Abortion Foes Hope for Gains Under Bush

Hundreds of abortion opponents gathered in Mission Hills on Saturday to mark the 28th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Roe vs. Wade.

Sponsored by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles--but including an ecumenical array of grass-roots organizations, the sixth annualCommitment to Life Conference tackled other themes that activists view as contrary to what they called “a culture of life,” including euthanasia, bioengineering and cloning.

In his opening remarks, however, Cardinal Roger M. Mahony saved his strongest words for the Jan. 22, 1973, decision that legalized abortion.

The case of Roe vs. Wade, he said, “profoundly changed our society, and weakened the attitude toward the sanctity of life for a full generation.”

Mahony praised those attending--many of them anti-abortion counselors, parish anti-abortion group leaders and seminarians--for their continued commitment.

“I salute you for your dedication . . . to a cause that will eventually reverse the culture of death,” he said.

Event veterans said this year’s meeting was made especially festive by the ascendance of George W. Bush to the presidency.

“Oh, it’s very hopeful,” said Joan Noyes, 49, of Sunland, who counsels families on natural family planning techniques. “I think it’s a result of prayer that he prevailed in the election.”

But Joseph Shephard, a first-year seminary student, said that for Roman Catholics, Bush’s presidency could be a mixed blessing.

“He agrees with us on abortion,” he said. “But his death penalty record in Texas speaks for itself.”

In an interview before the conference, Mahony spoke of his belief that changing “hearts and minds” was more important than focusing on the political culture.

Mike Spence, vice president of the California ProLife Council, said that although overturning Roe is a longshot, he hopes the new administration will reverse Clinton-era executive orders, such as those that loosened restrictions on fetal tissue research and allowed for abortion counseling at federally funded family planning clinics.

“It’s been a battle for us for years, having to deal with a president who’s had the most extreme abortion views of any president in history,” Spence said.

After opening remarks from Mahony and Bernard Nathanson--a former abortion doctor who has become an outspoken antiabortion crusader, the crowd attended seminars that covered topics from the RU-486 “abortion pill” to state legislative matters.