Keyes: No give on abortion

By ASSOCIATED PRESS - April 26, 2007
Likening abortion to terrorism, conservative commentator Alan Keyes called on pro-life activists Wednesday to remain committed to ending abortion completely without compromise.

In legalizing abortion, Keyes said the United States has abandoned the principle that every person is created equal, a right which comes from the “hand of almighty God,” and allowed innocent babies to be killed just as terrorists kill innocent people. He likened judges who have allowed abortion to serial killers who take a false premise and logically work their way to their conclusion to justify their killing.

“We do not enter this battle with clean hands,” Keyes said of the war on terror. “Indeed I think God raised up this battle.”

Keyes delivered the fiery 45-minute speech to about 200 people gathered at the state Capitol to mark the 40th anniversary of the signing of a Colorado law that expanded abortion rights.

State was pro-choice early

Colorado, where the law was signed on April 25, 1967, by Gov. John Love, was the first of 15 states to either allow abortion under more exceptions or to completely decriminalize it before Roe v. Wade legalized it nationwide.

The activists gathered to talk about strategy on how to move forward and much of the discussion focused on criticizing fellow anti-abortion activists who have pushed for state bans that allow exceptions for things such as rape. Keyes echoed that, criticizing the recent Supreme Court decision upholding the federal partial-birth abortion ban because it was still based on the premise that there is a constitutional right to abortion.

Keyes praised Clarence Thomas and Antonin Scalia for noting their disagreement with that in a concurring opinion and criticized John Roberts and Samuel Alito for not speaking out against that. Keyes, who unsuccessfully challenged Barack Obama for the U.S. Senate in Illinois, also criticized Republican presidential candidates John McCain and Mitt Romney for what he considered weak positions on abortion.

Keyes also sought the Republican presidential nomination in 1996 and 2000.

Continue the fight

He said anti-abortion activists have to continue fighting for an end to abortion without rushing to make compromises or thinking about when they will win.

“We will tell them no, we will not allow a murder and will not call it a right,” Keyes said.

CARDINAL WELCOMES SUPREME COURT DECISION UPHOLDING FEDERAL PARTIAL-BIRTH ABORTION BAN

The following are statements from Cardinal Justin Rigali, Chairman of the Committee for Pro-Life Activities, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and Dr. R. Albert Mohler, Jr., president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATIONS
U.S. CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS

DATE: April 18, 2007
FROM: William Ryan

O: 202-541-3200
H: 202-686-1824

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CARDINAL WELCOMES SUPREME COURT DECISION UPHOLDING FEDERAL PARTIAL-BIRTH ABORTION BAN

Washington, DC—Cardinal Justin Rigali welcomed the Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision upholding the federal Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003 in Gonzales v. Carhart.

Cardinal Rigali, Archbishop of Philadelphia, is Chairman of the Committee for Pro-Life Activities, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). The full text of his statement follows:

“Today, after a decade of struggle in legislatures and courts, the U.S. Supreme Court finally upheld a federal law prohibiting the brutal and inhumane partial-birth abortion procedure. This is the first time in 34 years that the Court has upheld a ban of any type of abortion.

“The Court’s decision does not affect the legal status of the great majority of abortions, and does not reverse past decisions claiming to find a right to abortion in the Constitution. However, it provides reasons for renewed hope and renewed effort on the part of pro-life Americans. The Court is taking a clearer and more unobstructed look at the tragic reality of abortion, and speaking about that reality more candidly, than it has in many years.

“Especially welcome is the Court’s explicit recognition of certain key facts: that abortion is the taking of a human life, and that government has a legitimate interest in protecting and preserving this life at every stage; that 'respect for human life finds an ultimate expression in the bond of love the mother has for her child'; that abortion may also cause grief and sorrow for women, which is only made worse when the reality of the procedure has been withheld from them until it is too late; and that the ethical integrity of the medical profession, as well as the fabric of our society, is threatened by the acceptance of practices that are difficult to distinguish from infanticide.

“The Court also acknowledges that in some past decisions, the usual rules for constitutional review were distorted by an unwarranted hostility to legislative efforts to respect unborn human life. We hope today’s decision marks the beginning of a new dialogue on abortion, in which fair-minded consideration will be given to the genuine interests of unborn children and their mothers, to the need for an ethically sound medical profession, and to society’s desperate need for a foundation of respect for all human life.”

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