Her wedding dress won’t fit with a “baby in there”

The Observer—Official Newspaper of the Catholic Diocese of Rockford
Publication date: January 13, 2006

Life Lines
By Patricia Pitkus Bainbridge
Director, Respect Life Office

As we approach another anniversary of Roe v Wade and Doe v Bolton— the Supreme Court decisions that abolished all prohibitions on abortion in this country—we are reminded how the previously unthinkable has now become commonplace. Even with the reported U.S. abortion rate declining, the Alan Guttmacher Institute (AGI—an affiliate of Planned Parenthood Federation of America) reports that abortion remains “one of the most frequently performed surgical procedures” with “more than one-fifth of all pregnancies” ending in abortion.

Regarding women procuring abortion, AGI states, “three-quarters say that having a baby would interfere with work, school or other responsibilities; about two-thirds say they cannot afford to have a child; and half say they do not want to be a single parent or are having problems with their husband or partner.”

There is no doubt that some women who are facing untimely pregnancies agonize over their options. Many naively believe they have no choice other than abortion. An increasing number, however, are choosing abortion for what most reasonable people would consider frivolous reasons.
Women writing about their “positive” abortion experiences at www.imnotsorry.net, clearly demonstrate a lack of angst about their choice for abortion. Here is a sampling of their comments:

Emily: “I was having too much fun . . . Sounds selfish I know, but it’s the truth.”

Lyndsey: “I knew exactly what I would do if I ever became pregnant, I would abort . . . growing inside me was this little parasite waiting to come into the world and make my life miserable.”

Leanne: “After spending some years as a stay-at-home mother, I . . received a law degree. I am now blessed with a career I love, a strong, loving marriage, and a beautiful, brilliant son whom I adore more than words can say. Another child just didn’t fit into the life I had created for my family and myself.”
Amber: “ I was only 20 years old and . . . had just gotten early acceptance to medical school. I knew my boyfriend [a recent law school graduate] of 2 years could fully support me and our kid, but I didn’t WANT to have that life yet! . . . My immediate choice was abortion.”

While Father Thomas Euteneuer, president of Human Life International, was sidewalk counseling outside a Florida abortuary, he attempted to dissuade a teenager from aborting her baby. She said she had to have the abortion because her senior class was going to Disney World in a few months and she “did not want to be the only one who could not ride the rides with her classmates because she was pregnant.”

The November 29, 2005 issue of the Los Angeles Times ran a sympathetic “feature” on Arkansas abortionist, William Harrison. Times staff writer, Stephanie Simon, was allowed access to Harrison’s abortuary and given the opportunity to interview women procuring abortions. Simon reports that 20-year-old Amanda was surprised at “how normal and unashamed she feels as she prepares to end her first pregnancy.” Amanda, who is 15 weeks pregnant, comments, “it’s an everyday occurrence . . . it’s not like this is a rare thing.”
Another of Harrison’s patients is 23-year-old Sarah who works in real estate. She is planning her wedding and tells Simon, “I don’t think my dress would have fit with a baby in there.”

While there is no reason that can justify any procured abortion, there is something particularly disturbing about these flippant responses. We shouldn’t be surprised, however. These women have been bombarded by pro—abortion messages their entire life.

Sadly, some have rejected the truth of the Gospel of life, but many have never even heard of it.

We certainly understand the pressure to abort felt by many women and we convey to them and all women who have had abortions—regardless of the reasons—that, with repentance, there is forgiveness and healing in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Copyright, 2006