In The Beginning.(Column)

Two hundred and twenty-seven years ago, at the birth of our nation, a founding father declared, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." It was appropriate that Thomas Jefferson placed "life" first. Without life, there is no liberty or pursuit of happiness.

One hundred and ninety-seven years later, seven men in black robes ruled the unborn child to be a non-person and, thus, denied the child any meaningful legal protection until the day of his birth. This landmark Roe v. Wade decision necessitated the creation of a national movement dedicated to the restoration of the right to life for the unborn, the disabled, the elderly, and the chronically ill.

Since the mid-19th century all state abortion laws were based on the 1827 discovery of fertilization (the union of sperm and ovum), and the realization that life began at conception. For over 100 years, protective statutes remained in place. Then the erosion began. From 1967 to 1970, 17 states weakened their abortion laws, but in only 4 of these states was abortion allowed virtually without restraint.

With the awakening of the grassroots pro-life movement, the tide turned. The 1970 Washington state abortion referendum (passed by less than 1% of the vote) marked the end of the abortion juggernaut.

During the next two years pro-abortion legislation was introduced and defeated in 33 states. In 1972 the New York state legislature overturned its two-year-old abortion law in both houses, only to have it vetoed by Gov. Nelson Rockefeller.

The same year, the only two states to hold referenda on abortion, North Dakota and Michigan, rejected the proposals by 78% and 61%, respectively.

There was an air of jubilation. Immediate plans were made to reverse permissive abortion laws in the remaining states.