Canada Will Not Reject Abortion Until Canada Has Seen Abortion

Over at Joanne’s Journey, a posting entitled Warning - Graphic image of choice ahead appeared on Saturday. I discovered the link this morning, read the discussion going on there, and posted a comment.

It appears that Joanne gets quite a good deal of traffic and was able to generate some helpful commentary.

As I noted in recent posts covering the CCBR’s launch of the Reproductive “Choice” Campaign, the use of graphic images is very controversial and deserves much more careful and rational examination in order to avoid purely emotional reactions, especially from those who consider themselves pro-life.

I urge all readers to get more informed on this subject because the “radical,” “show the truth” element of the pro-life movement is ramping up in Canada and we’d better be prepared for it. Vote Life, Canada! entirely endorses the approach of the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform and we proclaim ourselves that “Canada Will Not Reject Abortion Until Canada Has Seen Abortion.” This is what is necessary to win and WE WILL WIN.

From the Vote Life, Canada! website, detailing our rationale:

Vote Life, Canada! aims for a reawakening of the consciences of Canadian Christians (and other faith groups). Therefore it envisions an educational/spiritual endeavour, incorporating the powerful tool of visuals, to impact Christians on local levels with the reality of abortion.

The fact is that most Christians haven't yet seen abortion. They are generally ignorant of the simple statistics of abortion, let alone the horror. It has been carefully concealed from them.

They must be helped to connect mind with heart. Vote Life, Canada! seeks to fill in the blanks so that there is not only a persuasion in the heart that abortion kills an innocent life, but that there is every objective truth and reason to resist such an act of violence. Only at that point will Christians be ready to vote, but they must also be helped to understand the urgency of their vote and the very best voting strategy to use to accomplish protection of the Unborn.

Because it is a brief and helpful summary for all readers, I detail below the comment I posted this morning to Joanne’s blog entry.

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Joanne,

Thanks for blogging on this subject. It appears that in the discussion there has been no rational argument made for the use of graphic abortion imagery. I believe there is a very good case to be made for their use, indeed for the entire approach of the Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform (CCBR). The concerns raised in your posting regarding children being exposed to such images can be fairly addressed I believe.

The recent launch of the CCBR’s truck campaign (Reproductive “Choice” Campaign) has been the subject of several recent Vote Life, Canada! postings. I invite you and your readers to at least take a look at this short posting on the subject.

However, much more has already been said on this subject.

Over a period of eight years and many hundreds of such graphic roadside presentations, Rosemary Connell of Show the Truth, has studied and recorded children's reactions to their posters and interviewed parents. She summarizes her experience in this brief letter.

Cheryl Sullenger of Operation Rescue wrote an apologetic for the use of graphic images. Here’s a relevant portion of her defense:

“Probably the most often voiced objection to the public display of the graphic photos is that children view them. Often it is assumed that the photos will emotionally traumatize a child. Activists with several years of experience on the street with the signs have noted that the pictures do not adversely affect children as long as the parent remains calm and reasonable. Many parents use the opportunity to teach their children about life and reinforce their love for their kids. Children only become upset when the parents respond angrily, stop to verbally abuse the sign holders, or even physically attack the signs. When the children see Mom or Dad behaving in ways that frighten them, they also become upset.

“Parents do their children no favors when they hide the truth about abortion from their kids, regardless of age. At the very least, when children enter the age of puberty, they must be made aware of the wickedness of abortion. In this age of abortion without parental notification and sexual activity beginning at increasingly earlier ages, parents that do not deal with the matter of abortion with their young daughters are in effect endangering their own grandchildren by leaving their girls vulnerable to the lure of abortion as a quick fix or a means of concealing sexual activity. Christians who have exposed their own children to the graphic materials, some nearly from birth, report no ill effects in their children. In fact, these children often develop a deeper sense of compassion for women and babies affected by abortion. Several families actively involved in pro-life ministry have had the joy of seeing their teen-aged or adult children accept Christ and enthusiastically adopt the pro-life ministry as their own multiplying many times over the work of their parents.

“The public display of graphic photos of aborted babies is a proven and effective tool. Scriptural principals support it. The photos save lives, convict the guilty, change hearts, cause the hurting to seek help, inspire active involvement, and will eventually be a part of transforming the thinking of our society on the matter of abortion.”

CCBR includes an extensive rationale for their approach on their website using a question and answer format.

Again, thanks for encouraging discussion on this subject.

Blessings

Eric Alcock