Below is the contents of a flyer that we hand out on the Face the Truth Tour.
"How can
Showing graphic images of aborted babies, not only makes pro-aborts angry, it is also misunderstood by many pro-lifers as well. Below is the text of a handout Defend Life gives out during our Face the Truth tours which provides answers many questions and objections.
We are not here today to judge or condemn anyone. In fact, we are very aware of the difficult circumstances that lead people to have abortions, and we are deeply involved in the work of healing those who have participated in abortion.
We are here to educate the public about what abortion is. Although we have had a national debate on abortion for over 30 years, in another sense the debate has not yet begun. While abortion is the most common surgery in America, most Americans have never seen what it looks like. Once people do see it, they can never forget.
Please note that our target audience is not children, but adults who do not realize how horrifying abortion is. Yet it is not possible to completely avoid having children see the images.
The problem of children being upset is a concern of ours, too. But the problem of children being dismembered is an even greater concern. We are faced with a situation in which stopping the killing involves upsetting the living. Which do you care more about?
Our activity here saves children's lives. Children may get upset, for example, when the sirens of fire engines, ambulances, or police cars come into their neighborhood. But we comfort them by explaining that people are being helped and lives are being saved. We have all had to explain hard things to our children, such as the events of September 11. The images themselves don't harm children, particularly when they have parents who take the time to answer their questions. in fact, we have had parents bring their children to participate in showing the images to the public! And the children do so with pride.
We believe in handling' first things first. Let's stop the killing of our children by abortion. Then we can comfort the survivors.
Some people question whether these images are real These are actual photos of aborted babies who were either found in dumpsters at abortion clinics, or were aborted in facilities that allowed us to come in and photograph the remains. Medical doctors have authenticated the veracity of these images. See www.priestsforlife.org/images to read their signed statements.
Social reform movements throughout history have used images to show people the injustice they were fighting. Those who stopped the slave trade showed pictures of the slave ships; those who reformed the child labor laws showed pictures of the children in the factories and mines; civil rights leaders insisted that the public witness the brutality committed against Blacks. Disturbing pictures are likewise used to dissuade children from crime, drunk driving and smoking, or to educate them about the Holocaust. Other movements that use pictures include the animal rights, anti-war, anti-hunger and environmentalist movements.
This activity is fully protected by the First Amendment. Free speech, the Supreme Court has said, often achieves its purpose precisely when it is upsetting to people (see Cohen v. California, 403 U.S. 15, 21 (1971) (viewers who dislike a message have a responsibility to "avoid further bombardment of their sensibilities simply by averting their eyes); Terminiello v. City of Chicago, 337 U.S. 1, 3 (1949) (free speech "may indeed best serve its high purpose when it induces a condition of unrest, creates dissatisfaction with conditions as they are, or even stirs people to anger"). Except for very rare circumstances, the Constitution prevents government from prohibiting speech because of its content. Nor do images of aborted babies meet the legal definition of "obscenity." Courts throughout the nation have upheld the rights of pro-life people to show these disturbing images. (See U.S. District Court, W. District of Michigan, cases 02-73058 and 4:0l-CV-172.)
Why, you may ask, don't we use other methods to educate people? In fact, we do. We write, lecture, and have TV and radio programs. We go into schools, teach abstinence, and provide alternatives to abortion. But words alone cannot convey the horror of abortion. "Seeing is believing," and the ancient Chinese proverb states, "A picture paints ten thousand words." Right now, the public streets are about the only place where we can show people what an abortion is. Normally, schools, TV stations, newspapers, magazines, and churches will not allow these images to be shown.
People who see these images never feel the same about abortion again. These pictures save lives, convert minds and hearts, and break through the denial that allows abortion to continue in this country. Here are some quotes:
"Thank you for making those graphics available. I used to think that I supported abortions, but after seeing those pics, I recognize what a fool I have been."
"Today, I saw your website with the photos of the aborted babies and wept. I have always been anti-abortion. However, like many of the uninformed masses, abortion was something abstract, impersonal yet immoral. Your website has changed my view of abortion forever."
"I really, really, really want to thank you for showing the pictures on abortions. I'm 34 'years old and I've never seen pictures of babies that have been aborted. It's a possible chance that I may be pregnant, but at first I said I already have 3 children and I don't need another one! Abortion was on my fiance's and on my mind. If I am still pregnant, this baby I will have. Now I can show him the pictures!"
It's up to YOU...
If photos of abortion
are too upsetting to look at, then abortion itself should be too upsetting to
tolerate! We need your help to bring abortion to an end!
If these photos move you to become more involved, please contact us.
THE NEXT MOVE IS YOURS.
If you would like more information about the Face the Truth tour, including an 11 minute video on the Tour, click here. Another great resource for why we need to use graphic abortion images is Scott Kluesendorf's Pro-Life 101 talk. To obtain a free audio tape, click here.