For immediate release:                                                                                          For more information:
Tuesday, January 22, 2008                                                                                      Derrick Jones, (202) 626-8825
                                                                                                                             mediarelations@nrlc.org

 

ROE v. WADE: 35 YEARS OF DEATH AND DESTRUCTION
Pro-Lifers Recommit to Helping Unborn Children and Their Mothers

 WASHINGTON – National Right to Life joins with millions of pro-lifers nationwide in marking the 35^th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision, which legalized abortion for any reason, and has resulted in nearly 50 million deaths.

“These are not just statistics: each of those abortions stopped the heartbeat of a living, unborn baby,” said Wanda Franz, Ph.D., president of National Right to Life.  “Today, we mourn their loss and commit ourselves to redoubling our efforts to protect unborn children and provide compassionate, life-affirming assistance to their mothers.”

“At the same time, we are heartened by and thankful for the growing number of women that are rejecting abortion and choosing life for their child,” added Dr. Franz. 

A report last week issued by the Guttmacher Institute showed that abortion numbers continue to drop – down to 1.206 million 2005.  The report shows a nearly 25% decline since reaching a record high of over 1.6 million in 1990. 

Much of the decrease can be attributed to efforts by National Right to Life and its network of state affiliates and local chapters to educate the public about abortion and the biological development of the unborn child, as well as legislative measures designed to help women at a time when they are most in need.

Among those efforts are laws providing a woman seeking an abortion to view an ultrasound image of her unborn child.  Last year, Mississippi, Idaho, and Georgia passed such laws, making a total of eleven states to provide ultrasound images available.  Similar measures have been introduced in other states this year.  This continues a growing national trend to provide women with as much information as possible before making the life and death decision of abortion.

“These positive legislative measures empower women with information,” Dr. Franz said.  “We know that if women are fully informed about the abortion procedure, the development of their child, and the life-affirming alternatives in their area, they are far more likely to reject the idea of abortion.”

The National Right to Life Committee is the nation’s largest pro-life group with affiliates in all 50 states and over 3,000 local chapters nationwide.  National Right to Life works through legislation and education to protect those threatened by abortion, infanticide, euthanasia and assisted suicide.