Bernard Nathanson
Encyclopedia
Bernard N. Nathanson was an American medical doctor from New York
who helped to found the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws
, but later became a pro-life
activist.
. His father was an obstetrician/gynecologist, the same career that Nathanson held in his professional life. Nathanson graduated in 1949 from McGill University
Faculty of Medicine in Montreal
.
Nathanson stated that suicide "[ran] in [his] family": his paternal grandfather committed suicide
when Nathanson's father was a child, his sister committed suicide at the age of 49, and his father attempted suicide at least once.
(CRASH), then the largest freestanding abortion facility in the world. Nathanson has written that he was responsible for more than 75,000 abortions throughout his career as an abortion provider. CRASH was forced to close in 1988 after the death of a patient during an abortion. Nathanson states that he performed an abortion
on a woman whom he had impregnated.
He served as an expert witness in several medical malpractice
cases. Although he served as an expert on behalf of both defendants and plaintiffs, the vast majority of Nathanson's in court efforts were on behalf of the plaintiffs.
activist, Nathanson gained national attention by then becoming one of the founding members of the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws (later renamed the National Abortion Rights Action League, and now known as NARAL Pro-Choice America
). He worked with Betty Friedan
and others for the legalization of abortion
in the United States
. Their efforts essentially succeeded with the Roe v Wade decision.
, in cooperation with the National Right to Life Committee
, regarding abortion. His second documentary Eclipse of Reason
dealt with late-term abortion
s. He stated that the numbers he once cited for NARAL concerning the number of deaths linked to illegal abortions were "false figures".
Referring to his previous work as an abortion provider and abortion rights activist, he wrote in his 1996 autobiography Hand of God, "I am one of those who helped usher in this barbaric age." Nathanson developed what he called the "vector theory of life", which states that from the moment of conception
, there exists "a self-directed force of life that, if not interrupted, will lead to the birth of a human baby."
and for more than ten years after he became pro-life he described himself as a "Jewish atheist". In 1996 he converted to Roman Catholicism through the efforts of an Opus Dei
priest, Rev. C. John McCloskey
. In December 1996, Nathanson was baptized by Cardinal John O'Connor in a private Mass
with a group of friends in New York’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral. He also received Confirmation
and first Communion
from the cardinal. He cited that "no religion matches the special role for forgiveness that is afforded by the Catholic Church" when asked why he converted to Roman Catholicism.
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
who helped to found the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws
NARAL Pro-Choice America
NARAL Pro-Choice America , formerly the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws, then National Abortion Rights Action League, and later National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League, is an organization in the United States that engages in political action to oppose...
, but later became a pro-life
Pro-life
Opposition to the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-life, or anti-abortion, movement, a social and political movement opposing elective abortion on moral grounds and supporting its legal prohibition or restriction...
activist.
Early life and education
Nathanson was born in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. His father was an obstetrician/gynecologist, the same career that Nathanson held in his professional life. Nathanson graduated in 1949 from McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
Faculty of Medicine in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
.
Nathanson stated that suicide "[ran] in [his] family": his paternal grandfather committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
when Nathanson's father was a child, his sister committed suicide at the age of 49, and his father attempted suicide at least once.
Career
He was licensed to practice in New York state since 1952 and became board-certified in obstetrics and gynecology in 1960. He was for a time the director of the Center for Reproductive and Sexual HealthCenter for Reproductive and Sexual Health
Center for Reproductive and Sexual Health , at the time the largest freestanding abortion clinic in the world, opened in New York City after New York legalized abortion in 1970. It was run by Bernard Nathanson....
(CRASH), then the largest freestanding abortion facility in the world. Nathanson has written that he was responsible for more than 75,000 abortions throughout his career as an abortion provider. CRASH was forced to close in 1988 after the death of a patient during an abortion. Nathanson states that he performed an abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
on a woman whom he had impregnated.
He served as an expert witness in several medical malpractice
Medical malpractice
Medical malpractice is professional negligence by act or omission by a health care provider in which the treatment provided falls below the accepted standard of practice in the medical community and causes injury or death to the patient, with most cases involving medical error. Standards and...
cases. Although he served as an expert on behalf of both defendants and plaintiffs, the vast majority of Nathanson's in court efforts were on behalf of the plaintiffs.
Pro-choice
Originally a pro-choicePro-choice
Support for the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-choice movement, a sociopolitical movement supporting the ethical view that a woman should have the legal right to elective abortion, meaning the right to terminate her pregnancy....
activist, Nathanson gained national attention by then becoming one of the founding members of the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws (later renamed the National Abortion Rights Action League, and now known as NARAL Pro-Choice America
NARAL Pro-Choice America
NARAL Pro-Choice America , formerly the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws, then National Abortion Rights Action League, and later National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League, is an organization in the United States that engages in political action to oppose...
). He worked with Betty Friedan
Betty Friedan
Betty Friedan was an American writer, activist, and feminist.A leading figure in the Women's Movement in the United States, her 1963 book The Feminine Mystique is often credited with sparking the "second wave" of American feminism in the twentieth century...
and others for the legalization of abortion
Abortion law
Abortion law is legislation and common law which pertains to the provision of abortion. Abortion has been a controversial subject in many societies through history because of the moral, ethical, practical, and political power issues that surround it. It has been banned frequently and otherwise...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Their efforts essentially succeeded with the Roe v Wade decision.
Pro-life
With the development of ultrasound in the 1970s, he had the chance to observe a real-time abortion. This led him to reconsider his views on abortion. He is often quoted as saying abortion is "the most atrocious holocaust in the history of the United States". He wrote the book Aborting America where he first exposed what he called "the dishonest beginnings of the abortion movement". In 1984, he directed and narrated a film titled The Silent ScreamThe Silent Scream
The Silent Scream is a 1984 anti-abortion documentary video directed and narrated by Bernard Nathanson, an obstetrician, NARAL Pro-Choice America founder, and abortion provider turned pro-life activist, and produced in partnership with the National Right to Life Committee. The film depicts the...
, in cooperation with the National Right to Life Committee
National Right to Life Committee
The National Right to Life Committee is the oldest and largest pro-life organization in the United States with affiliates in all 50 states and over 3,000 local chapters nationwide. The group works through legislation and education to work against abortion, infanticide, euthanasia and assisted...
, regarding abortion. His second documentary Eclipse of Reason
Eclipse of Reason
Eclipse of Reason is a 1987 documentary video about abortion directed, filmed, and narrated by Dr. Bernard Nathanson, with an introduction by Charlton Heston. Eclipse of Reason is a follow up to Nathanson’s first film The Silent Scream...
dealt with late-term abortion
Late-term abortion
Late termination of pregnancy or late-term abortions are abortions which are performed during a later stage of pregnancy. Late-term abortions are more controversial than abortion in general because the fetus is more developed and sometimes viable.-Definition:A late-term abortion often refers to an...
s. He stated that the numbers he once cited for NARAL concerning the number of deaths linked to illegal abortions were "false figures".
Referring to his previous work as an abortion provider and abortion rights activist, he wrote in his 1996 autobiography Hand of God, "I am one of those who helped usher in this barbaric age." Nathanson developed what he called the "vector theory of life", which states that from the moment of conception
Human fertilization
Human fertilization is the union of a humanoid egg and sperm, usually occurring in the ampulla of the uterine tube. The result of this union is the production of a zygote, or fertilized egg, initiating prenatal development...
, there exists "a self-directed force of life that, if not interrupted, will lead to the birth of a human baby."
Religious conversion
Nathanson grew up JewishJudaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
and for more than ten years after he became pro-life he described himself as a "Jewish atheist". In 1996 he converted to Roman Catholicism through the efforts of an Opus Dei
Opus Dei
Opus Dei, formally known as The Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei , is an organization of the Catholic Church that teaches that everyone is called to holiness and that ordinary life is a path to sanctity. The majority of its membership are lay people, with secular priests under the...
priest, Rev. C. John McCloskey
C. John McCloskey
C. John McCloskey, III is a Catholic priest and member of Opus Dei. He is the former director of the Catholic Information Center of the Archdiocese of Washington. He worked on Wall Street - Citibank and Merrill Lynch - for some years before becoming a priest, being ordained in 1981 by Cardinal...
. In December 1996, Nathanson was baptized by Cardinal John O'Connor in a private Mass
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
with a group of friends in New York’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral. He also received Confirmation
Confirmation (Catholic Church)
Confirmation is one of the seven sacraments through which Catholics pass in the process of their religious upbringing. According to Catholic doctrine, in this sacrament they receive the Holy Spirit and become adult members of the Catholic Church....
and first Communion
First Communion
The First Communion, or First Holy Communion, is a Catholic Church ceremony. It is the colloquial name for a person's first reception of the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. Catholics believe this event to be very important, as the Eucharist is one of the central focuses of the Catholic Church...
from the cardinal. He cited that "no religion matches the special role for forgiveness that is afforded by the Catholic Church" when asked why he converted to Roman Catholicism.
Personal life and death
Nathanson married four times; his first three marriages ended in divorce. He died of cancer in New York on February 21, 2011 at the age of 84. He was survived by his fourth wife, Christine, and a son, Joseph, from a previous union, who resides in New Jersey.Works
- Aborting AmericaAborting AmericaAborting America is a book written by Bernard Nathanson on the subject of abortion. The book was reviewed by the Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine, the Washington Post, and The Interim....
, 1979, Doubleday & Company, Inc.: Garden City. ISBN 0-385-14461-X - The Silent ScreamThe Silent ScreamThe Silent Scream is a 1984 anti-abortion documentary video directed and narrated by Bernard Nathanson, an obstetrician, NARAL Pro-Choice America founder, and abortion provider turned pro-life activist, and produced in partnership with the National Right to Life Committee. The film depicts the...
(1984 documentary) - The Abortion Papers: Inside the Abortion Mentality, 1984, with Adele Nathanson, Hawkes Publishing, Inc. ISBN 0-811-90685-X
- Eclipse of ReasonEclipse of ReasonEclipse of Reason is a 1987 documentary video about abortion directed, filmed, and narrated by Dr. Bernard Nathanson, with an introduction by Charlton Heston. Eclipse of Reason is a follow up to Nathanson’s first film The Silent Scream...
, (1987 documentary) - The Hand of GodThe Hand of God (Book)The Hand of God is an autobiographical book written by Bernard N. Nathanson, M.D. on the subject of abortion. Nathanson chronicles his life from being a "perfunctory Jew" who helped found NARAL and oversaw New York City's Center for Reproductive and Sexual Health, the largest abortion clinic in...
: A Journey from Death to Life by the Abortion Doctor Who Changed His Mind,, 1996, Regnery Publishing, Inc.: Washington D.C. ISBN 0-89526-463-3
External links
- The Silent Scream, streaming video