Ann Marie Buerkle on Choice: Science? Fear? Is All That So Far In Her Past That She Respects Choice for Other Women? Changing The Subject Does Not Put Blueskigirl's Fears To Rest

From 55 Plus  13 June 2010
In 1976, she moved with her husband back to Central New York, settling in Syracuse, and they had their first child. She attended Le Moyne College and in 1977 got involved in the pro-life movement, helping establish a Friends for Life chapter in Syracuse.

She approached her speaking and educational role in Friends for Life from a medical perspective. “I talked about fetal development and told the audience, ‘I’m giving you the facts so you will be able to make an informed decision if and when you need to do so,’” she says.

From Syracuse.com 29 March 2010
Buerkle is the former head of the Syracuse Right-to-Life group and served as the spokeswoman for the anti-abortion groups Friends for Life and Operation Rescue.  
She was the local spokeswoman for Operation Rescue when the group demonstrated outside of a gynecologist’s office in 1989. In that protest, 44 abortion protesters who blocked the entrance to the office were charged with trespassing. Earlier that year, she was with a group that carried a blackened fetus named “Baby Choice” to a protest at Planned Parenthood in Syracuse, where 14 protesters were arrested.

Buerkle makes no apologies for her past activism, and said her views on abortion have not changed. But she said it’s not the single issue that defines her, nor will it be a top priority of her campaign.
“I want to be really careful not to make this a referendum on abortion,” Buerkle said. “People here are concerned about jobs and the economy. I have six kids, and five of them live outside of the state because of a lack of opportunities.”
Buerkle said her days as an anti-abortion activist were from a different part of her life and career, when she was a young mother and working as a nurse.
“Life is an evolution,” she said. “You never stay in the same place. I have a pretty consistent record of public service. And that’s why I’m running now. I see a lack of representation for people who live here.”