Go check out this very revealing graphic at American Papist first.
What this shows me is the importance of fighting abortion laws. I know this will shock many of you but women in “blue” states which usually have liberal abortion laws have more abortions.
While I agree that we must work to change people’s hearts on an individual basis we also must work to change the laws.
January 28, 2010 at 7:57 pm
I also agree with the 1-2 punch. But it's not a secret that states with tougher abortion laws simply send people "down the road" to the ones where it is easier. We've all seen the videos.
January 28, 2010 at 8:21 pm
And as it clearly states in the USCCB document "Living the Gospel of Life", which I surmise, in our democracy the "law of the land" becomes the "morality of the land". Its a slippery slope!
January 28, 2010 at 9:16 pm
Patty, I have always been careful not to equate law with morality. That is in fact a very Hebrew/Jewish concept, and not a Christian one (instead we say, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's"). Something may be legal, but not moral for me or my family. I've made that very clear. No one gets to use that excuse around us.
January 28, 2010 at 9:33 pm
Early Riser: I don't think Patty is saying that the morality of abortion changes with the laws. I think she is saying that people tend to equate what is legal with what is moral, therefore making abortion less and less legal informs people about the inherent immorality of all abortion.
January 28, 2010 at 10:58 pm
Denise – I certainly wasn't suggesting she was saying that. I was agreeing with her and saying that in our case, we definitely do not confuse the two. But you (and she) are right; far too many people do.
January 29, 2010 at 1:12 am
William McNichols says:
Catholics in the U.S. are one of the reason 50 million kids have been slaughtered over the past 37 years. Catholics areoverwhemingly anti-life.
The National Catholic Reporter shows that 58 percent of U.S. Catholics believe they do not have to follow the teachings of their bishop on abortion.
The next time the Pope goes to World Youth Day, he should emphasize the evil of abotion. America is only 22% Catholic, but 30% of Catholics are having the abortions. The Catholic Church has dropped the ball here !
Perhaps the March For Life should be held twice a month in Washington,instead of once a year.
Maybe then , Congress will get it right. With friends like Fr. Jenkins of Notre Dame, who needs enemies. HEAVEN HELP FR. JENKINS .
January 29, 2010 at 1:27 am
William McNichols said…
Correction: 30% of abortions in the U.S. are done on Catholic women.Who's having abortions (religion)? Yet Catholics are only 22% of the U.S.
Women identifying themselves as Protestants obtain 37.4% of all abortions in the U.S.; Catholic women account for 31.3%, Jewish women account for 1.3%, and women with no religious affiliation obtain 23.7% of all abortions. 18% of all abortions are performed on women who identify themselves as "Born-again/Evangelical".
These Figures are from Center for Bioethic Reform
or http://www.abortionno.org
January 29, 2010 at 1:42 am
William McNichols said…
The Good News is abortions in the U.S. are declining.
Theses figures are from Wikepedia:
1970 193,491
1971 485,816
1972 586,760
1973 615,831
1974 763,476
1975 854,853
1976 988,276
1977 1,079,430
1978 1,157,776
1979 1,251,921
1980 1,297,606
1981 1,330,760
1982 1,303,980
1983 1,268,987
1984 1,333,521
1985 1,328,570
1986 1,328,112
1987 1,353,671
1988 1,371,285
1989 1,396,658
1990 1,429,279
1991 1,388,937
1992 1,359,146
1993 1,330,414
1994 1,267,415
1995 1,210,883
1996 1,225,973
1997 1,186,039
1998 884,273
1999 861,789
2000 857,475
2001 853,485
2002 854,122
2003 848,163
2004 839,226
2005 820,151
January 29, 2010 at 2:26 am
The number of abortions in the US may indeed NOT be declining. California does not report the number of abortions to the CDC. Neither do a few other states. Look at the fine print. It's there in the Guttmacher Institute reports, in footnotes, and that institute is affiliated with Planned Parenthood.