Sandra’s story, as she tells it, was that she visited an attorney while she was pregnant with her fourth child in an attempt to divorce her husband and obtain custody of her other three children who were in foster care. Unbeknownst to her, the attorney tricked her into signing an affidavit that allowed her situation to be used as the grounds for the Doe case.
The case dishonestly alleged that Sandra was seeking and was denied an abortion at Atlanta’s Grady Memorial Hospital, and thus was being denied the liberty to choose when and how many children she would have. The case made it all the way to the US Supreme Court without Sandra knowing about it and, in 1973, paved the way for the legalization of abortion in the United States through all 9 months of pregnancy.
Sandra learned the truth about Doe in 1988 and dedicated her life to overturning the case that unleashed abortion-on-demand in her country. Despite vandalism and attempts on her life from the pro-abortion community, Sandra stood firm on her conviction to tell the truth and save the lives that were endangered because of the case that bore her name. She would go on to testify before the US Senate Judiciary Committee in 2005 and exclaim,
I am angry. I feel like my name, life, and identity have been stolen and put on this case without my knowledge and against my wishes. How dare they use my name and my life this way! One of the Justices of the Supreme Court said during oral argument in my case “What does it matter if she is real or not.” Well I am real and it does matter.”
Today, we remember that not only was Sandra real, but she was a powerful tool in the hands of God to educate American culture about the truth behind Doe and to advocate for the sanctity of human life. Many lives have been permanently changed by the testimony and steadfast resolve of Sandra Cano.
Sandra often remarked that she asked God to let her live long enough to see the scourge enabled by her name be eradicated from America’s communities. While she won’t see an end to abortion on this side of glory, we believe that her courage and leadership, like Moses with the Israelites, has guaranteed many more to see the fulfillment of God’s promises in this lifetime.
Thank you, Sandra, for never giving up, never staying silent, and fighting the good fight to the very end. We’ll see you in eternity.
Georgia Right to Life Committee (GRTL) is a faith-based, non-profit, non-partisan, non-sectarian organization whose fundamental purpose is to engage in actions that will restore respect and effective legal protection for all human beings from the moment of fertilization until natural death.