[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 14 (Tuesday, February 15, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E140]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO SUSAN B. ANTHONY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. SUE WILKINS MYRICK

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 15, 2000

  Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, Susan B. Anthony is well recognized as a 
towering figure in the struggle for equal rights for women. Today, on 
her birthday, she will rightly be celebrated for her indispensable role 
in setting our nation on the course towards recognizing the full 
equality and dignity of women. All women and especially those of us who 
serve in this Congress are indebted to her pioneering work.
  Susan B. Anthony's advocacy of women's rights included a concern for 
the rights of others as well. The same passion for justice that made 
her a fierce advocate for women also made her a fierce opponent of 
slavery. And inevitably, it led her to oppose abortion.
  Today, abortion advocates equate their position with women's rights. 
But Susan B. Anthony knew better. She vigorously denounced abortion, 
calling it ``child murder.'' For her, abortion was not evidence of 
women's rights, but just the opposite: it is evidence of the lack of 
such rights. Anthony wrote that women ``in their inmost souls revolt 
from the dreadful deed'' of abortion, but are nonetheless driven to it 
precisely because women could be treated as property and less than 
equal. Thus, Anthony's opposition to abortion arose from her fight for 
equal rights for women, and she saw no cause to separate the two.
  Without a doubt, if Susan B. Anthony were alive today, she would be 
fighting to reverse Roe vs. Wade. But more importantly, she would fight 
for true choice by supporting crisis pregnancy centers and other 
organizations that offer resources to help both the mother and the 
child. She would also be promoting advances in prenatal surgery and 
working to help families pay for these medical miracles. She would also 
work to eliminate barriers to adoption.
  As we celebrate her birthday and the gains for all women that her 
legacy bestows, let us also honor her life's work by doing as she did 
and make pro-life inseparable from pro-woman.

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