How a Cause Was Born. Ronald Reagan, father of the pro-life movement.

The Wall Street Journal ^ | Thursday, November 6, 2003 12:01 a.m. EST | BY FRED BARNES

[.cnI redruM]

When President Bush signed a ban on partial-birth abortion yesterday, it marked the first congressional rollback of Roe v. Wade since the landmark Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion was handed down in 1973. And it marked the success of an idea as well. The idea, of course, is that abortion is inhuman and should be limited as sharply as possible and ultimately outlawed altogether.

[.cnI redruM]

FR should add a category for historical discussion and debate. It would help me classify some of the stuff I don't really know where to post.

[petitfour]

Thanks for posting this. I did not know a bunch of this stuff.

[Cosmo]

Great article.
The more philosophical quotations of Reagan's that I read, the more I resent the left for calling him a buffoon

[Cicero]

The big difference over the years has been that Evangelicals have come on board, after initial hesitation.

Loyal Catholics have always opposed abortion, while dissenters have supported it. The dissenters have been aging and losing influence, although they are still overrepresented in the Church bureaucracy. But on the whole, opposition to abortion among Catholics has grown.

But there has been a real sea change among Evangelicals. In the early days of Roe v. Wade, Southern Baptists supported abortion. Now they oppose it. In early days my Evangelical friends were divided on the issue and somewhat reluctant to speak out. But, thank God, that has changed.

The Supreme Court was confident that the nation would fall in line with their decision as a fait accompli. They were wrong. We will NEVER consent to the legality of infant murder.

[Cicero]

P.S. It's not generally known that while he was president Ronald Reagan actually wrote a book opposed to legalized abortion. I have a copy at home. I'm not absolutely sure of the title, but I think it was something like "Abortion and the Conscience of the Nation."

Anyway, this book sold numerous copies through pro-life organizations. But needless to say the news media NEVER MENTIONED IT, and NEVER REVIEWED it. To this day most people probably never heard of it, even though I suspect that it was a secret best seller.

[jpl]

Interestingly, Reagan was actually pro-abortion when he first got elected governor of California back in the '60s.

[petitfour]

I grew up around a whole lot of Southern Baptists, and I do not recall ever hearing that they believed abortion was ok.

[petitfour]

The book is mentioned above in the article.

[republicanwizard]

I'm totally behind you.

[.cnI redruM]

Ronaldus Magnus must be defended!

[djreece]

marking