Protesting Abortion

[BLAZEr]

This is not meant to be a debate, which is why I posted it here. I was on the Face the Truth tour with Christine while I was working at Priests for Life. Her testimony is powerful to me even now, 6 months after the event. Our use of the graphic images to make people aware of what abortion looks like had tangible resultes (over 25 women told us they chose to cancel scheduled abortions becasue of the signs) but I'm sure they had countless undocumented results as well.

LIFENET Newsletter

Morristown, NJ

9 April 2003

Dear Friends,

Yesterday, was bone-chillingly cold; the day after the April snowfall, I shivered as I stood holding my pro life sign on Court Street in Brooklyn. This was the 2nd of 3 Brooklyn locations selected for the Priests for Life "Face the Truth" tour. Priests for Life designed this 10-day tour to convey the truth about the horror of abortion to the five boroughs of New York City through the use of graphic images. On this, the eighth day of the tour, Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life, said that the Face the Truth Tour had not enjoyed a good day of weather yet. "Why here?" I thought to myself. "There must be plenty of busy streets in Brooklyn that don't have this bitter wind. My hands are going to fall off. Why didn't you wear long-Johns?" I conversed with myself. I was being a wimp!

It was the lunch hour and people were bustling in the streets, many of them saw our signs. We were standing about 15 feet apart, displaying the 4 different styles of signs: (1) "lst Trimester ABORTION", showing the results of a lst trimester abortion; (2) "Planned Parenthood ABORTS BABIES", with a remarkable lst trimester abortion in which the child's face is intact and so clear, (3) "Life At 8 Weeks" showing what unborn child looks like at 8 weeks gestation; (4) "ADOPTION: The loving option". A woman stopped and said angrily, "Why don't you end the war in Iraq?" (I'm heading out tomorrow to Iraq to take care of that.)

At one point, Fr. Van Hager, i.m.c., told me we only had 20 more minutes; It had felt like an hour had elapsed by the time we headed back to our tour bus with the signs. A woman on the street stopped me and said, "You guys helped me out so much today! Thank you for being here with the signs! We had 6 turn arounds today!" It turned out that this woman, named Linda, was a counselor in a crisis pregnancy center on Court Street. There is a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic in the same building on a different floor. In fact, we were at the perfect location, especially with the signs disclosing Planned Parenthood's specific involvement in the killing of unborn children.

Back on the bus, there was a loud cheer as the announcement was made that 6 babies had been saved at the last stop. We prayed in thanksgiving.

We had about an hour between stops to warm-up and rest between stops. The trip was incredibly well organized by Janet Morana and Andrew Smith of Priests for Life. Things ran like clockwork. On this particular day of the tour, 24 people participated. There were people from Wisconsin, Kansas and Canada who were on the tour for a week or more. The people from Wisconsin and Canada have participated in other "Face the Truth" tours, which have been conducted in 26 states.

Our last stop of the "Face the Truth" tour in Brooklyn was outside the main branch of the Brooklyn Public Library at Grand Army Plaza. This location was infinitely more comfortable than the Court Street location, because there was very little wind. We spoke to many people outside the library. At one point, a couple of homeless people came up to look at my sign. "That's what abortion is?" said the woman with spiraled designed colored contact lenses. Her name was "Margie". "Isn't it terrible," I said, "But so many women don't know what they're actually doing when they get an abortion." The man said, "You ain't never doing that." She said, "No way." Then she said, "But I did that-I had 3 abortions. " "Did you ever ask Jesus to forgive you?" I asked. She said, "I'm going to go home and ask for forgiveness tonight." "Jesus loves you so much, you know," I said. "I love him." She replied. I asked them if they would like to get a blessing from Fr. Pavone. Fr. Pavone and this couple stood in a circle and prayed, and they thanked us and walked away smiling.

Fr. Pavone made some interesting observations while we were talking: "See, the graphic images don't make women flip out; they bring people to repentance." That has been my experience as well. Even if some of the people who see the signs are upset by the sudden realization of what they did, it is most often the beginning of the healing process. Another thing that Fr. Pavone mentioned, which I also noticed in Brooklyn, was that the most of the people who spoke to us in support of our cause were Black women. The most pro-abortion people were young white men.

As I write to you from my warm and cozy office, looking out the window at the rain, I am thinking about those joyous freezing-cold people who are standing in the rain again today in Queens, NY. I am sure they are saving babies today they will never know about in this life. Yesterday, I was thinking, it takes a lot of effort and sacrifice to save unborn children. The Bible says that children are always a blessing. Janet Smith, Ph.D, author and Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Dallas, says that one of the reasons that children are a blessing is that children typically turn parents into better people. Parents suddenly become aware of what is going on in the community, if the schools are good, etc. Parents become less selfish, since the needs of the children must come first. Children are served first; Parents save for their education, etc. Children require incredible amount of sacrifice. Today I'm thinking, those unborn children we are working to save are a blessing to us. They are turning us into better people.

In this Lenten season, would you consider making a sacrificial gift to support my work on behalf of unborn children? Together we can reach more people with the truth about abortion and chastity.

Checks should be made out to LIFENET, Inc. with the designation of "Public Education" (in the memo spot) PO Box 1721 Morristown, NJ 07962-1721. All contributions are tax-deductible.

Christine Flaherty,

Director of Public Education

Lifenet

[littleflower+JMJ]

wow. amazing.

thank you for sharing that with us.

yes. its priestsforlife that say, "america will not reject abortion, until it sees abortion"

and that is so true.

+JMJ

[M.SIGGA]

At my high school Right to Life came to my sophomore religion class and made us view saline and forcept abortion procedures along with about a dozen abortion pics. They replayed the moments when the baby was actively trying to swim away from the saline poison and when the other baby's head collapsed during the forcept procedure. Two guys threw up and had to leave the room and that experience is the sole reason I am completely pro-life today. More power to them!

[MC Just]

America doesnt know what Abortion is, therefore we must show them what it is. THE KILLING OF INNOCENT HUMAN BEINGS WHO DESERVE TO LIVE. ALL HAVE A RIGHT TO LIFE AND NO PERSON HAS THE AUTHORITY TO TAKE A HUMAN LIFE, I DONT CARE WHAT LAW YOU FOLLOW AND LIVE UNDER.

Edited November 11, 2003 by MC Just

[CatholicAndFanatical]

I agree that showing the images of an abortion will wake some people up.

I've always wondered why they dont use that more often. Is there a law thats keeping them from doing so?

[Dave]

I think many people wrongly think that graphic images will have the wrong effect on others. Of course, some people are so dumb that it'll have the wrong effect on them regardless.

[Lounge Daddy]

"Out of sight out of mind"... this is what they say.

So, we need to bring this "in sight".

Simple.

[jmjtina]

We definitely need to use more graphics. It's so sad that law does allow this especially with the Partial birth abortion ban and gov't under trying to block the ban itself. It's time they meet reality through graphics. I need to go look for posters with graphics for next year.......

[Jake Huether]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...scouts_trapping

"We think it sends a very, very bad message that when animals cause a problem you kill them,"

That was classic!

Hahahah! If only they would use that against people who would kill HUMANS when they "cause a problem".

[jester86]

It's time they meet reality through graphics. I need to go look for posters with graphics for next year.......

I think it is unnecessary to have to use a horrible means in order to get a point across.

I've seen the hideous pictures that depict the gruesome reality of abortion and although they most certainly reinforced my opinion regarding the issue, I think there are more morally sound ways to apporoach it.

Perhaps if there was some way people, such as the girls faced with abortion, could be made aware of not the gruesome details of the proceedure, but rather the waste of the life they have been blessed with should they follow through with the termination.

By using graphic imagery as a means to prevent someone from doing something, ultimatly someone will pay the price. Unfortunatly I believe this will largely be the children born to these mothers, as the choice not to have an abortion was not out of love of the child, but rather in hate of the proceedure of it's termination.

[BLAZEr]

By using graphic imagery as a means to prevent someone from doing something, ultimatly someone will pay the price. Unfortunatly I believe this will largely be the children born to these mothers, as the choice not to have an abortion was not out of love of the child, but rather in hate of the proceedure of it's termination.

This is not a debate, but . . . If you actually had some experience with graphic images you would see that they don't produce violent reactions, or cause people harm. In fact, most of the reactions I have seen are sadness and awareness. I have logged about 200 hours on the street with graphic images of abortion in New York City, and I have seen the vast majority of the reaction to be positive. Not supportive mind you, but its either brought people to repentance or caused awareness or changed hearts. Usually young white males are the ones that get angry over the pictures. So I would say that your comments don't correspond to reality.

[FX2]

really cool anti abortion site.... www.survivors.la i think thats it. It also has pictures of aborted babies. Sad thing is a girl i know who i argued over abortion with went to this site and said that those pictures didnt even phase her. Its sad. But ill keep prayin!

Your brother in Christ,

Fx

[jester86]

I understand that the pictures do create an emotional response, I found this myself, but they are truely hideous and can't help feeling that there must be a more postive approach to the issue. As it has been said a million and one times, the end doens not justify the means, and in my opinion the means, i.e. the graphic imagery, is wrong.

[BLAZEr]

Is all graphic imagery wrong? Is it wrong to show the pictures of the holocaust? Is it wrong to show pictures of the Killing Fields in Cambodia? Is it wrong to show the pictures of child labor abuses?

Is it wrong to show the bloody cross?

[jester86]

I think it is... You can't tell me you get satisfaction at looking at a crucified Christ? Sure, it's there to remind us of a great number of things and we personally choose to wear the crucifix around our neck, but to parade pictures of aborted babies on posters is just disgusting. There must be a way which we can teach love of the child rather than to freak people into making the right choice.