Religion & Law

The Nation (April 5, 2010) has printed a letter from pro-life feminist Sharon Long. Excerpts:

     "Abortion violates the basic tenets of feminism: nonviolence, non-discrimination and justice for all.  ...  I became a prolife feminist thirty years ago when, as a foreign student in Costa Rica, I heard liberation theology speakers say that abortion does nothing to solve any social problem or change any spocial or economic relations.  What it does do is help maintain the economic, political  and social status quo.  Our society has largely lost its sympathy for unmarried single mothers, saying 'It's her choice, then why should I have to pay for it?'  Abortion has become both a symptom and a symbol of alienation in the society and the culture.

     "[Feminists for Life] believes that abortion degrades and exploits women through invading and objectifying their bodies, distorting their physiology, misdirecting their anger and obscuring the true causes of their oppression.  We know from the Guttmacher reports over the years that most women have abortions because they lack resources and support they need in workplace, school, home and from our government.  Women deserve better.  FFL opposes the criminalization of women (as almost everyone in the prolife movement does) and focuses our efforts on freeing women from abortion by addressing the issues reported by the Guttmacher Institute - and working along wirh prochoice advocates to check off our task  list.

Sharon Long

Feminists for Life of America