund.

It is now 33 years since the infamous Roe vs. Wade decision was handed down by the Supreme Court.

This extra-constitutional "exercise of raw judicial power" changed the course of America. We ceased to be a nation that respected the "unalienable right" of every American to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." Instead we have become a nation that can condemn to death millions of fellow members of the human family--without due process and the right to appeal--simply because they are unwanted by their mothers.

As a nation, we have now to answer to the horrendous charge that, so far, about 45 million unborn babies have been put to death. They were innocent and waiting for a glimpse of the sun. They were on their way to enjoy the unalienable right to life. But they were sacrificed on the blood-soaked altar of "choice." A "choice" that dishonestly hides the awful darkness behind its name.

Those who joined the pro-life movement in 1973, recognized that America was losing her way. They had to stand up for America in order to preserve the original vision of our nation's founders. Thus the pro-life movement was born, and National Right to Life Committee began its effort to re-awaken the promise of the Declaration of Independence and legally secure the "unalienable right to life."

Early in this battle, in 1975, a true pro-life hero stood up to support the pro-life effort. I speak of course of Congressman Henry Hyde. Anyone who saw him then, in the early days of his Congressional career, recognized him as a man of stature. At least that is what my husband thinks. And I should add that my husband stands a full 5 foot 2. Of course by now, every pro-lifer considers Henry Hyde as one of the inspirational giants of the right-to-life movement.

But let me get back to the beginning. As a freshman representative from Illinois, Henry Hyde offered a surprise amendment to an appropriations bill to prevent federal funding of abortion. The so-called Hyde Amendment was then passed and renewed by subsequent Congresses. Today, thousands and thousands of children can thank Congressman Hyde and his amendment that they can see the sun, that they are alive. We take pride in the fact that he is one of us. And we rejoice in his moral courage and vision.

Of course, it has been a long battle; and many have tired of the fight and left our cause in frustration and anger at the slow pace of pro-life accomplishments. Congressman Henry Hyde, however, has stayed the course and served as a true leader, inspiring us to continue our efforts.

What distinguishes Henry Hyde from those who have fallen away from the cause of life is his clear perception that the right-to-life issue is different from other legislative issues. It is a fundamental issue, dividing truth from error and right from wrong. On the proper resolution of this question hinges the survival of the American way of life, the "American dream."

He has recognized that our American way of life is predicated on a specific value system; and fundamental to that value system is our respect for the rights of each person, regardless of race, creed, religion, age or degree of maturity. He recognizes that we acknowledge God's claim on us to care for the least of His children. If we turn our backs on this responsibility and destroy this fundamental idea for our nation, then we will surely destroy what is best and most beautiful in ourselves.

During the floor debate in 2000 on the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, Henry Hyde said:

This is not a debate about religious doctrine or even about public policy options. It is a debate about our understanding of human dignity, what it means to be a member of the human family, even though tiny, powerless and unwanted. We are knee deep in a culture of death. Look, in this advanced democracy, in the year 2000, is it our crowning achievement that we have learned to treat people as things? Our moment in history is marked by a mortal conflict between a culture of life and a culture of death. God put us in the world to do noble things, to love and to cherish our fellow human beings, not to destroy them.

Today we must choose sides.

I am proud to be on the same side of this issue as Congressman Henry Hyde.

We have not changed things overnight, but we are making steady progress. We are not looking for superficial success but we are trying to change a culture. We have seen a drop in the number of abortions. We have seen a reduction in teen abortions and pregnancies. We have seen a change in public opinion. A majority of Americans do not want abortion-on-demand as the law of our land. Our education is working and lives are being saved. And we will continue to work until every unborn human child is protected by law.

Although the Supreme Court has resisted so far--and with arrogance and ever more outlandish excuses--to undo its egregious miscarriage of justice on the fictitious right to abortion, there has been a steady advance in the right-to-life direction since 1973.

Among the milestone events was, of course, the Hyde Amendment. Then right-to-lifers got more and more organized. And our educational message began to get traction with the public. Let me give you just a few examples.

After rapidly increasing during the seventies to about 1.55 million, the number of abortions per year topped out at 1.6 million in 1990. Since then it has declined steadily to about 1.29 million currently. The number would be even lower if it weren't for repeat abortions. Currently, about 48% of women having an abortion have had at least one before.

The number of abortions per 1000 women of childbearing age, the so-called abortion rate, has dropped even more dramatically. It was 29.3 in 1980 and 1981. Since then it has fallen to 20.9 in 2002. During the same time the number of women of childbearing age rose substantially from about 53 million in 1980 to about 62 million in 2002, yet the abortion rate dropped by nearly 30%.

The Gallup poll recorded that the category of respondents that favored abortion to be "always legal" rose from 21% in 1975 to 34% in 1992. The percentage wanting abortion to be "always illegal" dropped from 22% in 1975 to 15% in 1992. Then in the mid-nineties, the "always legal" percentage dropped from the mid-thirties to about 25%, and the "always illegal" percentage rose to about 20%.

Look what's behind these numbers.

First, the "abortion always legal" percentage dropped by about a third; while the "always illegal" percentage rose by about a third.

Second, this shift away from unlimited abortion rights has continued to this day.

And third, the timing of this pro-life shift in public opinion coincides with our campaign to ban partial-births abortions. The plain fact is, while the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act is still under siege in the courts, it already has had an enormous effect. Public attention has been refocused away from the fraudulent notion of "choice" to what actually happens in an abortion; public opinion has shifted in the right-to-life direction; and thousands of unborn babies have been saved.

The educational campaign about partial-birth abortions was very expensive, and it was extremely hard work. But money and effort were well spent.

To illustrate the effect of pro-life work further, let me give you the results from a recent CBS poll. Ac cording to the poll, taken this month,

29% were for abortion to be permitted in all cases,
17% wanted more restrictions on abortion than there are now,
33% wanted to permit abortion only in cases of rape, incest, or to save the woman's life,
14% wanted to permit abortion only to save the woman's life, and
4% opposed all abortions.

This poll and similar ones that break down the issue into situations people can judge are, of course, at odds with polls that show that a majority of people don't want to overturn Roe v. Wade. The problem is that most people don't know what Roe v. Wade and the subsequent abortion decisions really mean.

According to current abortion law, any abortion can be justified under the current health exception for abortion--that is, abortion is really legal in all cases.

But according to the CBS poll only 29% of the people agree with that. That means that 68% are against the current abortion law imposed by the Supreme Court. In fact, 51% want to allow abortion only in the most extreme cases of rape, incest, or a threat to the life of the mother, or make it illegal in all cases.

Clearly, we must redouble our efforts to educate people about the true meaning of Roe v. Wade and the rest of the abortion law imposed by the Supreme Court.

So, a vast amount of work still awaits us. And you are so important to the work we are doing. We are truly grateful for your support of our life-saving efforts. You have chosen the good, the right and the truthful side. I know that you are blest by God for your efforts. So let me end with the words of Henry Hyde:

When the time comes as it surely will, when we face that awesome moment, the final judgment, I've often thought, as Fulton Sheen wrote, that it is a terrible moment of loneliness. You have no advocates, you are there alone standing before God--and a terror will rip through your soul like nothing you can image. But I really think that those in the pro-life movement will not be alone. I think there will be a chorus of voices that have never been heard in this world but are heard beautifully and clearly in the next world--and they will plead for everyone who has been in this movement. They will say to God, "Spare him because he loved us,"--and God will look at you and say not, "Did you succeed?" but "Did you try?"
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Part One