Its a Fact

Who signed one of first pro-abortion bills in US history?

Keep in mind that at present the Republican Party holds the pro-life/anti-abortion policy. (As if you didn't know.)


Give up? The answer is Ronald Reagan. Yes that Ronald Reagan, former governor of California, and president of the United States. The year was 1967 when Reagan was governor of California.

Here is a quote from an article that appeared in "The Weekly Standard." Yes that Weekly Standard home to the neo-conservatives that populate the Bush administration.

excerpt: "... Reagan. In his first year as California governor in 1967, the legislature passed a bill to legalize "therapeutic" abortions. It was an issue Reagan hadn't thought much about and he was torn over whether to veto the measure. Many Republicans in legislature strongly urged him to sign the bill. So did aides on his staff, including conservatives Ed Meese and Lyn Nofziger, who later followed Reagan to Washington. Reagan was assured it would result in only a handful of abortions."
"His instinct was to veto the bill, and the Catholic archbishop of Los Angeles urged him to follow that course. But he signed it into law. Reagan was disturbed by his decision, however, and continued to think long and hard about abortion. The bill, according to Lou Cannon in 'Governor Reagan," "permitted more legal abortions in California than occurred in any other state before the advent of Roe v. Wade." Reagan's worst fear was realized."

The article goes light on Reagan. It tries to veritably say that he was fooled into signing the bill and therefor was not responsible for its implications. The writers at JCSande.blogspot say, "baloney!" Reagan signed one of the most liberal pro-abortion bills in US history up to that time, also one of the very first pro-abortion bills up to that time.

More on the bill Reagan signed:

"Anthony Beilenson (D) sponsors abortion bill (SB 462) which is signed into law by Governor Ronald Reagan (R). Beilenson first proposed abortion law
reform to the legislature in 1963."

"The new California law legalizes abortion in cases of rape or incest, or to preserve a woman's mental or physical health. Legal abortions must be performed: within the first 20 weeks of pregnancy, in an accredited hospital of 25+ beds, only after approval by a therapeutic abortion committee of doctors. Prior to signing the bill, Governor Reagan demands the elimination of the original provision that had been approved by the state legislature permit-ting abortion in cases of substantial risk to the fetus."