With its small sign and plain,
wood-cabin-style design, the modest headquarters of the
American Life League underplays what lies within: a plan
to revolutionize the antiabortion movement.
Founded 24 years ago, American Life is widely known
in the movement for its traditional, church-based and
uncompromising positions on abortion. Aligned with the
teachings of Catholicism, the league goes further than
some other organizations by opposing not only abortion
under any circumstances but also any form of birth
control. Some antiabortion activists call league members
"the hard-liners" of the movement.
Now the league is on a mission that critics and
supporters alike are applauding: construction of a
70-acre educational center devoted to abortion-related
issues, a combination college campus and boot camp that
would teach about everything from stem-cell research to
the history of Roe v. Wade to how to handle media
interviews. The aim of the "Campus for Life" is to be a
national clearinghouse, a central spot for a divided
movement still reeling from the legalization of abortion
30 years ago.
"It became apparent that there was a gap and someone
needed to stand in it," said Joe Giganti, spokesman for
the 300,000-member group, which has grown from a $1
million annual budget in 1985 to $7 million today. Its
headquarters is in Stafford, Va., about 43 miles south
of Washington.
The campus will emphasize scientific issues -
including the use of stem cells, cloning and the
biological and psychological impacts of abortion - which
abortion opponents say reflects a shift in their
movement, from a focus on ethics and religion to
science. Technological and scientific advancements, such
as sharper ultrasound equipment and the use of human
embryos for lifesaving therapies, have forced themselves
upon the abortion debate over such questions as when
life begins.
"I think the fact is that science is forcing a
re-evaluation of some positions on both sides," said
Sean Tipton, spokesman for the American Society for
Reproductive Medicine, the country's largest medical
association of fertility doctors.
There are other antiabortion organizations that
gather scientific data: the National Right to Life
Committee, the National Catholic Bioethics Center, the
Pope John Paul II Cultural Center. But none is as broad
as the American Life League's project, which aims to
have TV and radio production studios and college-level
courses that at least one college has said it is open to
accepting for credit.
Deal Hudson, publisher and editor of the Catholic
magazine Crisis, said scientific issues are becoming
more important in the abortion fight. "I'm encouraged by
American Life League's Campus for Life," Hudson said,
"especially if it throws a spotlight on the advancement
of prenatal science in demonstrating the presence of
real human life in the womb."
Abortion opponents predict that the more scientists
can establish about life in the womb, the more the
public will come to view not only a fetus but also an
embryo as a human being with rights. But proponents of
abortion rights, many of whom oppose restricting medical
research, say the opposite.
Abortion opponents who slammed the research use of
embryonic stem cells "haven't gotten the backlash they
hoped for," said Alta Charo, a professor of medical
ethics and law at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
Law School.
The American Life League separated itself from
mainstream antiabortion groups in August 2001 when it
criticized President Bush for agreeing to fund research
on existing stem-cell colonies - a position many saw as
a compromise. While the National Right to Life Committee
praised Bush, the league's president, Judie Brown,
compared the president to Pontius Pilate, who gave the
order for Jesus' crucifixion.
"Within 10 to 20 years, we'll all know someone in a
clinical trial where therapy involved embryonic stem
cells," Charo said. "The benefits to the general public
are too attractive and widely accepted, and you'll never
be able to shut down medical
research."
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