Became "heartbroken" when she heard of women having as many as four abortions in a year

By Hilary White

PRINCETON, New Jersey, October 11, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Karen Shablin, a former member of the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League (NARAL), told an audience at Princeton University on Tuesday evening, that greater support during pregnancy, not abortion, is what women need and want.

The Daily Princetonian, the prestigious university’s campus paper, reports that Shablin, a speaker for Feminists for Life Campus Outreach programme, was invited to speak as part of the campus pro-life group’s Respect Life Week.

She said that her own abortion had been a result of fear of joining the ranks of black single mothers that so often remain in poverty. Shablin said she now "oppose[s] abortion with every thread of my being," but decries the lack of resources and support available to women in unexpected pregnancies, saying, "Women deserve better (than abortion). I deserve better. And certainly you, male and female, deserve better."

Shablin, who is described by Feminists for Life as a former "card carrying" member of NARAL and a health policy expert, recounted her conversion to the pro-life cause that occurred when she worked as Medicaid director for the state of New Jersey. At that time, the state held a "family cap" policy refusing assistance to families who had more children while remaining on welfare, but at the same time, the state paid the fees for welfare recipients to have abortions.

She described herself as "heartbroken" when she heard of women having as many as four abortions in a year under the policy. Women, she said, needed access to practical resources and education to avoid the trap.

Most abortion-supporting organisations offer pregnant women only abortion for which they charge fees. Multitudes of pro-life organisations like Toronto’s Aid to Women and Birthright, offer practical material and medical assistance free of charge to help women carry their babies to term and support them after the birth.

Shablin said she speaks on campuses about her own experiences because, "Every life counts." She says, "I can’t undo my mistakes over the years - having an abortion, advocating abortion, but I can help others to learn from my mistakes."

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