THE WORD PERSON IS THE KEY

(From our booklet Ending Abortion in America)

President Ronald Reagan signed a Proclamation in 1988, recognizing the unborn child as a person from the time of conception. Crusade for Life recommends that the Pro-life Movement accept this valuable beginning and move forward. The efficacy of a Constitutional amendment is illustrated by the end of slavery in America.

Slavery in America was not ended by the Civil War. The door was opened by President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, but another vital step was required. This step was an amendment to America’s federal Constitution. Through the tireless energies of several dedicated legislators, the amendment bill passed in Congress and was ratified by the necessary number of states. In 1865 Amendment 13 was added to the Constitution, and slavery in America was ended forever.

In the abortion issue, a critical concern is whether the unborn child is considered a person. The Constructional importance of this question is that both the 5th and 14th amendments say that no person may be deprived of life without due process of the laws. In other words, no one in America can be killed arbitrarily. But this is what is happening to millions of unborn children. President Reagan’s Proclamation establishes the unborn child as a person from the time of conception. Crusade for Life urges the whole Pro-life Movement to use the Proclamation as the foundation for the amendment that ends abortion.

To obtain a downloadable PDF file or receive printed copies of the booklet Ending Abortion in America, go to RESOURCES.