Pro-Life Actress Patricia Heaton Challenges Pro-Abortion Marchers

LifeNews.com ^ | April 22, 2004 | Steven Ertelt

[nickcarraway]

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Unlike many of her Hollywood friends, two-time Emmy winner Patricia Heaton, star of the hit comedy series "Everybody Loves Raymond," won't be attending Sunday's pro-abortion march in Washington.

"Many of the celebrities on the list are my friends," Heaton explained, "but when it comes to championing abortion, we go our separate ways."

"I find it impossible to subscribe to a philosophy that believes that the destruction of human life is a legitimate solution to a problem that is mostly social, economic and psychological," said Heaton. "In reality, most women 'choose' abortion because they believe they have no other choice."

Looking to bolster the number of march participants, abortion advocates have recruited a litany of pro-abortion celebrities to pump their cause.

The list ranges from musicians such as Christina Aguilera, Lisa Loeb, and Ashley Judd to actors such as Jennifer Aniston, Helen Hunt, and Lynda Carter and other notables like Ellen DeGeneres, Emme, Cindy Crawford, and Jane Fonda.

According to recent polls, the pro-abortion women celebrities don't represent the majority of women.

A September 2003 poll conducted by the Polling Company found 54 percent of women selected one of three different pro-life views opposing all or almost all abortions. Only 39 percent backed abortion.

The results are similar to those found in a poll conducted by a pro-abortion group.

In June, the Center for the Advancement of Women released the results of a poll showing that 51 percent of women took a pro-life position. Their poll also found that keeping abortion legal was the next to last most important priority for women as compared with other public policy issues.

Heaton is not surprised by such polling, saying that women often turn to abortion because of a lack of practical resources and emotional support. Many women who have had abortions report that they felt abandoned, or even coerced into abortion.

"Women who experience unplanned pregnancy also deserve unplanned joy," said Heaton, who believes abortion is evidence that society has failed to meet the real needs of women.

Marchers say, "We won't go back." Heaton responds, "If it is up to march organizers, we won't move forward either. It's time to raise the bar, not protect the status quo. Every woman deserves better than abortion, and every child deserves a chance at life."

Heaton is the honorary chairwoman of Feminists for Life, a pro-woman, pro-life group that works to find solutions to abortion that affirm the dignity of women.

"Being a mother is one of the most rewarding experiences of my life," Heaton concludes. "As a member of Feminists for Life, I want to share the joy of motherhood with other women, to enable women to make life-affirming choices for themselves and their children, and to elevate our society's perception of mothers."

The coalition of Hollywood celebrities backing the pro-abortion March includes:

Margie Adam

Christina Aguilera

Jennifer Aniston

Curtis Armstrong

Elaine Aronson

Bea Arthur

Ed Asner

Kevin Bacon

Alec Baldwin

William Baldwin

Meredith Baxter

Shari Belafonte

Maria Bello

Polly Bergen

Thora Birch

Amy Brenneman

Betty Buckley

Jessica Capshaw

Lynda Carter

Stockard Channing

Jill Clayburgh

Kate Clinton

Glenn Close

Cindy Crawford

Sheryl Crow

Alan Cumming

Tyne Daly

Blythe Danner

Kristin Davis

Ossie Davis

Dana Delany

Laura Dern

Ellen DeGeneres

Ani DiFranco

Illeana Douglas

Denise Dowse

Fran Drescher

Kirsten Dunst

David Eigenberg

Hector Elizondo

Emme

Eve Ensler

Giancarlo Esposito

Melissa Etheridge

Morgan Fairchild

Edie Falco

Frances Fisher

Calista Flockhart

Jane Fonda

Bonnie Franklin

Janeane Garofalo

Ana Gasteyer

Indigo Girls

Annabeth Gish

Whoopi Goldberg

Lauren Graham

Maggie Gyllenhaal

LisaGay Hamilton

Ben Harper

Ed Harris

Salma Hayek

Marg Helgenberger

Isabella Hofmann

Helen Hunt

Amy Jo Johnson

Kathryn Joosten

Ashley Judd

Catherine Keener

Carole King

Swoosie Kurt

Christine Lahti

Sanaa Lathan

Sharon Lawrence

Lisa Loeb

Amy Madigan

Natalie Maines

Wendie Malick

Joshua Malina

Camryn Manheim

Frances McDormand

Ewan McGregor

Marilyn McIntyre

Sarah McLachlan

Moby

Demi Moore

Julianne Moore

Alanis Morissette

Kathy Najimy

Alyson Palmer

Joe Pantoliano

Mary-Louise Parker

Adrian Pasdar

Pink

Martha Plimpton

Doris Roberts

Paul Rudd

Susan Sarandon

Campbell Scott

Kyra Sedgwick

Martin Sheen

Cybill Shepherd

SONiA

Fisher Stevens

Gloria Steinem

Julia Stiles

Corky and Mike Stoller

Sharon Stone

Amber Tamblyn

Mary Testa

Charlize Theron

Uma Thurman

Heather Tom

Stanley Tucci

Kathleen Turner

Ted Turner

Sarah Weddington

Audrey Wells

Bradley Whitford

Alfre Woodard

Thom Yorke

Amy Ziff

Elizabeth Ziff

Related web sites:

Feminists for Life - http://www.feministsforlife.org

[Mr. Silverback]

I agree. Unfortunately I'm female, so it won't work for me. And Mr. S2R is pro-choice.

Try "I'd never club my husband to death with a rolling pin, but who am I to tell other wives how to run their marriage?" :-)

[uncitizen]

Hanoi Jane and cybil Shepherd? Yipes....ancient aren't they?

Yep. G*d only knows how many abortions those two have had over the years. Guess they don't want this generation to miss out on that fun. That fun that makes you bitter, miserable and hateful in your old age.

[PresbyRev]

Patricia Heaton is a member of the Presbyterian Church USA and an evangelical.

[Mr. Silverback]

I could swear I remember Naomi specifically saying she was pressured by somebody to abort Wynonna but was horrified at the idea. In any case, if abortion had been legal at the time there would have been all sorts of financial "reasons" to end that pregnancy.

[wingster]

As more and more women learn what abortion really is, the numbers seem to be waning.

I got into a conversation with a young girl about a year ago who insisted that I didn't know what I was talking about when I told her that a "partial birth abortion" was conducted at or near the time of birth, i.e., in the last weeks of pregnancy. She didn't believe me. Why not is beyond me, but...

[Paul Atreides]

Who is Sarah Weddington?

[Paul Atreides]

What about Bonnie Franklin?! You can hardly find a more obnoxious, and humorless, actress than Bonnie. How she ever achieved any sort of celebrity-ness is beyond me. Then again, it was the 70s when she made her mark, before descending into deserved obscurity.

[stands2reason]

Thanks!

[Guenevere]

Demi Moore...conservative?????????????

YOu've got to be kidding!

[Woahhs]

I agree. Unfortunately I'm female, so it won't work for me. And Mr. S2R is pro-choice.

But just think of the impact on women you know.

I've worked out all the permutations I could think of, and it's a bullet-proof against someone who accepts the logic of "Choice." You just have to work out the parallels for every canard. (I'm not for wife-beating, I'm for a family's right to privacy, etc.)

[buckeyesailor]

Right! To bad Baldwin and Degeneress's parents didnt have abortions. And what the hell does Degeneress care for. Did she figure out a way to get pregnent from her girlfriend?

[LucyJo]

I like Patricia Heaton. She has spoken for right on other occasions about other matters. What a breath of fresh air.

Maybe I'm gettin' too old, or just not interested in the Hollywood scene, but I've never heard of some of these people, and most of the other names belong to "has beens" and "never weres" it seems to me. I'm not surprised by any of the names of the so-called stars on the list that I do recognize.

[LucyJo]

Thanks for the descriptions. It helped me to get at least a general idea of who are some of these people.

[MamaLucci]

Robert Altman?

[Endeavor]

"Yet, those same pro-infanticide celebs would walk five miles, barefoot, on broken glass to save some murderer, cop-killer, or beached whale."

You forgot fur-bearing animals. It's insane, isn't it?

[EdReform]

BTTT for later...

[Endeavor]

The story goes that Heaton's the only Republican on that show - that Roberts, and Frankenstein are loudly leftist. Must be a fun set, huh?

Heaton is a class act. She's mature, thoughtful and accomplished. She's taking a BIG risk to go against the H'wood crowd and that makes her courageous, too. Maybe she and Condi should run on the same ticket.

[RightOnTheLeftCoast]

"Also, what in the heck does morgan fairchild do anyway?"

You mean since she and John Kerry broke up? They used to date, y'know. No kidding.

[exDemMom]

I believe Sarah Weddington is one of the attorneys who argued Roe vs. Wade. She has a lot of blood on her hands.

[Mike Bates]

Who is Sarah Weddington?

Sarah Weddington argued for abortion in the decisive Roe v. Wade case. This is often described as a victory for women, which is difficult to accept if you consider that, of the 40 million unborn babies put to death because of her efforts, approximately half have been female.

As a reward, no doubt, for this magnificent accomplishment, Sarah was appointed to be Assistant to the President, the highest White House staff title, under Jimmy Carter. She’s contributed money to Bill Clinton and others of the Democratic persuasion.

Michael M. Bates: My Side of the Swamp