"Jane Roe" and "Mary Doe" for the Unborn

"Abortion Is m u r d e r." Sandra Cano. said the words slowly and distinctly. she wanted to be sure she was heard and quoted accurately.

She had reason to be careful. for Sandra Cano was the "Mary Doe" in Doe vs., Bolton, a companion case to Roe vs., Wade, which took the abortion-legalizing decision of Roe and made it legal to end the life of the unfortunates throughout the full nine months of pregnancy.

Now, 24 years later. Ms. Cano and N o r m a McCorvey, the "Jane Roe" of Roe vs. Wade, were standing before the same microphone in a memorial garden at the National Memorial for the Unborn in Chattanooga, Tennessee, to denounce the infamous cases and declare that they were based on lies.

Both said they were victims of manipulation by Pro-abortion lawyers determined to find grounds to establish, nationally a women's right.. to legal abortions.

Ms. McCorvey, who became a Christian two years ago and quickly changed her mind about taking the life Of unborn innocents. said that the real facts in her case were distorted-partly by herself. and partly by the lawyers arguing the case.

She had been presented to the court as the pathetic victim of a gang rape, leaving her pregnant. That was false. she now admits.

She was at the time active in the drug, culture, and actually was pregnant from a consensual relationship-an affair. "I lied. but MY little lie grew and grew.', she said,

She had not come to represent a class of women-she only wanted to find help in obtaining an abortion. But in the lawyer's hands, the case took on a life f its own, though the lawyers involved "knew the truth long before the case reached the courts.,, she said. other so-called "facts" in the case were equally false. she stated. It was claimed that she asked several doctors to give her an abortion, but she actually visited only one "mill." She never did have the abortion.

"Then (1971) they arrested abortionists. Today, because of my lie, they are arresting gentle Christians" for protesting abortions. "For this I will forever be ashamed," she said. But she also praises God for the forgiveness she has found in Jesus Christ.

Sandra Cano's story bears even less resemblance to the case made. She was not seeking an abortion at all when she sought help. She was 22 years old, pregnant and in an unstable marriage, but never wanted nor sought an abortion. -i have never been in favor of abortion, she declares. "For over twenty years, and against my will, my name has been synonymous with abortion."

She said that she had only learned the full particulars of the case, including fabricated details about herself. a few months ago. She said that her only involvement in the case was going to the local Legal Aid office for help in getting a divorce and in regaining custody of two of her children who had been taken away from her.

Ms. McCorvey, asked about a published quote from her shortly after her conversion experience, to the effect that first trimester abortions were not wrong, said "I was denying myself,-adding that within a week after giving that opinion she realized that abortions take human lives.

The occasion was the first time the two women have been together to tell the truth about the cases. which together have been responsible for the death. of an estimated 35 million Unborn babies—a figure which grows at the rate of 4,000 every day.

They participated in filming a soon-to-be-released video docu-drama which uses the official transcripts of the testimony before the Supreme Court to contrast that the court was told with the actual facts.

The National Memorial for the Unborn is located on the site of a former abortion clinic where approximately 35.000 abortions had been performed, prior to a God-granted Opportunity for a grass-roots Christian effort to buy the property and evict the clinic. To date, families from 48 states have laced name plaques on a granite wall at the memorial to honor the memories of their unborn children. Information on both the video and memorial plaques can be obtained by calling 1-800-505-5565.

Cor. 9:16 For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!

David E. Parks
dave@wcofc.org


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