Patricia Heaton Won't March in Lockstep
At Sunday's "March for Women's Lives"

Two-time Emmy winner and New York Times best-selling author Patricia Heaton will not attend the "March for Women's Lives." Unlike many of her colleagues, who were listed endorsing the march, Patricia Heaton supports both women and their unborn children. "Many of the celebrities on the list are my friends," Heaton explained, "but when it comes to championing abortion, we go our separate ways." Heaton serves as Honorary Chair of Feminists for Life of America.

"I find it impossible to subscribe to a philosophy that believes that the destruction of human life is a legitimate solution to a problem that is mostly social, economic and psychological," said Heaton. "In reality, most women 'choose' abortion because they believe they have no other choice."

Statistics gathered by abortion supporters reveal that the majority of women who turn to abortion cite a lack of practical resources and emotional support. Many women who have had abortions report that they felt abandoned, or even coerced into abortion.

"Women who experience unplanned pregnancy also deserve unplanned joy," said Heaton, who believes abortion is evidence that society has failed to meet the real needs of women.

Marchers say, "We won't go back." Heaton responds, "If it is up to march organizers, we won't move forward either. It's time to raise the bar, not protect the status quo. Every woman deserves better than abortion, and every child deserves a chance at life."

Heaton advises women to "make the system conform to what is best for you and your baby instead of making the baby go away to conform to what is best for the system." Feminists for Life focuses its efforts on eliminating the root causes of abortion, endorsing creative solutions for pregnant women like affordable housing, adequate child care, health care that includes maternity benefits, maternity leave, the ability to telecommute, and a living wage.

"Being a mother is one of the most rewarding experiences of my life," said Heaton. "As a member of Feminists for Life, I want to share the joy of motherhood with other women, to enable women to make life-affirming choices for themselves and their children, and to elevate our society's perception of mothers."

Heaton is not the only celebrity who refuses to choose between women and children. Feminists for Life's Honorary Co-Chair Margaret Colin, whose film credits include Three Men and a Baby and Independence Day, told members of Congress, "The early American feminists who fought for our right to vote fought for the rights of pregnant women—for society to change to accept them, not for them to change to be accepted by society."

"I invite other artists and entertainers to join us," concluded Heaton. "Together we can truly empower and ennoble women, without compromise."

Feminists for Life (www.feministsforlife.org) is a nonsectarian, nonpartisan, grassroots organization dedicated to empowering women through progressive, nonviolent choices for themselves and their children.