Feminists for Life of America point out that they proudly continue a legacy of pro-life feminism born more than 200 years ago when Mary Wollstonecraft wrote "A Vindication of the Rights of Woman." After decrying the sexual exploitation of women, Wollstonecraft condemned those who would "either destroy the embryo in the womb, or cast it off when born." The now-revered feminists of the 19th century were also strongly opposed to abortion because of their belief in the worth of all humans. Like many women in developing countries today, the early American feminists opposed abortion.

The early feminists understood that, much like today, women resorted to abortion because they were abandoned or pressured by boyfriends, husbands and parents, and lacked financial resources to have the baby on their own. They knew that women had virtually no rights within the family or the political sphere. But they did not believe abortion was the answer.

Abortion was commonplace in the 1800s. Sarah Norton, the first woman to successfully argue admission to Cornell University in New York state, wrote, "Child murderers practice their profession without let or hindrance, and open infant butcheries unquestioned. Perhaps there will come a time when an unmarried woman will not be despised because of her motherhood, and when the right of the unborn to be born will not be denied or interfered with."

Without known exception, the early American feminists condemned abortion in the strongest possible terms. In Susan B. Anthony's newspaper, The Revolution, abortion was described as "child murder," "infanticide" and "foeticide."

Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who in 1848 organized the first women's rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York, classified abortion as a form of infanticide and said, "When we consider that women are treated as property, it is degrading to women that we should treat our children as property to be disposed of as we see fit." Stanton would raise a flag in front of her home announcing the birth of her children. Women should celebrate their life-giving capacity.

Anti-abortion laws enacted in America during the latter half of the 19th century were the result of advocacy efforts by feminists who worked in an uneasy alliance with the male-dominated medical profession and the mainstream media. Ironically, the anti-abortion laws that early feminists worked so hard to enact to protect women and children were the very ones destroyed by the Roe v. Wade decision 100 years later. The goals of the 1970s women's movement, led by the National Organization for Women [NOW], with respect to abortion, would have outraged the early feminists.

 It was a man, abortion proponent Larry Lader, who credits himself with guiding a reluctant Betty Friedan, the first president of NOW, to make abortion a serious issue for the organization. Lader had been working to repeal the abortion laws based on population-growth concerns, but state legislators were horrified by his ideas. Immigration and improved longevity were fueling America's population growth -- not reproduction, which in fact had declined dramatically. Lader successfully convinced the NOW leadership that legalized abortion was the key to equality in the workplace.
Dr. Nathanson, who later became a pro-life activist, states in his 1979 book, "Aborting America," that the two were able to convince Friedan that abortion was a civil rights issue, and claimed that tens of thousands of women died each year from abortion. Nathanson later admitted that in order to gain Friedan's support, they had simply made up the numbers -- a major point in their argument.

Lader's and Nathanson's strategy was highly effective. NOW has made the preservation of legal abortion its No. 1 priority. Its literature repeatedly states that access to abortion is "the most fundamental right of women, without which all other rights are meaningless." With this drastic change, a highly visible faction of the women's movement abandoned the vision of the early feminists: a world where women would be accepted and respected as women.

Serrin Foster, president of American Feminists for Life shared her thoughts on pro-life feminism and on trends in the abortion controversy. Her lecture, "The Feminist Case Against Abortion," which was included in a 2001 book entitled, "Women's Rights." says that:
 "While we agree on many things -- fighting sexual assault, domestic violence, and workplace discrimination, etc. -- we are at odds with those who believe that abortion is a "right" or "necessary evil" to achieve equality in the workplace.The basic tenets of feminism are nonviolence, nondiscrimination and justice for all. Abortion violates all three. Abortion is discrimination based on age, size, location, and sometimes gender, disability or parentage. As pro-life feminists, our values are woman-centered and inclusive of both parents and child.Abortion has hurt women in that it has diverted feminist attention from other issues, particularly those that help mothers, such as affordable child care, comprehensive health care and a living wage.
Abortion is a reflection that we have not met the needs of women. Women deserve better than abortion.
We support nonviolent choices, practical resources and support for pregnant and parenting women.
Abortion advocates pit women against our own children. Babies are not obstacles to success! We should refuse to choose between giving up our education and career plans and sacrificing our children. Feminists for Life is committed to finding holistic solutions that address the root causes that contribute to abortion. FFL believes that women have a right to be women in the workplace and school. Women shouldn't have to pass as men."

As FFL's honorary chair, two-time Emmy winner and New York Times best-selling author Patricia Heaton has said, "Women facing an unplanned pregnancy also deserve unplanned joy."

"Susan B. Anthony and her fellow suffragettes held ideals of equality for all," said Jennifer Bingham, Executive Director of the Susan B. Anthony List. "The early suffragettes' strong opposition to abortion was consistent with their ideals about the dignity and worth of every American, regardless of sex, race or state of dependence."

Susan B. Anthony wrote that abortion is "child murder," and her strong opposition to abortion was shared by her fellow suffragettes, including Alice Paul, author of the original Equal Rights Amendment, and Victoria Woodhull, America's first female Presidential candidate.

"The early feminists fought for the women's right to vote, and for women's right to be represented and heard in shaping policy on issues of national importance," said Bingham.  "They also strongly opposed abortion and viewed abortion as an exploitative of women."
A 2003 CNN/Gallup/USA Today poll shows that two-thirds of Americans believe abortion should be legal in the first trimester. In the second trimester, when viability begins, that plummets to a quarter of Americans. And in the last trimester, when partial-birth abortions take place, only 1 in 10 Americans favor keeping abortion legal.

Ms. Carol Everett is the author of "Blood Money," an expose of the abortion industry. Tearfully explaining that she was involved in about 35,000 terminations, she chokes up when revealing that she aborted one of her own 30 years ago. "That was, and always will be, my daughter," she cried. "I still celebrate her birthday each year."
Painting a horrifying picture of the greed, cynicism, and cold-blooded preoccupation with selling abortion as a lucrative product, Ms. Everett admitted her role in gaining the confidence of girls as young as 12, in order to separate them from their most important support group, their parents.
"First, I established myself as an authority on sex, explaining to them that their parents wouldn't help them with their sexuality. Second, our doctors prescribed low-dose birth-control pills with a high pregnancy rate, fully aware that they needed to be taken very accurately at the same time every day or pregnancy would occur. This ensured the teens would be my best customers, as teenagers typically are not responsible enough to follow such rigid medication guidelines on their own. I knew their sexual activity would increase from none or once a week to five or seven times a week once they were introduced to this contraception method. Then I could reach my goal: three to five abortions for each teenager between the ages of 13 and 18."
Was this really serving the needs of young women or self-serving exploitation of others for financial gain? Ms Everett came to see that what she was doing was wrong, and now campaigns against abortion.

Feminists for Life of America Feminists for life Susan B Anthony List http://www.sba-list.org/ Feminists for Life - Brisbane, PO Box 5187, West End, Queensland, 4101. Telephone: 07 3844 1369. Women Hurt by Abortion (WEBA Australia), 114 Great Eastern Highway, Belmont, Western Australia. PO Box 904, Canning Bridge, Western Australia, 6153. Telephone: 08 9450 6091 Meet the (now pro-life) abortion providers  http://www.prolifeaction.org/providers/ Dr Bernard Nathanson  http://www.aboutabortions.com/Confess.html Carol Everett http://www.visi.com/~contra_m/antithesis/v1n1/ant_v1n1_clinic.html                      http://www.vanderbilt.edu/SFL/carol_everett.htm