Alice Paul, who authored the original Equal Rights Amendment, was willing to face arrests, harassment and physical assaults in order to win the right to vote. Later, when 1960s feminists began advocating the repeal of abortion laws, Paul asked, “How can one protect and help women by killing them as babies?” She considered abortion “the ultimate exploitation of women.”
It’s one thing for pro-choice feminists to admit they disagree with the early feminists’ position on abortion. It’s quite another to suppress the truth and stuff words in the suffragists’ mouths—words clearly contradicted by their own writings.
Some pro-choicers’ denialism is borderline comical. After the opening of the Susan B. Anthony museum, an opposition group launched a Web site dedicated to refuting Anthony’s anti-abortion stance.
“Feminists Choosing Life of New York, Feminists for Life of America, and Susan B Anthony's List are engaging in a incessant campaign to align Susan B Anthony with their anti-choice cause and imply that Susan B Anthony was pro-life,” the site says. “One of the primary goals of susanbanthonymuseum.com is to provide accurate historical interpretation and context regarding Susan B Anthony's written and verbal statements regarding the abortion issue.”
However, the site doesn’t provide a single source citing Anthony’s written and verbal statements. The “resources” section of the site is blank.
As my old boss used to say, “if you don’t like what the facts say about your ideology, you might want to rethink your ideology.”
As for who is “hijacking Susan” and rewriting history, pro-choice feminists might want to look in the mirror.