Notable people · Physician · Author · Activist
John C. Willke
John Charles Willke was born in Maria Stein, Mercer County, and practiced medicine in Cincinnati. He became a national leader of the anti-abortion movement and president of National Right to Life from 1980.
At a glance
- Born
- 1925-04-05
- Died
- 2015-02-20
- Education
- Roger Bacon High School, Cincinnati, OH, to 1942
- University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, M.D. 1948
- Known as
- Physician, Author, Activist
- Organizations
- National Right to Life
Life story
John Willke was born in 1925 in Maria Stein. He graduated from Roger Bacon High School in 1942 and earned his M.D. from the University of Cincinnati in 1948, the year he married nurse Barbara Hiltz.
In the 1950s and 1960s he taught abstinence-based sex education for the Catholic Church. In the early 1970s he founded Right to Life of Greater Cincinnati and in 1971 co-wrote Handbook on Abortion.
He became president of National Right to Life in 1980 and stopped practicing medicine in 1988 to work for the cause full time. He died in 2015.
He is a polarizing figure. His claim that pregnancies from rape are rare was rejected by the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
Timeline
- 1925-04-05: Born (Maria Stein, OH) source
- 1942: Graduates from Roger Bacon High School (Cincinnati, OH) source
- 1948: M.D., University of Cincinnati; marries Barbara Hiltz (Cincinnati, OH) source
- 1971: Co-writes Handbook on Abortion source
- 1980: Becomes president of National Right to Life source
- 1988: Stops practicing medicine for full-time activism source
- 2015-02-20: Dies (Cincinnati, OH) source
What John is known for
- Founded Right to Life of Greater Cincinnati in the early 1970s
- Co-wrote Handbook on Abortion (1971), which sold over a million copies
- President of National Right to Life from 1980
- Handbook on Abortion (1971)
- Abortion and the Pro-life Movement: An Inside View (2014)
Family
- wife: Barbara Hiltz
Ohio places
Where John C. Willke was born, lived, worked and is remembered, with the ZIP code, town and county pages for each.
- Born: Maria Stein, Mercer County ZIP 45860 · Mercer County
Myths and corrections
- Disputed: Willke said pregnancies from rape are rare. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists rejected that claim.
Further reading
Sources
Confidence. Medium: the main facts were confirmed, but some details (often an address or ZIP code) were not.
- Wikipedia: John C. Willke birth, schooling, career, books, claim criticized