Rape, incest and fetal deformity are no excuse for abortion, according to a pro-life panel who spoke at NIU Wednesday.

The panel presented different aspects of abortion at “Abortion: Their Lives Are In Your Hands.” The presentation was sponsorsed by Students United for Life.

Joe Scheidler, executive director of the Pro-life Action League told an audience of about 60 pro-lifers that those who fight abortion are fighting “one of the greatest evils we can conceive of.”

Scheidler has made more than 1,000 radio and TV appearances, and wrote articles in the Chicago Sun-Times and the South Bend Tribune. He also wrote a book titled “Closed: 99 Ways to Stop Abortion.

“The person who has an abortion not only doesn’t care about the baby, she doesn’t care about herself,” Scheidler said.

Mary Perona, Illinois Citizens for Life president, argued against abortion even in cases of rape or incest.

She said pregnancy in these cases is extremely rare because the woman is either too stressed to ovulate or the man is impotent.

Perona said deformed fetuses should not be aborted because children with disabilities often are happy children.

“If we don’t give the death penalty to the rapist, why do we give it to the baby?”

NIU English Professor Sue Smith talked about the Womens Movement using abortion to make women feel guilty.

“If the Womens Movement truly believes in the right to choose, they should believe in the right to make an informed choice,” Smith said.

NIU political science assistant professor Gary Glenn said parental duties stem from their child’s needs. “Abortion is a conflict between two individuals, one born and one unborn.”