First Position Paper
Feminists for Life, 1972
Catherine A. Callaghan, Ph.D.
Our organization takes two stands: (1) Full equality for women in all areas, (2) The right of every baby to be born. We demand an end to all legal, social, and economic discrimination against women, including mass media stereotypes. We recognize all people as individuals with equal rights, including the unborn. We believe it is inconsistent to demand rights for ourselves and deny them to unborn babies. Without the right to life, all other rights are meaningless. Furthermore, since roughly 50 percent of the unborn are girls, half the abortions kill our sisters.
We hope to see an end to proabortion stands in other feminist organizations. By diverting time and energy into abortion legislation, these groups have de-emphasized the struggle for legal and social equality. In addition, they have deterred many potential feminists from joining the movement.
We are an independent organization. We accept men on an equal basis with women. Our goals now follow:
To encourage prolife feminists to join the feminist movement.
(2) To acquaint prolife people with the goals of feminism.
(3) To provide a forum for women who feel that joining a proabortion feminist organization would compromise their principles.
(4) To encourage women to become educated in pregnancy, childbirth, and other aspects of female sexuality.
(5) To help people to become knowledgeable on both sides of the abortion issue.
(6) To encourage efforts to alleviate the problems in society which cause women to seek abortions.
(7) To promote equal opportunity and equal protection of the laws regardless of sex.
(8) To take an active part in eliminating sexual stereotyping in the mass media advertising, and childhood education.
(9) To promote a strong, flexible family structure.
(10) To encourage women to take pride in being women.
(11) To help women recover their historical and cultural heritage.
(12) To develop strategies for teaching women how to develop competitive techniques in the world without sacrificing warmth and nurturance in the home.
(13) To develop strategies for teaching men how to be nurturant toward their children without sacrificing their self-image or their ability to function competitively in the world.
(14) To develop strategies for gaining equality through our own strengths as women and not at the expense of the rights or property of others.
(15) To preserve the right of those women who wish to remain in the home as full time wives and mothers.
Background graciously provided by:
