There were two trucks circling Bradenton, Florida last week. Displayed on the sides and backs of the trucks were enlarged photos of dead fetuses in various poses. Needless to say, this caused a bit of a stir.The Center for Bio-Ethical Reform, a Southern California-based anti-abortion group, was established in 1990, and conducts nationwide projects on anti-abortion messages usually involving large billboards, signs and photo murals. Their initiative is to influence voters to select pro-life candidates. Bill Calvin, the group's regional director says,
"We studied all the successful movements in American history. We need to dramatize the injustice we are fighting."
Pictures are worth a zillion words. "Choice" or "women's reproductive rights" are rather benign ways of describing the death of a human being. In fact, it has been very smart of the pro-abortion folks to use such words and phrases, because in America, issues of choice and rights are very important. Also, such words distract people from the realities by taking all passion and compassion--as well as horror--away from an act that terminates innocent human life (unlike the death penalty which terminates a guilty human life).I thought long and hard about what I wanted to say about this truck and its photos, especially since children see them. Then again, children see blatant sexuality and/or horrific violence on television, music videos and games, magazines, and the Internet. All of those "every day" visual images don't have a decent point to make - they are strictly for prurient motivations and making a dollar.When my son was 5 years old I started teaching him about sex. I told him that it was a special experience between a husband and wife that brought immense pleasure, good feelings between them, and often... a baby. I went on to explain that he ought not engage in that behavior - sex - as a child because (a) he couldn't take care of a wife and child, and (b) because the girl could get an abortion. He said, "What's an abortion?" I replied, "It's when the baby is taken out of the woman's body." He said, "What happens to the baby?" I said, "It dies." He said, looking astonished, "You mean they waste a perfectly good baby?" I said slowly..."Yes."I have railed against feminist groups and Planned Un-Parenthood who don't want to give women who are considering an abortion a sonogram and then a day to think about their decision to terminate, keep or put the baby up for adoption. The feminista types use words like
harassment, offensive, disturbing, intimidation, shame
and such to protect women from vividly seeing the realities of their baby in their bodies.The same words have been used for these photographs. Yes, they are disturbing...and they should offend ... the act is offensive.
