Some reasons why women abort their babies include:
- Not enough money to afford a baby at this time.
- The baby would interfere with their professional career.
- They have enough children already.
- The medical doctor said if I have this child it will be handicapped.
A look at some interesting and thought provoking quotes and sayings on this critical issue of abortion.
General Quotes on Abortion:
I’ve noticed that everybody that is for abortion has already been born. ~Ronald Wilson Reagan, New York Times, September 22, 1980
This plague of abortion is the mark of a society that has lost its way; it treats children like garbage. It has come about because of the so-called sexual revolution; abortion is almost a sacrament of that revolution. Sex has been completely separated from its purpose, which is to create life. Our sex-saturated society teaches kids that sex is for fun, for pleasure, for self-expression, or for conquest. Abortion is a no-fault sex insurance policy. This has made a mockery of any attempt at maintaining strong families–the love and responsibility people have toward each other. Now society is full of rampant individualism. ~Dorothy E. McBride, Abortion in the United States
Abortion is inherently different from other medical procedures because no other procedure involves the purposeful termination of a potential life. ~Potter Stewart, judicial opinion, Jun. 30, 1980
Somebody who should have been born is gone. ~Anne Sexton, The Abortion
Abortion is the insurance against that fate worse than death which is called a family. Our no-fault insurance has removed our responsibility for car accidents, and no-fault divorce has removed our responsibility for marriage accidents; why should abortion not be our no-fault sexual insurance policy that removes our responsibility for sex accidents? ~Peter Kreeft, Three Approaches to Abortion
I was trained by a professional marketing director in how to sell abortions over the telephone. He took every one of our receptionists, nurses, and anyone else who would deal with people over the phone through an extensive training period. The object was, when the girl called, to hook the sale so that she wouldn’t get an abortion somewhere else, or adopt out her baby, or change her mind. We were doing it for the money. ~Nina Whitten, chief secretary at a Dallas abortion clinic under Dr. Curtis Boyd
If a woman we were counseling expressed doubts about having an abortion, we would say whatever was necessary to persuade her to abort immediately. ~Judy W., former office manager of the second largest abortion clinic in El Paso, Texas
Sometimes we lied. A girl might ask what her baby was like at a certain point in the pregnancy: Was it a baby yet? Even as early as 12 weeks a baby is totally formed, he has fingerprints, turns his head, fans his toes, feels pain. But we would say ‘It’s not a baby yet. It’s just tissue, like a clot. ~Kathy Sparks told in “The Conversion of Kathy Sparks” by Gloria Williamson, Christian Herald Jan 1986 p 28
I have seen hundreds of patients in my office who have had abortions and were just lied to by the abortion counselor. Namely ‘This is less painful than having a tooth removed. It is not a baby.’ Afterwards, the woman sees Life magazine and breaks down and goes into a major depression. ~Psychologist Vincent Rue quoted in “Abortion Inc” David Kupelian and Jo Ann Gasper, New Dimensions, October 1991 p 16
Now, the baby I aborted was eleven weeks old, and can you imagine what this did to me when I saw this baby with the hands and face, sucking his thumb? And they told me it was a cluster of cells! ~Carole K. State Director of Women Exploited By Abortion. From Women Exploited
The counselor at our clinic would cry with the girls at the drop of a hat. She would find their weakness and work on it. The women were never given any alternatives. They were told how much trouble it is to have a baby. ~Debra Harry, former abortion worker quoted in the film “Meet the Abortion Providers” 1989
They took that little baby that was making little sounds and moving and kicking, and set it on that table in a cold, stainless steel bowl. Every time I would look over while we were repairing the incision in uterus and finishing the Caesarean, I would see that little person moving in that bowl. And it kicked and moved less and less, of course, as time went on. I can remember going over and looking at the baby when we were done with the surgery and the baby was still alive. You could see the chest was moving and the heart was beating, and the baby would try to take a little breath, and it really hurt inside, and it began to educate me as to what abortion really was. ~Quoted in “Pro-Choice 1990: Skeletons in the Closet”
Early Church (Fathers) on Abortion:
And the second commandment of the Teaching; You shall not commit murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not commit pederasty, you shall not commit fornication, you shall not steal, you shall not practice magic, you shall not practice witchcraft, you shall not murder a child by abortion nor kill that which is begotten. ~Didache 2:1–2 (A.D. 70)
The way of light, then, is as follows. If any one desires to travel to the appointed place, he must be zealous in his works. The knowledge, therefore, which is given to us for the purpose of walking in this way, is the following. . . .You shall not slay the child by procuring abortion; nor, again, shall you destroy it after it is born. ~Letter of Barnabas 19 (A.D. 74)
What man of sound mind, therefore, will affirm, while such is our character, that we are murderers? For we cannot eat human flesh till we have killed some one. . . .And when we say that those women who use drugs to bring on abortion commit murder, and will have to give an account to God for the abortion, on what principle should we commit murder? For it does not belong to the same person to regard the very fœtus in the womb as a created being, and therefore an object of God’s care, and when it has passed into life, to kill it; and not to expose an infant, because those who expose them are chargeable with child-murder, and on the other hand, when it has been reared to destroy it. But we are in all things always alike and the same, submitting ourselves to reason, and not ruling over it. ~Athenagoras, A Plea for the Christians 35 (A.D. 177)
In our case, murder being once for all forbidden, we may not destroy even the fœtus in the womb, while as yet the human being derives blood from other parts of the body for its sustenance. To hinder a birth is merely a speedier man-killing; nor does it matter whether you take away a life that is born, or destroy one that is coming to the birth. That is a man which is going to be one; you have the fruit already in its seed. ~Tertullian, Apology 9:8 (A.D. 197)
Now we allow that life begins with conception, because we contend that the soul also begins from conception; life taking its commencement at the same moment and place that the soul does. ~Tertullian, A Treatise on the Soul 27 (A.D. 210)
The law of Moses, indeed, punishes with due penalties the man who shall cause abortion, inasmuch as there exists already the rudiment of a human being, which has imputed to it even now the condition of life and death, since it is already liable to the issues of both, although, by living still in the mother, it for the most part shares its own state with the mother. ~Tertullian, A Treatise on the Soul 37 (A.D. 210)
There are some women who, by drinking medical preparations, extinguish the source of the future man in their very bowels, and thus commit a parricide before they bring forth. And these things assuredly come down from the teaching of your gods. . . .To us it is not lawful either to see or to hear of homicide; and so much do we shrink from human blood, that we do not use the blood even of eatable animals in our food. ~Minucius Felix, Octavius 30 (A.D. 226)
And the hearers of Callistus being delighted with his tenets, continue with him, thus mocking both themselves as well as many others, and crowds of these dupes stream together into his school. Wherefore also his pupils are multiplied, and they plume themselves upon the crowds (attending the school) for the sake of pleasures which Christ did not permit. But in contempt of Him, they place restraint on the commission of no sin, alleging that they pardon those who acquiesce (in Callistus’ opinions). For even also he permitted females, if they were unwedded, and burned with passion at an age at all events unbecoming, or if they were not disposed to overturn their own dignity through a legal marriage, that they might have whomsoever they would choose as a bedfellow, whether a slave or free, and that a woman, though not legally married, might consider such a companion as a husband. Whence women, reputed believers, began to resort to drugs for producing sterility, and to gird themselves round, so to expel what was being conceived on account of their not wishing to have a child either by a slave or by any paltry fellow, for the sake of their family and excessive wealth. Behold, into how great impiety that lawless one has proceeded, by inculcating adultery and murder at the same time! And withal, after such audacious acts, they, lost to all shame, attempt to call themselves a Catholic Church! ~Hippolytus, Refutation of All Heresies Book 9 Chapter 7 (A.D. 228)
Concerning women who commit fornication, and destroy that which they have conceived, or who are employed in making drugs for abortion, a former decree excluded them until the hour of death, and to this some have assented. Nevertheless, being desirous to use somewhat greater lenity, we have ordained that they fulfil ten years [of penance], according to the prescribed degrees. ~Council of Ancyra, Canon 21 (A.D. 314)
Wherefore I beseech you flee fornication, and the mother of it, drunkenness. Why sow where reaping is impossible, or rather even if you dost reap, the fruit brings you great shame? For even if a child be born, it at once disgraces yourself, and has itself had injustice done it in being born through you illegitimate and base. And if you leave it never so much money, both the son of an harlot, and that of a servant-maid, is disreputable at home, disreputable in the city, disreputable in a court of law: disreputable too will you be also, both in your lifetime, and when dead. For if you have departed even, the memorials of your unseemliness abide. Why then bring disgrace upon all these? Why sow where the ground makes it its care to destroy the fruit? Where there are many efforts at abortion? Where there is murder before the birth? For even the harlot thou dost not let continue a mere harlot, but makest her a murderess also. You see how drunkenness leads to whoredom, whoredom to adultery, adultery to murder; or rather to a something even worse than murder. For I have no name to give it, since it does not take off the thing born, but prevent its being born. Why then do you abuse the gift of God, and fight with His laws, and follow after what is a curse as if a blessing, and make the chamber of procreation a chamber for murder, and arm the woman that was given for childbearing unto slaughter? For with a view to drawing more money by being agreeable and an object of longing to her lovers, even this she is not backward to do, so heaping upon your head a great pile of fire. For even if the daring deed be hers, yet the causing of it is yours. ~John Chrysostom, Homilies on Romans 24 (A.D. 391)
I cannot bring myself to speak of the many virgins who daily fall and are lost to the bosom of the church, their mother: stars over which the proud foe sets up his throne, Isaiah 14:13 and rocks hollowed by the serpent that he may dwell in their fissures. You may see many women widows before wedded, who try to conceal their miserable fall by a lying garb. Unless they are betrayed by swelling wombs or by the crying of their infants, they walk abroad with tripping feet and heads in the air. Some go so far as to take potions, that they may insure barrenness, and thus murder human beings almost before their conception. Some, when they find themselves with child through their sin, use drugs to procure abortion, and when (as often happens) they die with their offspring, they enter the lower world laden with the guilt not only of adultery against Christ but also of suicide and child murder. Yet it is these who say: “‘Unto the pure all things are pure;’ Titus 1:15 my conscience is sufficient guide for me. A pure heart is what God looks for. Why should I abstain from meats which God has created to be received with thanksgiving?” 1 Timothy 4:3 And when they wish to appear agreeable and entertaining they first drench themselves with wine, and then joining the grossest profanity to intoxication, they say “Far be it from me to abstain from the blood of Christ.” And when they see another pale or sad they call her “wretch” or “Manichæan;” quite logically, indeed, for on their principles fasting involves heresy. When they go out they do their best to attract notice, and with nods and winks encourage troops of young fellows to follow them. ~Jerome, Letters 22:13 (A.D. 396)
You shall not use magic. You shall not use witchcraft; for He says, “You shall not suffer a witch to live.” You shall not slay your child by causing abortion, nor kill that which is begotten; for “everything that is shaped, and has received a soul from God, if it be slain, shall be avenged, as being unjustly destroyed.” ~The Apostolic Constitutions 7:3 (A.D. 400)
Catholic Church on Abortion:
For God, the Lord of life, has conferred on men the surpassing ministry of safeguarding life in a manner which is worthy of man. Therefore from the moment of its conception life must be guarded with the greatest care while abortion and infanticide are unspeakable crimes. The sexual characteristics of man and the human faculty of reproduction wonderfully exceed the dispositions of lower forms of life. Hence the acts themselves which are proper to conjugal love and which are exercised in accord with genuine human dignity must be honoured with great reverence. ~Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, Gaudium et Spes, 51 (December 7, 1965)
Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed as either an end or a means, is gravely, contrary to the moral law: You shall not kill the embryo by abortion and shall not cause the new born to perish. ~Catechism of the Catholic Church §2271
The inalienable right to life of every innocent human individual is a constitutive element of a civil society and its legislation. ~Catechism of the Catholic Church §2273
However, the inalienable rights of the person must be recognized and respected by civil society and the political authority. These human rights depend neither on single individuals nor on parents; nor do they represent a concession made by society and the State: they pertain to human nature and are inherent in the person by virtue of the creative act from which the person took his or her origin. Among such fundamental rights one should mention in this regard:a) every human being’s right to life and physical integrity from the moment of conception until death; b) the rights of the family and of marriage as an institution and, in this area, the child’s right to be conceived, brought into the world and brought up by his parents. ~Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Donum Vitae III (February 22, 1987).
How can one morally accept laws that permit the killing of a human being not yet born, but already alive in the mother’s womb? The right to life becomes an exclusive prerogative of adults who even manipulate legislatures in order to carry out their own plans and pursue their own interests. ~Letter to Families , John Paul II, 21 (February 2, 1994)
Among all the crimes which can be committed against life, procured abortion has characteristics making it particularly serious and deplorable. The Second Vatican Council defines abortion, together with infanticide, as an “unspeakable crime”.54
But today, in many people’s consciences, the perception of its gravity has become progressively obscured. The acceptance of abortion in the popular mind, in behaviour and even in law itself, is a telling sign of an extremely dangerous crisis of the moral sense, which is becoming more and more incapable of distinguishing between good and evil, even when the fundamental right to life is at stake. Given such a grave situation, we need now more than ever to have the courage to look the truth in the eye and to call things by their proper name, without yielding to convenient compromises or to the temptation of self-deception. In this regard the reproach of the Prophet is extremely straightforward: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness” (Is 5:20). Especially in the case of abortion there is a widespread use of ambiguous terminology, such as “interruption of pregnancy”, which tends to hide abortion’s true nature and to attenuate its seriousness in public opinion. Perhaps this linguistic phenomenon is itself a symptom of an uneasiness of conscience. But no word has the power to change the reality of things: procured abortion is the deliberate and direct killing, by whatever means it is carried out, of a human being in the initial phase of his or her existence, extending from conception to birth.
The moral gravity of procured abortion is apparent in all its truth if we recognize that we are dealing with murder and, in particular, when we consider the specific elements involved. The one eliminated is a human being at the very beginning of life. No one more absolutely innocent could be imagined. In no way could this human being ever be considered an aggressor, much less an unjust aggressor! He or she is weak, defenceless, even to the point of lacking that minimal form of defence consisting in the poignant power of a newborn baby’s cries and tears. The unborn child is totally entrusted to the protection and care of the woman carrying him or her in the womb. And yet sometimes it is precisely the mother herself who makes the decision and asks for the child to be eliminated, and who then goes about having it done.
It is true that the decision to have an abortion is often tragic and painful for the mother, insofar as the decision to rid herself of the fruit of conception is not made for purely selfish reasons or out of convenience, but out of a desire to protect certain important values such as her own health or a decent standard of living for the other members of the family. Sometimes it is feared that the child to be born would live in such conditions that it would be better if the birth did not take place. Nevertheless, these reasons and others like them, however serious and tragic, can never justify the deliberate killing of an innocent human being. ~Evangelium Vitae, 58 (March 25, 1995)
Bl. Mother Teresa on Abortion:
“Many people are very, very concerned with the children in India, with the children in Africa where quite a number die, maybe of malnutrition, of hunger and so on, but millions are dying deliberately by the will of the mother. And this is what is the greatest destroyer of peace today. Because if a mother can kill her own child – what is left for me to kill you and you kill me — there is nothing between.” ~Nobel Lecture, Dec 11, 1979
“America needs no words from me to see how your decision in Roe v. Wade has deformed a great nation. The so-called right to abortion has pitted mothers against their children and women against men.
It has sown violence and discord at the heart of the most intimate human relationships. It has aggravated the derogation of the father’s role in an increasingly fatherless society. It has portrayed the greatest of gifts — a child — as a competitor, an intrusion, and an inconvenience. It has nominally accorded mothers unfettered dominion over the independent lives of their physically dependent sons and daughters.” ~Notable and Quotable, Wall Street Journal, 2/25/94, p. A14
“But I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a war against the child – a direct killing of the innocent child – murder by the mother herself. And if we accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another? How do we persuade a woman not to have an abortion? As always, we must persuade her with love, and we remind ourselves that love means to be willing to give until it hurts. Jesus gave even his life to love us. So the mother who is thinking of abortion, should be helped to love – that is, to give until it hurts her plans, or her free time, to respect the life of her child. The father of that child, whoever he is, must also give until it hurts. By abortion, the mother does not learn to love, but kills even her own child to solve her problems. And by abortion, the father is told that he does not have to take any responsibility at all for the child he has brought into the world. That father is likely to put other women into the same trouble. So abortion just leads to more abortion. Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching the people to love, but to use any violence to get what they want. That is why the greatest destroyer of love and peace is abortion.”
“It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish.”
The topic of abortion has long been a source of passionate debate, touching on issues of morality, legality, and individual choice. It’s a subject that elicits strong emotions and has divided societies for decades. In this article, we’ll explore various quotes and sayings related to abortion, shedding light on different perspectives and aspects of this complex issue.
The Reagan Perspective: A Matter of Birth
“I’ve noticed that everybody that is for abortion has already been born.” – Ronald Wilson Reagan
Ronald Reagan, the 40th President of the United States, offers a straightforward perspective on abortion. His quote highlights the inherent contradiction that some see in the abortion debate: those advocating for it have already experienced the gift of life. It underscores the idea that pro-life advocates are concerned with protecting potential life, viewing it as a matter of birth.
Abortion as a Reflection of Lost Values
“This plague of abortion is the mark of a society that has lost its way; it treats children like garbage… Abortion is almost a sacrament of that revolution.” – Dorothy E. McBride
Dorothy E. McBride’s quote delves into the broader societal implications of abortion. She sees it as a reflection of a society that has strayed from its values and now treats children as disposable. McBride attributes the rise of abortion to the sexual revolution, where sex has been disconnected from its procreative purpose. She laments the breakdown of strong families and the prevalence of rampant individualism.
Potter Stewart’s Unique Perspective
“Abortion is inherently different from other medical procedures because no other procedure involves the purposeful termination of a potential life.” – Potter Stewart
Potter Stewart, a former Supreme Court Justice, offers a legal perspective on abortion. He emphasizes the distinct nature of abortion compared to other medical procedures. Abortion, in his view, involves the intentional termination of a potential life, setting it apart from other medical interventions.
Anne Sexton’s Emotional Insight
“Somebody who should have been born is gone.” – Anne Sexton
Anne Sexton’s quote carries a profound emotional weight. It poetically captures the essence of the loss associated with abortion—a sense that a unique and irreplaceable life has been extinguished. Her words resonate with the grief and regret that can accompany this deeply personal decision.
Peter Kreeft’s Satirical Take
“Abortion is the insurance against that fate worse than death which is called a family… This has made a mockery of any attempt at maintaining strong families–the love and responsibility people have toward each other.” – Peter Kreeft
Peter Kreeft employs satire to comment on the role of abortion in modern society. He facetiously portrays abortion as an “insurance policy” against the challenges and responsibilities of family life. Kreeft points out the erosion of traditional family values in a society that often sees abortion as a solution to unexpected pregnancies.
Nina Whitten’s Revelation
“I was trained by a professional marketing director in how to sell abortions over the telephone… We were doing it for the money.” – Nina Whitten
Nina Whitten’s candid admission sheds light on the commercial aspect of abortion. She exposes the profit-driven nature of some abortion clinics and the tactics used to convince women to undergo the procedure. Her revelation raises ethical questions about the motives behind certain abortion practices.
Judy W.’s Deceptive Practices
“If a woman we were counseling expressed doubts about having an abortion, we would say whatever was necessary to persuade her to abort immediately.” – Judy W.
Judy W., a former office manager at an abortion clinic, reveals the deceptive practices employed to ensure that women go through with abortions. Her statement highlights the pressure placed on vulnerable individuals and the lack of transparency in some abortion counseling sessions.
The Hidden Truth About Fetal Development
“Sometimes we lied… But we would say ‘It’s not a baby yet. It’s just tissue, like a clot.'” – Kathy Sparks
Kathy Sparks’s quote exposes a disturbing aspect of abortion counseling: the misrepresentation of fetal development. She reveals that women were often told that the fetus was not yet a baby but merely tissue. This misinformation raises ethical concerns about informed consent in the abortion process.
Vincent Rue’s Insights on Psychological Impact
“I have seen hundreds of patients in my office who have had abortions and were just lied to by the abortion counselor… Afterwards, the woman sees Life magazine and breaks down and goes into a major depression.” – Psychologist Vincent Rue
Vincent Rue, a psychologist, highlights the psychological toll that misinformation during the abortion process can take on women. His quote underscores the importance of providing accurate and unbiased information to individuals facing this difficult decision.
The quotes presented here offer a range of perspectives on abortion, from the emotional and personal to the ethical and societal. They reflect the complexity of this issue and the different factors that come into play in the abortion debate. Ultimately, the decision to have an abortion is deeply personal, influenced by a multitude of factors, and often fraught with conflicting emotions and considerations. These quotes provide valuable insights into the diverse viewpoints and experiences surrounding abortion, encouraging further reflection and discussion on this critical issue.