From: nobody
Subject: FFL
Reply-To: nobody
Organization: North Carolina State University
Distribution: na
Date: Sat, 29 Aug 1992 19:25:54 GMT


Re-post from talk.abortion.

---- begin included article ----
Newsgroups: talk.abortion
From: ecaxron@ariel.lerc.nasa.gov (Ron Graham)
Subject: Official Resolutions of Feminists for Life
Date:  1 Jul 1992 09:42 EST  

This posting is designed to accompany an offer made by Dr. Jean Graham
of Feminists for Life to entertain questions from contributors to this
newsgroup.  If found useful, there will be a periodic re-post.

A public service message from RG

Feminists for Life of America
811 E 47th Street
Kansas City MO   64110
(816) 753-2130

Official Resolutions

FFLA opposes abortion as an oppression of women and as discrimination
against unborn children, and also opposes euthanasia as discriminatory,
selective killing.  Positions on related issues are:

( 1) We support the combination of the Human Life Amendment and the 
     Equal Rights Amendment as long as it has wording to render it
     either pro-life or abortion-neutral.
( 2) We support the right of women to have all information necessary
     to make informed decisions concerning abortion, including but not
     limited to the biology of fetal development, the physical and 
     psychological health risks of medical and surgical intervention,
     and alternatives to abortion.
( 3) We oppose unnecessary hysterectomies and mastectomies.
( 4) We support policies, by government or employers, which enable 
     families to care for their children and other dependents, including
     including family leave and child care.
( 5) Whereas reproduction involves both men and women, both men and
     women have the obligation to be responsible for children both
     before and after birth; we therefore support child support 
     enforcement efforts.
( 6) We believe that full-time child rearing must be recognized as a
     legitimate career choice option.
( 7) We oppose school-based clinics as a misdirection of health 
     resources, as there is no evidence that they decrease pregnancies
     and they act as a wedge for abortion.
( 8) We support boycotts of sellers of pornography.
( 9) We oppose any legally sanctioned (i.e., enforceable) contracts for
     surrogacy.
(10) We believe that after the child is born, surrogacy should be handled
     like any other adoption in that the birth mother has the right to
     change her mind and keep her baby within a given period of time.
(11) Embryos must not be destroyed in the process of in-vitro fertilization.
(12) We oppose the manufacture and sale of any birth control method that
     acts as an abortifacient, such as the IUD.  The insensitivity to the
     fact that a new life has begun is matched by an insensitivity to the
     mother, as can be seen by the health problems with such methods and
     by the frequent lack of information given women about abortifacient
     effects.
(13) We oppose the sale and manufacture of any birth control method which
     is known to create undue health risks.

Official Resolutions (cont.)

(14) We endorse natural family planning as the safest means of family
     planning in regard to health risks, one that requires the responsible
     participation of both the man and the woman, and the only method 
     which serves the rich and the poor equally well.
(15) Apart from these resolutions we take no stand on contraception.
     Abortion kills; methods which prevent conception are another issue.
(16) We oppose the death penalty.
(17) The executive board shall be empowered to endorse legislation 
     regarding RICO laws to prevent their abuse in cases involving no
     monetary gain (such as has happened with suits brought against
     pro-lifers).
(18) We take no position on homosexuality, on purely religious issues, 
     military issues, or any other issue which is unrelated to our
     central concerns.
(19) We take no position on rescues.
(20) Consistent with our philosophy of the interrelatedness of human 
     beings, and particularly the obligation of parents to ensure the
     physical, mental, and emotional well-being of their children, we
     support laws encouraging parental involvement when a minor seeks
     an abortion.
(21) The idea of population control is a way of blaming women's natural
     child-bearing ability for problems actually caused by greed, care-
     lessness and ignorance.  We see the violence of killing children or
     forced sterilization as unconscionable and we support non-violent
     solutions to environmental problems.
(22) We affirm that women are responsible for the well-being of their
     pre-natal children and should avoid abusing drugs.  Punitive 
     measures, however, are counterproductive and may actually encourage
     abortion and avoidance of treatment.  We call on drug treatment
     providers to give priority to pregnant women, and support laws that
     mandate such treatment.

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