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Shifting Views On Abortion

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In a recent Zogby "American Values" poll, a majority of Americans said that they believe "abortion destroys a human life and is manslaughter." Fifty-one percent of likely voters surveyed agreed that abortion destroys human life and is manslaughter while only 35 percent took the opposite position. Additionally, several abortion clinic closings around the country suggest that this increased opposition to abortion is translating into tangible victories for life.

In Fargo, North Dakota and Tallahassee, Florida, abortion clinics have recently been forced to close their doors due to pro-life pressure and lack of funding. The National Women's Health Organization of Fargo, owned by the National Women's Health Organization of Raleigh, North Carolina closed down in February, citing financial difficulties as the principle reason. The clinic's owner calls the decision to cease operations a purely business decision. Local pro-life advocate Rachelle Sauvageau says that in order to be profitable, the clinic needed to perform approximately 1,000 abortions per year. She cites the clinic's failure to reach that number as a victory and says pro-lifers are "very happy" over the closing.

In a similar case, the Feminist Women's Health Center in Tallahassee, Florida is closing down after twenty-seven years of providing abortions. Center Director Jo Conte declined to explain why the clinic is closing. Some speculate, however, that the clinic wanted to close its doors while still in the black. According to assistant director Gigi Beard, the center performed approximately twenty to twenty-five abortions per week. Kiera Camron, the director of a pro-life clinic two doors away from the Feminist Women's Health Center, commented, "It is a great day for women and babies and families in Florida." Camron says that she hopes her clinic, The Open Door Women's Clinic, contributed to the decline of the Feminist Women's Health Center by providing abortion alternatives. She commented, "We wanted to be able to offer some hope on this street that otherwise leads to devastation and death."

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