The man who turned against his own life's work
“I am one of those who helped usher in this barbaric era!”
Bernard N. Nathanson (July 31, 1926 – February 21, 2011) was an American physician, abortion rights advocate turned anti-abortion activist, and a prominent figure in the abortion debate in the United States. He was originally a co-founder in 1969 of the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws (NARAL), later renamed National Abortion Rights Action League and the former director of New York City's Center for Reproductive and Sexual Health. He was the narrator for the controversial 1984 anti-abortion film The Silent Scream.
Nathanson was born in New York City in Manhattan to a Jewish family. His father, Dr. Joseph Norman Nathanson, was an obstetrician/gynecologist, the same career that Nathanson held in his professional life. His mother was Harriet Nathanson. His father exposed him early to the medical profession. Though he attended Hebrew school during childhood, his family maintained a largely secular approach to religion, which shaped Nathanson’s early worldview.
Nathanson earned his undergraduate degree at Cornell University in 1943 through an accelerated program. He attended medical school in 1945 at McGill University Faculty of Medicine in Montreal, later earning his medical degree in 1949. Nathanson's post-graduate training followed an internship at Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago and a residency at St. Luke's Hospital in New York for four years.
In 1984, Nathanson directed and narrated a film titled The Silent Scream, in co-operation with the National Right to Life Committee, which contained the ultrasound video of a mid-term (12 weeks) abortion. His second documentary, Eclipse of Reason, dealt with late-term abortions.
Dr. Nathanson stated the following:
The figures he cited at the time on behalf of NARAL regarding the number of deaths resulting from illegal abortions were "inaccurate figures." Reflecting on his earlier work as an abortion provider and an activist for abortion rights, he wrote in his 1996 autobiography, Hand of God: "I am one of those who helped usher in this barbaric era." Nathanson developed what he termed the "vector theory of life," which posits that, from the moment of conception, there exists "a self-directed life force that, if uninterrupted, will lead to the birth of a human baby."
Despite his radical shift in conviction, Nathanson maintained that genuine women's rights remained a priority for him. He argued that abortion exploited women rather than empowered them. This view was rooted in his belief that women were often pressured into having an abortion—due to factors such as financial instability, a lack of support, or societal pressure—rather than making a truly free choice. Furthermore, Nathanson criticized the abortion industry, which he claimed profited from the vulnerability of women, and accused the feminist movement of manipulating the rhetoric surrounding women's rights to promote abortion. In his view, true support for women's rights meant providing alternatives that supported both the woman and her unborn child.
Many people operate under the mistaken assumption that a fetus—from the moment an egg is fertilized by a sperm within the mother's womb—is not yet a living being. Although it may not yet have the recognizable form of a child on an ultrasound, it is nonetheless developing into something that, a few weeks later, will be visible on an ultrasound screen. Interrupting the growth process of a living being in its earliest stage, or ending a human life—whether before or after birth—is nothing less than murder in the first degree.
The ultimate proof of love is the bringing forth of life. When a mother welcomes her child in the first minutes after birth, it is a moment of intense joy—not only for the mother, but for the entire family of the newborn.
No one, not even the devil, can create life. When a seed is planted in the earth and watered, a tiny leaf or root immediately emerges; it continues to grow from that root until it becomes a tree or a plant. If it is pulled from the ground or cut, it will soon die; no one would dispute these facts.
However, when the life of an unborn child is intentionally ended, the doctor or gynecologist uses an instrument resembling a pair of forceps with sharp teeth at the tip. Without administering any pain relief to the child, the doctor inserts this instrument through the vagina and into the uterus, and begins to tear the child apart—first removing the legs, then the arms. The doctor may then target the heart or the spine, extracting the child piece by piece! Finally, the head must also be removed. Even when the cervix is dilated, the doctor must crush the child’s skull. Beyond any practical reasons one might have for choosing an abortion, people often fail to realize that, in doing so, they are primarily violating God’s sixth commandment—"thou shalt not kill"—and that, depending on the laws of the country in question, they may also be acting in violation of the law, which might prohibit abortion or classify it as illegal.
Let us go a step further, however, and consider what a human being might achieve—even if we do not know God’s plan for that child. One thing is certain: it would have been far better to allow the fetus to develop and be born, to see whether the mother might, in time, come to love her child. And even if a child represents a financial burden, it is always possible to place the child for adoption with a couple unable to have children of their own; such a child, like any other child of God, would be a blessing.
Finally, the longer one waits to perform an abortion, the closer the child comes to the stage of a fully developed fetus—a child who belongs in the arms of a loving mother, rather than being killed and discarded like refuse. How can anyone claim to understand the true meaning of love if they believe that the end justifies the means? Self-righteousness is the lie that made it acceptable to kill innocent unborn children
PS: Although he was of Jewish descent, he was an atheist; yet, the horror of abortion led Dr. Nathanson to work toward reducing the number of intentional pregnancy interruptions. And yet, there are still many expectant God believing mothers who consider abortion.
