Happy 190th Birthday Suzy B!

A message from Susan B. Anthony List President, Marjorie Dannenfelser:

Dear SBA List Friends,

That’s a lot of candles, Miss Anthony.

And today we have a lot to celebrate.  One hundred ninety years ago today, Susan B. Anthony and a great human rights legacy was born.  She and her movement pushed the doors of political life open for women.  Our organization’s namesake, we celebrate that she also saw the connection between human rights of all people, consistently rejecting the notion that one person’s fundamental rights could come at the expense of another’s.  She stood for the rights of every human being – especially the most vulnerable.  

She was an abolitionist:  property rights could not be built upon the broken backs of slaves.  She believed in women’s rights:  political power for women should be used as a hedge against abuse of women.  

And she believed in the right to life of the unborn child:  women’s rights could never be built upon the broken bodies of unborn children.

Not surprisingly, many women’s groups tend to leave that fact out.  But it’s true!

Susan B. Anthony’s pro-life stance is evident in her writings. The proprietor and business manager of the early feminist newspaper The Revolution, Anthony published many articles under a simple pseudonym, “A.”

In an article entitled “Marriage & Maternity,” Anthony referred to abortion as “the horrible crime of child-murder,” and said that abortion would “burden [a woman’s] conscience in life, [and] it will burden her soul in death.”

Even at a time when her newspaper was in dire need of advertisers to prevent it from folding, the paper refused to place advertisements for abortionists masquerading as legitimate health providers.

She never sat on the sidelines, watching the great human rights battles of the day play out – come what may.  She stepped up, never gave up and never lost hope.  She died before the 19th Amendment guaranteeing women the right to vote passed.  But she never stopped fighting for it.

This is the model my husband and I want for our children.  When someone is being bullied, never stand idly by.  When a stranger is hurt or in need, YOU be the one to step into the void and help.  And when unborn children and their mothers are in crisis LOVE THEM BOTH.  When almost 4,000 children per day die from abortion at the hands of an abortion industry that feeds on mothers who need and deserve better, NONE of us should stand by.  We can all do something to rally our nation to the point where all children are protected in the law.  

I know that if Susan B. Anthony were alive today, she would be overjoyed by the strength of the growing American pro-life majority.  

It’s this brand of original, authentic pro-life feminism that resonates with today’s American woman.  And it’s why the old guard of abortion-promoting feminists struggles to remain relevant.  

In our increasingly pro-life culture, the ‘pro-choice’ label has worn out its usefulness.  The modern feminist mantra calling for a taxpayer-funded abortion in every home flies in the face of Susan B. Anthony’s legacy of equal rights for all, born and unborn.    

That’s why I’m so proud to have you on our team.  The pro-life team that advances the true woman-centered approach to politics.  The approach that honors the dignity of both mother and child.

With that vision, you and I are taking back lost ground for Life.  And we are rolling back the culture of death that brought us here.

As we remember Susan B. Anthony on her birthday, I encourage you to celebrate her legacy:  

-Urge the women in your life to follow in her footsteps by doing all they can to defend Life in the political process.  

-Prayerfully consider whether you or any woman you know is called to public service.  

-Contact your representative and senators in our online Action Center.  

Nominate a young woman who embodies the pro-life strength of Susan B. Anthony for our annual Young Leader Award. (Only 1 day left!)

The voice of pro-life women is critical to ending abortion in this country. Thank you for your support and dedication toward advancing Susan B. Anthony’s Legacy in honor of women and the innocent unborn.

God Bless,
Marjorie

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