Some quotes by pro-choice activists and abortion providers on pro-lifers:

"Demented and sadistic are words that describe the conduct of this bully of a man who seeks to use the law to inflict physical or mental pain on women via forced pregnancy. [Pennsylvania state legislator Steven] Freind treats women as if their purpose in life is to be receptacles for men's sperm."

Chris Niebrzydowski, president of the Pennsylvania chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW), after passage of the Pennsylvania Abortion Control Act of 1989, which was authored by state legislator Stephen Freind, which would have put only minor restrictions on abortion. Quoted in the Greensburg [Pennsylvania] Tribune-Review, October 4, 1989.

"The forces that seek reversal of Roe v. Wade are the obvious product of religious zealotry and misogyny [hatred of women]. There is behind the sanctification of the fetus a scarifying agenda that seeks to deny women our personhood, sexuality, and power over procreation; to divert the all-too-slow march of women of all colors toward self-determination and equality; and to reestablish state power to dictate who is an eligible reproducer and sexual partner. ... "

Ms. Magazine "Special Report," April 1989, page 92.

"Who are the opponents of the right of women to control their reproductive capacity, to become equal to men, to acquire safety, dignity and self-respect? The answer lies in fundamentalist religion. ... In the early days of our religions, women were the property of the father or husband in male-dominated patriarchal societies. ... It is not surprising that most of the opposition to women's rights comes from fundamentalist religious groups, be they Catholic, Protestant, Jewish or Muslim. ... These anti-women philosophies are akin to the fascist, dogmatic movements that resulted in the Holocaust and the Second World War, which claimed millions of innocent victims."

Canadian abortionist Henry Morgentaler, quoted in "Fascist Fundamentalism." The Human Quest, September-October 1992, page 23.

"There's a qualitative difference in the nature of their [pro-life] involvement ... It's a life and death issue for them, and that creates a zealousness about it, about their work, that I don't think is matched quite on our side. The strength of the [pro-abortion] movement really resides in the mainstream view that government has no role in this decision."

Kate Michelman, President of the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League (NARRAL), quoted in Brigid Schulte of the Knight-Ridder News Service. "Abortion Foes Mix Passion, Technology." The Oregonian, February 19, 1995, page A14.

"With powerful backing from the Catholic Church and Christian evangelicals, abortion opponents dress themselves up in the moral garb of saints and lambaste the other side as murderers, creating a poisonous atmosphere in which terrorism against abortion providers is not only tolerated but in some circles esteemed as some sort of holy act."

"Protesting or praying outside women's health centers by cardinals and other church leaders, no matter how non-violent it appears, offends and hurts women."

Frances Kissling, President of 'Catholics' for a Free Choice (CFFC), quoted in Cathleen Falsani. "Abortion Foes Gather to Pray: Cardinal Bernardin Leads Mass at Chicago Clinic." Daily Southtown, June 27, 1999, pages 1 and 10

"It [the establishment of a tomb for preborn babies] is an act of such violence that it terrifies us."
 

Statement of a group of pro-abortion organizations, protesting the tomb for preborn babies near Aquila, Italy set up by Father Andrea D'Ascanio. "Children Never Born." The Catholic World Report, February 1992,

"The Mafia has more decency and ethics than these people. At least they keep their 'hit list' secret. They don't torture people for months or years before they kill them. ... The only difference between this and the slaughter of the Jews in Venice is a thousand years. The only difference between this and the Islamic jihad is 8,000 miles. This isn't about abortion. This is about people who think that they can tell everyone else how to think and what to believe. Once they've outlawed abortion and locked up abortion doctors, who will they go after next? People who right for newspapers? People who read books? Blacks? Jews? They hate freedom. They hate secular thought”

Excerpts from quotes by third-trimester abortionist Warren Hern of Boulder, Colorado, quoted by Steve Jackson. "The Fight of Their Lives." Westword [Denver, Colorado], February 13-17, 1997, pages 17 to 31

"Governor Owens has brought the spirit of the Taliban to Colorado. If women are not free to make decisions about their own bodies and reproductive decisions, how are they free? Bill Owens has used a dishonest political shell game to cut off family planning funds for Planned Parenthood and Boulder Valley Women's Health Center in order to get right-wing anti-abortion votes, and the poor women of Colorado will suffer."

 "[Pro-lifers] are, with few exceptions, vicious, irrational, absolutely ruthless, unscrupulous, pitiless, and driven by hatred. They are willing to accept any level of violence, not to mention social disruption and imposition of emotional pain to reach their goals.
       "This is no longer about free speech. It is about behavior that is meant to inflict pain, terror, and, in some cases, death. It is no longer tolerable to have any form of political protest in front of my clinic or any other abortion facility in the United States.
       "A face-to-face conspiracy to commit political crimes is no longer necessary. All the leaders have to do is use the airwaves to identify the targets. [The Federal government] should not allow the exploitation of First Amendment rights for authoritarian and terrorist purposes."
       "Every anti-abortion demonstrator must now be considered armed, dangerous and a potential assassin until proven otherwise. The anti-abortion movement must be considered the source and spawning ground of a violent, terrorist movement which threatens the social fabric and civil society of laws of the United States."

January 1995 report of abortionist Warren Hern of Boulder, Colorado, to Janet Reno and Joanne Harris, quoted in William Norman Grigg. "Soviet-Style "Choice"." New American, April 15, 1996, pages 17-19.

"Anti-choicers have declared war on women. Now it's up to us to fight back. If that means guarding the [abortion] clinic doors with Uzis, then that's what will have to be done. Just once, I'd like to see someone blow up one of those churches.
       "This week is anti-choice week at UB [University of Buffalo]. If you see one of them showing their disgusting videos or playing with toy fetuses, do your part and spit at them. Kick them in the head. Give them the name of your therapist. They call it "Cemetery of the Innocents." I call it graveyard of the oppressed. Their God is worth nothing compared to my body.
       "Abortion is a bit bloody. So is a root canal. It's a f—ing operation! If you think abortion is gruesome, you should see childbirth; an ordeal that is ten times more dangerous to a woman's health ... The anti-choice movement is like self-help for them. Too bad there's no "Fanatics Anonymous" to give them the help they need."

Michelle Goldberg, Feature Editor. "Rant for Choice." The Spectrum [State University of New York at Buffalo], quoted in "Student Editors Print Threats Against Pro-Lifers." HLI Update, November 1995, page 1; Operation Rescue Newsletter, November 25, 1995.

"Got a Tech 9 [gun]. Every gynecologist needs a Tech 9, so I could have more rounds, 'cause they were bringing me more Christians. There's a Smith and Wesson .40 and a few rifles, for crowd control down at the [abortion mill] office. Ya ever looked down [the barrel of] a gun? C'mon, it's fun. ... Pretend the Catholic hordes are after you."
       "Children of the Rosary is usually a very virulent, malicious group of harpies for Jesus. Kathy Sabelko [leader of the group] is a double-butt ugly mean-spirited bitch. It's reasonably apparent that she's physically challenged. She's just unattractive. Really, really unattractive. And I don't understand why she has this hatred for women, but she's one of these really mean-spirited Catholic misogynists who doesn't like women.
       "Now you just have a bunch of Wal-Mart shoppers showing up out front. Retirees — it's obvious just looking at them they're retirees. They're on a budget, they don't have a lot of money, they have a lot of free time. And they're looking for an ego feed. 'Somebody tell me I'm important, please.' They've never been important in their lives at all. So they come down here to my office, and they prey on people.

I'm smarter than the pro-lifers, I can form abstract thoughts. I'll talk to the media and explain to them what's going on.

Arizona abortionist Brian Finkel, quoted in Amy Silverman. "The Terminator." Downloaded from www.phoenixnewtimes.com/1999/061799/feature1-1.html to feature 1-7.html, the online edition of the weekly Phoenix New Times, on June 21, 1999

(Finkel was later convicted of molesting women who came to him for an abortion)

"Every time someone says something inflammatory — 'Abortion kills babies. Abortion doctors murder babies' — they contribute to another clinic bombing. ... If people want to think horrible things about abortion, that's their business. But I want it to become politically incorrect and socially unacceptable to say such inflammatory things."

Michelle Farley, administrator of the "New Woman All Women Health Care" abortion mill in Birmingham, Alabama, quoted in Jennifer Gonnerman. "Cheerleaders For Violence." The Village Voice, November 3-9, 1998.

"Most feminists, predictably, can't stand them [pro-life women]. Anti-abortion feminist groups have been banned from ERA rallies, rebuffed in their attempts to join consortiums of women's groups, and forbidden to meet in campus women's centers. The rift has been present since the earliest days of the women's movement. Pat Goltz, the member of Ohio NOW who founded FFL in 1972, was asked and then forced to give up her NOW membership because of her anti-abortion activities. NOW's president Molly Yard says that she would meet the same fate today. "I don't know how someone can be a feminist if she's not for a woman's right to her own life," she says. Seventeen years later, seven-term congresswoman Mary Rose Oakar of Ohio is consistently refused endorsement by women's organizations because she opposes abortion, even though she has been a leading supporter of the ERA, pay equity, and aid for poor and elderly women."

Pamela Ehrens. "Anti-Abortion, Pro-Feminism?" Mother Jones, May 1989, pages 31 and 45.

"I think it's [picketing] religious persecution. These 'good Christians' don't respect anyone else's religion."

Marilyn Buckham, director of the Buffalo GYN Womenservices Clinic abortion mill, after abortionist Barnett Slepian attacked and seriously injured a pro-life picketer with a baseball bat. Quoted in Paul Likoudis. "Buffalo Abortionist Attacks Pro-Lifers with Baseball Bat." The Wanderer, December 15, 1988, page 1.

"I resent strongly the charges that I am a murderer, a killer, a devil. I resent the right [of demonstrators] to sit-in at my clinic. If they ever do that to my clinic again, it's to the death. Only one of us is coming out of there."

Bill Baird, quoted in The Idaho Statesman, November 19, 1981.

 "About a year ago, I began to wonder what could be done about the Pregnancy Problem Action Centre, a Right to Life front, which tells young women terrifying lies about abortion. I decided that bombing them would just make them feel more righteous and martyred, give them more ammunition in their 'holy war.' Without their financial power and access to the media, graffiti [sic] seemed like an appropriate way to shriek defiance at them. One graffiti I did was on a church wall. I put 'Isn't your God a Misogynist?' It helped break one of my own taboos, while expressing my anger at religion. It felt good."

Anonymous pro-abortion vandal, quoted in Jill Posener's book Louder Than Words

Compiled by American Life League