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{{Short description|American physician, abortion rights activist and writer (1926–2011)}}
{{short description|American physician, activist, and writer (1926–2011)}}
{{for|the Hebrew writer|Bernhard Nathanson}}
{{for|the Hebrew writer|Bernhard Nathanson}}
{{primary sources|date=June 2012}}
{{use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
[[File:Bernard Nathanson on After Dark in 1997.jpg|thumb|Nathanson appearing on British TV discussion programme ''[[After Dark (TV series)|After Dark]]'' in 1997]]
[[File:Bernard Nathanson on After Dark in 1997.jpg|thumb|Nathanson appearing on British TV discussion programme ''[[After Dark (TV series)|After Dark]]'' in 1997]]

'''Bernard N. Nathanson''' (July 31, 1926 – February 21, 2011) was an American [[medical doctor]] and co-founder, in 1969, of the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws (NARAL), later renamed [[NARAL Pro-Choice America|National Abortion Rights Action League]]. He was also the former director of New York City's Center for Reproductive and Sexual Health, but later became an [[anti-abortion]] activist. He was the narrator for the controversial 1984 anti-abortion film ''[[The Silent Scream]]''.
'''Bernard N. Nathanson''' (July 31, 1926 – February 21, 2011) was an American physician and co-founder in 1969 of the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws (NARAL), later renamed [[National Abortion Rights Action League]]. He was also the former director of New York City's Center for Reproductive and Sexual Health but later became an [[anti-abortion]] activist. He was the narrator for the controversial 1984 anti-abortion film ''[[The Silent Scream]]''.<ref name="asu.edu">{{cite web | title=Bernard Nathanson (1926-2011) | website=Embryo Project Encyclopedia / Arizona State University. School of Life Sciences. Center for Biology and Society | date=April 22, 2013 | url=https://embryo.asu.edu/pages/bernard-nathanson-1926-2011 | access-date=July 30, 2024 }}</ref><ref name="the-lancet">{{cite journal | last=Snyder | first=Alison | title=Bernard Nathanson | journal= The Lancet | date=April 22, 2013 | volume=377 | issue=9770 | page=990 | doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(11)60377-2 | url=https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(11)60377-2/fulltext | access-date=July 30, 2024}}</ref>


==Early life and education==
==Early life and education==
Nathanson was born in [[New York City]]. His father was an obstetrician/gynecologist,<ref name="NCR">Vincent, Stephen (21 February 2011). [http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/bernard-nathanson-dead-at-84/ "Bernard Nathanson Dead at 84"], ''[[National Catholic Register]]'', [[EWTN]] NEWS. Retrieved 21 February 2011.</ref> the same career that Nathanson held in his professional life. Nathanson earned his undergraduate degree at Cornell University<ref>{{Cite news|last=Grimes|first=William|date=2011-02-22|title=B. N. Nathanson, 84, Dies; Changed Sides on Abortion|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/22/us/22nathanson.html|access-date=2021-10-06|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> and in 1949 graduated with a medical degree from [[McGill University]] Faculty of Medicine in [[Montreal]].<ref name="professions">[http://www.nysed.gov/coms/op001/opsc2a?profcd=60&plicno=072493&namechk=NAT NYS Professions]</ref>
Nathanson was born in [[New York City]] to a Jewish family.<ref>https://kepmas.hu/hu/bernard-nathanson-abortusz-elvegzese-csalas-crash-naral-nema-sikoly {{Bare URL inline|date=August 2024}}</ref> His father was an [[obstetrician]]/[[gynecologist]],<ref name="NCR">Vincent, Stephen (21 February 2011). [http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/bernard-nathanson-dead-at-84/ "Bernard Nathanson Dead at 84"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190305161512/http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/bernard-nathanson-dead-at-84 |date=2019-03-05 }}, ''[[National Catholic Register]]'', [[EWTN]] NEWS. Retrieved 21 February 2011.</ref> the same career that Nathanson held in his professional life. Nathanson earned his undergraduate degree at Cornell University,<ref>{{Cite news|last=Grimes|first=William|date=2011-02-22|title=B. N. Nathanson, 84, Dies; Changed Sides on Abortion|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/22/us/22nathanson.html|access-date=2021-10-06|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> and in 1949 graduated with a medical degree from [[McGill University]] Faculty of Medicine in [[Montreal]].<ref name="professions">[http://www.nysed.gov/coms/op001/opsc2a?profcd=60&plicno=072493&namechk=NAT NYS Professions]</ref>


==Career==
==Career==
Nathanson was licensed to practice medicine in New York state in 1952,<ref name="professions"/> and became board-certified in [[obstetrics]] and [[gynecology]] in 1960.<ref name="NCR"/> He was for a time the director of the [[Center for Reproductive and Sexual Health]] (CRASH), then the largest free-standing abortion facility in the world. In 1974, Nathanson wrote: "I am deeply troubled by my own increasing certainty that I had in fact presided over 60,000 deaths."<ref>{{cite journal|last=Nathanson|first=Bernard|journal=New England Journal of Medicine|date=November 28, 1974|volume=291|issue=22|pages=1189–1190|doi=10.1056/nejm197411282912213|title=Deeper into Abortion}}</ref> He also wrote that he performed an [[abortion]] on a woman whom he had impregnated.<ref name="HOG">''The Hand of God'', pp. 58–59. "In the mid-sixties, I impregnated a woman… and I not only demanded that she terminate the pregnancy… but also coolly informed her that since I was one of the most skilled practitioners of the art, I myself would do the abortion. And I did."</ref>{{Primary source inline|date=March 2012}}
Nathanson was licensed to practice medicine in New York state in 1952,<ref name="professions"/> and became board-certified in [[obstetrics]] and [[gynecology]] in 1960.<ref name="NCR"/> He was for a time the director of the [[Center for Reproductive and Sexual Health]] (CRASH), then the largest free-standing [[abortion]] facility in the world. In 1974, Nathanson wrote: "I am deeply troubled by my own increasing certainty that I had in fact presided over 60,000 deaths."<ref>{{cite journal|last=Nathanson|first=Bernard|journal=New England Journal of Medicine|date=November 28, 1974|volume=291|issue=22|pages=1189–1190|doi=10.1056/nejm197411282912213|title=Deeper into Abortion|pmid=4418905 }}</ref> He also wrote that he performed an abortion on a woman whom he had impregnated.<ref name="HOG">''[https://lib.tcu.edu/staff/bellinger/abortion/Nathanson-Hand.pdf The Hand of God - A journey from death to life by the abortion doctor who changed his mind]'', pp. 58–59. "In the mid-sixties, I impregnated a woman… and I not only demanded that she terminate the pregnancy… but also coolly informed her that since I was one of the most skilled practitioners of the art, I myself would do the abortion. And I did."</ref>


==Activism==
==Activism==


===Pro-abortion===
===Pro-abortion rights===
Originally an [[abortion rights movement|abortion rights]] activist, Nathanson gained national attention as one of the founding members, along with Lawrence Lader, 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]]).<ref>{{Cite web |title=NARAL Pro-Choice America |url=https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/naral-pro-choice-america/ |access-date=2023-03-02 |website=InfluenceWatch |language=en-US}}</ref> He worked with [[Betty Friedan]] and others for the [[abortion law|legalization of abortion]] in the United States. Their efforts essentially succeeded with the ''[[Roe v. Wade]]'' decision.
Originally an [[Abortion-rights|abortion rights]] activist, Nathanson gained national attention as one of the founding members, along with Lawrence Lader, of the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws (later renamed the National Abortion Rights Action League,<ref>{{Cite web |title=NARAL Pro-Choice America |url=https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/naral-pro-choice-america/ |access-date=2023-03-02 |website=InfluenceWatch |language=en-US}}</ref> and now known as [[Reproductive Freedom for All]]). 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]]'' (1973) decision.


===Anti-abortion===
===Anti-abortion===
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.<ref name="NCR"/> He is often quoted as saying that abortion is "the most atrocious [[holocaust]] in the history of the United States." He wrote the book ''Aborting America'' in which he discussed what he called "the dishonest beginnings of the abortion movement." In 1983, Nathanson debated [[Henry Morgentaler]] for an hour [[CHCH-DT#Superstation CHCH (1982–1997)|on a Canadian national superstation]].<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmkJBDarI10 Video of the 1983 CHCH-TV debate], ''youtube.com''</ref> In 1984, he 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 abortion]]s. He stated that the numbers he once cited for NARAL concerning the number of deaths linked to illegal abortions were "false figures."<ref>[http://www.aboutabortions.com/DrNathan.html "CONFESSION OF 198AN EX-ABORTIONIST" by Dr. Bernard Nathanson]{{Primary source inline|date=March 2012}} {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070403074816/http://www.aboutabortions.com/DrNathan.html |date=April 3, 2007 }}</ref><ref>Nathanson, Bernard. ''Aborting America''. Doubleday & Company, Inc.: Garden City, 1979, p. 193: ''"I confess that I knew the figures were totally false, and I suppose the others did too if they stopped to think of it."''</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=NARAL Pro-Choice America |url=https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/naral-pro-choice-america/ |access-date=2023-03-02 |website=InfluenceWatch |language=en-US}}</ref>
With the development of [[ultrasound]] in the 1970s, Nathanson had the chance to observe a real-time abortion. This led him to reconsider his views on abortion.<ref name= "NCR"/> He is often quoted as saying that abortion is "the most atrocious [[holocaust]] in the history of the United States". He wrote the book ''Aborting America'' in which he discussed what he called "the dishonest beginnings of the abortion movement". In 1983, Nathanson debated [[Henry Morgentaler]] for an hour [[CHCH-DT#Superstation CHCH (1982–1997)|on a Canadian national superstation]].<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmkJBDarI10 Video of the 1983 CHCH-TV debate], ''youtube.com''</ref>


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."<ref name="NCR"/> Nathanson developed what he called the "vector theory of life," which states that from the moment of [[Human fertilization|conception]], there exists "a self-directed force of life that, if not interrupted, will lead to the birth of a human baby."<ref name="NCR"/>
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 abortion]]s. He stated that the numbers he once cited for Naral concerning the number of deaths linked to illegal abortions were "false figures".<ref>[http://www.aboutabortions.com/DrNathan.html "Confession of an ex-abortionist", Dr. Bernard Nathanson]{{Primary source inline |date=March 2012}} {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070403074816/http://www.aboutabortions.com/DrNathan.html |date=April 3, 2007}}</ref><ref>Nathanson, Bernard. ''Aborting America''. Doubleday & Co: Garden City, 1979, p. 193: "I confess that I knew the figures were totally false, and I suppose the others did too if they stopped to think of it."</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Naral Pro-Choice America |url=https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/naral-pro-choice-america/ |access-date=2023-03-02 |website=InfluenceWatch |language=en-US}}</ref> 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."<ref name="NCR"/> Nathanson developed what he called the "vector theory of life", which states that from the moment of [[Human fertilization|conception]] there exists "a self-directed force of life that, if not interrupted, will lead to the birth of a human baby."<ref name= "NCR"/>


==Religious conversion==
==Religious conversion==
Nathanson grew up [[Judaism|Jewish]], and for more than ten years after he became anti-abortion, he described himself as an "[[atheism|atheist.]]" In 1996, he converted to [[Catholicism]] through the efforts of the Rev. [[C. John McCloskey]]. In December 1996, Nathanson was [[baptism|baptized]] by [[John Cardinal O'Connor]] in a private [[Mass (liturgy)|Mass]] with a group of friends in [[St. Patrick's Cathedral (New York)|New York's St. Patrick's Cathedral]]. He also received [[Confirmation (Catholic Church)|Confirmation]] and [[first Communion]] from the cardinal. When asked why he converted to Roman Catholicism, he stated that "no religion matches the special role for forgiveness that is afforded by the [[Catholic Church]]."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.catholicleague.org/chatterbox.php?#307|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011004043/http://catholicleague.org/chatterbox.php#307|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 October 2007|title=DR. BERNARD NATHANSON, R.I.P.|work=Chatterbox...|publisher=[[Catholic League (U.S.)]]|accessdate=22 February 2011}}</ref>
Nathanson grew up [[Judaism|Jewish]], and for more than ten years after he became anti-abortion, he described himself as an "[[atheist]]". In 1996, he converted to [[Catholicism]] through the efforts of the Reverend [[C. John McCloskey]]. In December 1996, Nathanson was [[baptized]] by [[John Cardinal O'Connor]] in a private [[Mass (liturgy)|Mass]] with a group of friends in [[St. Patrick's Cathedral (Midtown Manhattan)|New York's St. Patrick's Cathedral]]. He also received [[Confirmation in the Catholic Church|Confirmation]] and [[first Communion]] from the cardinal. When asked why he converted to Roman Catholicism, he stated that "no religion matches the special role for forgiveness that is afforded by the Catholic Church".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.catholicleague.org/chatterbox.php?#307|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011004043/http://catholicleague.org/chatterbox.php#307|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 October 2007|title=DR. BERNARD NATHANSON, R.I.P.|work=Chatterbox...|publisher=[[Catholic League (U.S.)]]|accessdate=22 February 2011}}</ref>


==Personal life and death==
==Personal life and death==
{{wikinews|Anti-abortion activist Bernard Nathanson dies aged 84}}
{{wikinews|Anti-abortion activist Bernard Nathanson dies aged 84}}
⚫
Nathanson married four times; his first three marriages ended in divorce.<ref name="NCR"/> He died of cancer in New York on February 21, 2011, at the age of 84. He was survived by his fourth wife Christine Reisner-Nathanson whom he married in the church shortly after his 1996 baptism. He was also survived by his son Joseph,<ref name="NCR" /><ref>{{Cite web|date=2012-01-19|title=Dr. Nathanson, abortion proponent turned pro-life advocate, dies at 84|url=https://www.archbalt.org/dr-nathanson-abortion-proponent-turned-pro-life-advocate-dies-at-84/|access-date=2021-09-27|website=Archdiocese of Baltimore|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Bernard Nathanson's Conversion {{!}} EWTN|url=https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/bernard-nathansons-conversion-12002|access-date=2021-09-27|website=EWTN Global Catholic Television Network|language=en}}</ref> from his second marriage with wife Rosemary.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Nathanson|first=Bernard|title=The Hand of God|publisher=Regency publishing, Inc. An Eagle publishing company|year=1996|isbn=0-89526-463-3|pages=78, 93}}</ref>
Nathanson married four times; his first three marriages ended in divorce.<ref name="NCR"/>

⚫
He died of cancer in New York on February 21, 2011, at the age of 84. He was survived by his fourth wife Christine Reisner-Nathanson whom he married in the church shortly after his 1996 baptism. He was also survived by his son Joseph,<ref name="NCR" /><ref>{{Cite web|date=2012-01-19|title=Dr. Nathanson, abortion proponent turned pro-life advocate, dies at 84|url=https://www.archbalt.org/dr-nathanson-abortion-proponent-turned-pro-life-advocate-dies-at-84/|access-date=2021-09-27|website=Archdiocese of Baltimore|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Bernard Nathanson's Conversion {{!}} EWTN|url=https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/bernard-nathansons-conversion-12002|access-date=2021-09-27|website=EWTN Global Catholic Television Network|language=en}}</ref> from his second marriage with wife Rosemary.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Nathanson|first=Bernard|title=The Hand of God|publisher=Regency publishing, Inc. An Eagle publishing company|year=1996|isbn=0-89526-463-3|pages=78, 93}}</ref>


==Works==
==Works==
*''Aborting America'' Garden City, NY: [[Doubleday (publisher)|Doubleday]], 1979. {{ISBN|0-385-14461-X}}. [https://archive.org/details/abortingamerica00bern Free to read at Internet Archive]
*''Aborting America'', Garden City, NY: [[Doubleday (publisher)|Doubleday]], 1979. {{ISBN|0-385-14461-X}}. [https://archive.org/details/abortingamerica00bern Free to read at Internet Archive]
*''[[The Silent Scream]]'' (1984 documentary). [https://archive.org/details/SilentScreamAbortionOfPregnancy 1979 film free to view on Internet Archive]
*''[[The Silent Scream]]'' (1984 documentary). [https://archive.org/details/SilentScreamAbortionOfPregnancy 1979 film free to view on Internet Archive]
*''The Abortion Papers: Inside the Abortion Mentality''. New York: [[Frederick Fell Publishers, Inc.|Frederick Fell]], 1983. {{ISBN|0-8119-0593-4}}. [https://archive.org/details/abortionpapersin00nath Free to read at Internet Archive]
*''The Abortion Papers: Inside the Abortion Mentality''. New York: [[Frederick Fell Publishers, Inc.|Frederick Fell]], 1983. {{ISBN|0-8119-0593-4}}. [https://archive.org/details/abortionpapersin00nath Free to read at Internet Archive]
*''[[Eclipse of Reason]]'' (1987 documentary).
*''[[Eclipse of Reason]]'' (1987 documentary).
*[http://archive.org/details/handofgodjourney00nath?q=bernard+nathanson ''The Hand of God: A Journey from Death to Life by the Abortion Doctor Who Changed His Mind'']. Washington, D. C.: [[Regnery Publishing|Regnery]], 1996. {{ISBN|0-89526-463-3}}. Free to read at Internet Archive.
*[http://archive.org/details/handofgodjourney00nath?q=bernard+nathanson ''The Hand of God: A Journey from Death to Life by the Abortion Doctor Who Changed His Mind'']. Washington, D.C.: [[Regnery Publishing|Regnery]], 1996. {{ISBN|0-89526-463-3}}. Free to read at Internet Archive.


==See also==
==See also==
Line 46: Line 45:
{{wikisource author}}
{{wikisource author}}
* {{IMDb name|2981509}}
* {{IMDb name|2981509}}
*''[http://www.silentscream.org/video1.htm The Silent Scream]'', streaming video
*''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hstRrYsbffM The Silent Scream], 1984'' (full movie), on CampaignLifeTV
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20161220175920/http://www.life.org.nz/abortion/aboutabortion/historyglobal9/ Dr Bernard Nathanson: abortion activist and historian] by David Kupelian of [[WorldNetDaily]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20161220175920/http://www.life.org.nz/abortion/aboutabortion/historyglobal9/ Dr Bernard Nathanson: abortion activist and historian] by David Kupelian of [[WorldNetDaily]]


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[[Category:1926 births]]
[[Category:1926 births]]
[[Category:2011 deaths]]
[[Category:2011 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century Roman Catholics]]
[[Category:21st-century Roman Catholics]]
[[Category:American abortion providers]]
[[Category:American abortion providers]]
[[Category:American anti-abortion activists]]
[[Category:American anti-abortion activists]]
[[Category:American people of Jewish descent]]
[[Category:American people of Jewish descent]]
[[Category:American Roman Catholics]]
[[Category:American Roman Catholics]]
⚫
[[Category:Deaths from cancer in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Converts to Roman Catholicism from atheism or agnosticism]]
[[Category:Converts to Roman Catholicism from atheism or agnosticism]]
⚫
[[Category:Deaths from cancer in New York (state)]]
[[Category:McGill University alumni]]
[[Category:McGill University alumni]]
[[Category:Writers from New York City]]
[[Category:Writers from New York City]]

Latest revision as of 08:51, 15 December 2024

For the Hebrew writer, see Bernhard Nathanson.

Nathanson appearing on British TV discussion programme After Dark in 1997

Bernard N. Nathanson (July 31, 1926 – February 21, 2011) was an American physician and co-founder in 1969 of the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws (NARAL), later renamed National Abortion Rights Action League. He was also the former director of New York City's Center for Reproductive and Sexual Health but later became an anti-abortion activist. He was the narrator for the controversial 1984 anti-abortion film The Silent Scream.[1][2]

Early life and education

[edit]

Nathanson was born in New York City to a Jewish family.[3] His father was an obstetrician/gynecologist,[4] the same career that Nathanson held in his professional life. Nathanson earned his undergraduate degree at Cornell University,[5] and in 1949 graduated with a medical degree from McGill University Faculty of Medicine in Montreal.[6]

Career

[edit]

Nathanson was licensed to practice medicine in New York state in 1952,[6] and became board-certified in obstetrics and gynecology in 1960.[4] He was for a time the director of the Center for Reproductive and Sexual Health (CRASH), then the largest free-standing abortion facility in the world. In 1974, Nathanson wrote: "I am deeply troubled by my own increasing certainty that I had in fact presided over 60,000 deaths."[7] He also wrote that he performed an abortion on a woman whom he had impregnated.[8]

Activism

[edit]

Pro-abortion rights

[edit]

Originally an abortion rights activist, Nathanson gained national attention as one of the founding members, along with Lawrence Lader, of the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws (later renamed the National Abortion Rights Action League,[9] and now known as Reproductive Freedom for All). 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 (1973) decision.

Anti-abortion

[edit]

With the development of ultrasound in the 1970s, Nathanson had the chance to observe a real-time abortion. This led him to reconsider his views on abortion.[4] He is often quoted as saying that abortion is "the most atrocious holocaust in the history of the United States". He wrote the book Aborting America in which he discussed what he called "the dishonest beginnings of the abortion movement". In 1983, Nathanson debated Henry Morgentaler for an hour on a Canadian national superstation.[10]

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. He stated that the numbers he once cited for Naral concerning the number of deaths linked to illegal abortions were "false figures".[11][12][13] 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."[4] 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."[4]

Religious conversion

[edit]

Nathanson grew up Jewish, and for more than ten years after he became anti-abortion, he described himself as an "atheist". In 1996, he converted to Catholicism through the efforts of the Reverend C. John McCloskey. In December 1996, Nathanson was baptized by John Cardinal 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. When asked why he converted to Roman Catholicism, he stated that "no religion matches the special role for forgiveness that is afforded by the Catholic Church".[14]

Personal life and death

[edit]
Wikinews has related news:

Nathanson married four times; his first three marriages ended in divorce.[4] He died of cancer in New York on February 21, 2011, at the age of 84. He was survived by his fourth wife Christine Reisner-Nathanson whom he married in the church shortly after his 1996 baptism. He was also survived by his son Joseph,[4][15][16] from his second marriage with wife Rosemary.[17]

Works

[edit]
  • Aborting America, Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1979. ISBN 0-385-14461-X. Free to read at Internet Archive
  • The Silent Scream (1984 documentary). 1979 film free to view on Internet Archive
  • The Abortion Papers: Inside the Abortion Mentality. New York: Frederick Fell, 1983. ISBN 0-8119-0593-4. Free to read at Internet Archive
  • Eclipse of Reason (1987 documentary).
  • The Hand of God: A Journey from Death to Life by the Abortion Doctor Who Changed His Mind. Washington, D.C.: Regnery, 1996. ISBN 0-89526-463-3. Free to read at Internet Archive.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Bernard Nathanson (1926-2011)". Embryo Project Encyclopedia / Arizona State University. School of Life Sciences. Center for Biology and Society. April 22, 2013. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  2. ^ Snyder, Alison (April 22, 2013). "Bernard Nathanson". The Lancet. 377 (9770): 990. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(11)60377-2. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  3. ^ https://kepmas.hu/hu/bernard-nathanson-abortusz-elvegzese-csalas-crash-naral-nema-sikoly [bare URL]
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Vincent, Stephen (21 February 2011). "Bernard Nathanson Dead at 84" Archived 2019-03-05 at the Wayback Machine, National Catholic Register, EWTN NEWS. Retrieved 21 February 2011.
  5. ^ Grimes, William (February 22, 2011). "B. N. Nathanson, 84, Dies; Changed Sides on Abortion". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  6. ^ a b NYS Professions
  7. ^ Nathanson, Bernard (November 28, 1974). "Deeper into Abortion". New England Journal of Medicine. 291 (22): 1189–1190. doi:10.1056/nejm197411282912213. PMID 4418905.
  8. ^ The Hand of God - A journey from death to life by the abortion doctor who changed his mind, pp. 58–59. "In the mid-sixties, I impregnated a woman… and I not only demanded that she terminate the pregnancy… but also coolly informed her that since I was one of the most skilled practitioners of the art, I myself would do the abortion. And I did."
  9. ^ "NARAL Pro-Choice America". InfluenceWatch. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  10. ^ Video of the 1983 CHCH-TV debate, youtube.com
  11. ^ "Confession of an ex-abortionist", Dr. Bernard Nathanson[non-primary source needed] Archived April 3, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  12. ^ Nathanson, Bernard. Aborting America. Doubleday & Co: Garden City, 1979, p. 193: "I confess that I knew the figures were totally false, and I suppose the others did too if they stopped to think of it."
  13. ^ "Naral Pro-Choice America". InfluenceWatch. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  14. ^ "DR. BERNARD NATHANSON, R.I.P." Chatterbox... Catholic League (U.S.). Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved February 22, 2011.
  15. ^ "Dr. Nathanson, abortion proponent turned pro-life advocate, dies at 84". Archdiocese of Baltimore. January 19, 2012. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  16. ^ "Bernard Nathanson's Conversion | EWTN". EWTN Global Catholic Television Network. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  17. ^ Nathanson, Bernard (1996). The Hand of God. Regency publishing, Inc. An Eagle publishing company. pp. 78, 93. ISBN 0-89526-463-3.
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