California Democrats Push Legislature to Back Abortion, Roe v. Wade

State   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Jan 25, 2004   |   9:00AM   |   WASHINGTON, DC

California Democrats Push Legislature to Back Abortion, Roe v. Wade

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
January 25, 2004

Sacramento, CA (LifeNews.com) — Last week, the Democratic-controlled California state Assembly passed a resolution backing the Roe v. Wade decision that allowed virtually unlimited abortion across the United States and urged Americans to "celebrate" it.

Assemblywoman Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) introduced the resolution that the Assembly passed 49-25 on Thursday, the 31st anniversary of the Supreme Court’s abortion decision.

The pro-Roe resolution had the support of every Democratic state legislator and only two Republicans.

The pro-abortion resolution calls upon Congress and President Bush to "uphold the intent and substance the 1973 United States Supreme Court decision," and calls upon Americans to "participate in the national celebration, ‘The March for Women’s Lives,’ on April 25."

The pro-abortion march is an event co-sponsored by numerous pro-abortion groups, including Planned Parenthood, NARAL, NOW, the Feminist Majority Foundation, and labor groups such as AFCME.

"We were all in the womb once," said Randy Thomasson, executive director of Campaign for California Families (CCF), a statewide group that opposed the resolution.

"With our hearts beating, our fingers grasping, and our brains working, each one of us enjoyed nine months of pre-born living in a special compartment that God designed to protect and nurture us. It’s shocking that, despite science and technology proving these are babies, little human beings in the womb, California’s Democrat legislators are celebrating the horrible procedure of abortion that destroys the most basic of rights – the sacred right to life," Thomasson explained.

Thomasson said the resolution supported a number of erroneous statements such as the claim that "Roe v. Wade has reduced significantly the mortality rate for women terminating their pregnancies."

However, the facts show that advances in antibiotics and overall medical standards, not Roe v. Wade, are responsible for reducing the mortality rate for any type of surgery over the last several decades.

CCF distributed information to legislators showing that only 39 women died from abortion complications prior to Roe v. Wade.

According to Dr. Francis Beckwith, a professor at Trinity International University in Santa Ana, the use of penicillin and improved medical care reduced the number of abortion deaths, not Roe v. Wade.

Dr. Andre Hellegers, the late Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Georgetown University Hospital, pointed out that there was a steady decrease of abortion-related deaths starting in 1942. That year there were 1,231 deaths. Due to improved medical care and the use of penicillin, this number fell to 133 by 1968.

Women die from abortions today, Thomasson said, despite the legality of abortion.

During his floor speech, Tim Leslie (R-Sacramento) read the names of more than 20 women who died from so-called "safe and legal abortions."

There are an estimated 300,000 abortions each year in California, one-third of them funded with tax dollars. Polls show that a majority of California residents back abortion, but they also support reasonable limitations on abortion such as parental notification.

Related web sites:
Myth of Illegal Abortion Deaths – https://www.roevwade.org/myths2.html