***scroll for updates*** Ms. Magazine‘s fall issue, with its “We Had Abortions” cover story, is due to hit newsstands today. Since the announcement of the shameless campaign last week, the pro-life response has taken many forms. Reader Lena’s comment is spot-on:
The fact that MS is even bothering with this petition speaks volumes. The bottom line is that abortion has been legal for over 30 years. 30 long years!! and society still has not accepted it. Pro-aborts are still having to try to make it socially acceptable. Of the millions and millions of women who have had abortions (whether legal or not) they can only hope to get around 5,000 willing to rejoice in it by signing their petition?? What a joke! The vast majority of women will always be terribly ashamed by their abortion because the fact that elective abortion is the destruction of a human baby is written on all our hearts and only the deeply troubled (their will always be some deeply troubled women)are happy about it.
Some pro-life bloggers have issued their own calls for counter-petitions. Amy Pawlak at Modern Commentaries has one here, and Dana at The Dana Files has one here. (If you know of any other related action items, let us know by posting a comment below.) 
This morning, the Silent No More Awareness Campaign issued a formal response to Ms.:
Women Who Regret Abortion Respond to Ms. Magazine
WASHINGTON, Oct. 10 /Christian Newswire/ — Women associated with the Silent No More Awareness Campaign are disappointed by Ms. Magazine’s latest attempt to protect abortion rights instead of women’s health. In an effort to address dwindling support for abortion, the magazine revived an old strategy to return the focus of abortion to the women who have them. Unfortunately, Ms. Magazine was only prepared to represent some women. According to Georgette Forney, co-founder of Silent No More, a campaign to raise awareness about the after affects of abortion, “Many of us who are silent no more wrote to the Editor of Ms. Magazine when we heard about their petition back in August. We asked them to represent all of our voices but they didn’t even acknowledge our letters.†Mrs. Forney feels it’s clear that Ms. Magazine isn’t seeking to represent women but an ideology that is out of touch with women in mainstream America. According to a poll commissioned by the Center for the Advancement of Women in 2003, they found keeping abortion legal was the next to last most important priority for women. Janet Morana, co-founder of Silent No More noted, “The magazine’s effort to respond to our “I Regret My Abortion†statement isn’t accurately countered with “I Don’t Regret My Abortion†claims. The counter argument would be “I Regret Giving Birth.†Comparing those who abort unexpected pregnancies versus those who give birth to unplanned children is the more valid comparison. Show me a list of names willing to sign a petition with that statement.†Sadly, the petition fails to highlight the most important element of abortion; addressing the impact it has on women’s mental and physical health. By refusing to acknowledge that abortion has lasting consequences on women, the magazine puts the $400 million dollar abortion industry ahead of its readers. The Silent No More Awareness Campaign is sponsored by NOEL and Priests for Life. Since officially launching the Campaign in 2003, more than 2025 women and men have told their stories publicly at 145 Gatherings in 44 states and 5 countries. The Campaign has over 3600 women and men registered to be silent no more, and is growing by the day. Moreover, the campaign works with abortion healing ministries who have served hundreds of thousands of women each year. Visit the Campaign website for more information: www.SilentNoMoreAwareness.org.
***UPDATE: 10/10, 3:55 PM: Operation Outcry‘s response, “Ms. Magazine Sham Campaign Unfair to Women Who Have Had Abortions”, is also a must-read.
