Face the Truth
Right now my beloved friends at Pro-Life Action League are conducting their 9th annual Face the Truth Tour in the Chicago area. I always participate in this tour, but this year I can’t since I’m in DC. But I really miss it.
Here is a 2-part excellent professional video presentation of the FTT Tours and their rationale. The 2nd video shows drivers complaining and answers questions re: children and malcontents (including some pro-lifers) being forced to see graphic images of aborted babies.
[HT: Nancy W.]
Jul.18, 2008 1:19 pm |
Apologetics |
Jill Stanek is a nurse turned speaker, columnist and blogger, a national figure in the effort to protect both preborn and postborn innocent human life.
These videos made me very emotional. I praise God for the woman who changed her mind after viewing these pictures. One life saved, and all the scorn and derision are worth it, I’m sure.
It was an abortion video that I rented while working at a Catholic bookstore that spurred me to action, so I KNOW that these images can have an impact. Before I saw the video, I thought “Abortion’s not a good thing,” but I had never SEEN abortion before. It shook me to my core. I knew I’d never be the same.
It was after this that God prepared me to be a CPC director, and it was one of the most valuable things I’ve ever done in my life. I had to resign my position before my second child was born (to be home with my kids), but I will treasure it forever. The best birthday I ever had was the day I got a phone call from a client, telling me that she had decided to give birth to her son after coming to the CPC and meeting with me, and she had found our business card in her drawer and decided to call to tell me all about her newborn son. :) BEST. BIRTHDAY. EVER. I will never forget it.
And I will never forget the images burned into my brain when I first saw the horror of abortion. The PLAL appears to be peacefully doing what they feel needs to be done to change hearts and minds, and I salute them for it.
Let’s see how these tours are viewed by average Americans:
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=475607
Ahhh yes. Those guys. The ones who turned me from ambivalent about abortion to an avid pro choice PP supporter. Fallen back towards the center a bit these days, but all the same, these displays prove and accomplish nothing. Especially considering the procedure that most of them are images of is now illegal anyway.
Hal – hahahahah @ that link. The best one was:
Revtim
Charter Member Join Date: Mar 1999
Posts: 15,709
Location: USA
“They hope to show people that since it’s gross, it’s wrong. That’s why after I saw 2 Girls 1 Cup, I have stopped defecating.”
I laughed at that one too, Amanda. Though I would like to add that for anyone familiar with 2 Girls 1 Cup, DO NOT GOOGLE IT TO FIND OUT. It’s just really gross. I never even saw it, I just heard someone describe it in detail and even then I gagged for about 5 minutes straight.
Kel, that would be a great birthday gift! I’m glad you could help that woman.
For every person these gruesome images “covert”, 100 are forever alienated. The obsession with mutilated fetus posters has forever marginalized the anti-choice extremists.
These displays may have much more to do with pleasure being derived from shocking and offending others than the abortion issue.
A study of the psychological basis for this type of behavior would be fascinating.
Hal,
..you and your pro-abort ilk still don’t get it, do you?
…even if it’s just 1 pregnant mom contemplating abortion who turns away from that decision when seeing the TRUE face of abortion…it would be worth ALL the insults, curses, honks, finger-to-heaven, blasphemies..etc that we receive by holding up the sign/poster.
In the end, a life was saved…and with life, there is Hope.
PS..I and my family will be at the Aurora PP tomorrow for the last leg of the “tour”…
you are cordially invited to come…
GOD BLESS YOU SISTER!!
Your voice in the movement is so strong, this
will fan the flames of truth to the nation about
the cruelty of abortion.
Pleased to say my sign, which had been stolen,
has been replaced.
Hi ho, hi ho, it’s back to work I go!!
How much is one life worth, Hal?
In the hands of an abortionist, it’s worth nothing…
…in God’s hands, He used it to save the Whole of mankind.
I mostly feel sorry for the protesters whenever I happen upon them. Not because they’re pitiful or anything but just because they obviously want so badly to change my mind. There was an old guy who sometimes stood near my college campus with a sign. I brought him coffee a few times when the weather was cold, and then he would talk to me for a while. I didn’t want to be rude so I would listen for a bit and thank him for his time.
That’s the sort of thing that is hard for me because as I’ve become an adult I’ve had to struggle really hard against people-pleasing tendencies — so it’s hard for me to know what someone wants from me, to know that I could make someone happy, and to consciously not give it to them anyway just because doing so would be lying to myself. I think it would have made him really happy for me to say, “You know, you’re right!” but I guess I don’t have to lie in order to give someone coffee, so I just did that instead.
Alexandra,
..nobody wants you to lie and nobody can make you change your mind (or heart) if you don’t want to…only YOU can do that.
And DON’T feel sorry for us…it’s our CHOICE to be there. In good weather or bad…in the light of day or the dark of night.
We are there to provide a tiny spark…a small light for this darkened world of ours.
You are a rare PCer, Alexandra (and I mean that in a good way).
And DON’T feel sorry for us…it’s our CHOICE to be there. In good weather or bad…in the light of day or the dark of night.
No, I know that RSD — I didn’t mean to sound condescending. I just meant that I know how it feels to care really passionately about something and to have other people not care as much as you do, no matter how much you try to make them care.
Bobby, thanks.
Alexandra,
Frustration? Yeah, we feel that..a lot…but we place our trust in the Lord and His Will and we just continue the work…it’s called Faith.
I, personally, chalk up the frustration to “redemptive suffering”…look it up.
I find no pleasure in pictures of aborted babies. It rips my heart out. Every.Single.Time.
“Ahhh yes. Those guys. The ones who turned me from ambivalent about abortion to an avid pro choice PP supporter.”
Seeing those pictures made you more pro-choice? how is that?
Yeah, Carla..I know what you mean.
My heart sinks everytime I see one…I passed by displays in Downtown Chicago twice this week…and I can’t bear to look for more than a few secs. I just turn my gaze to the people holding the signs and give them a thumbs up.
I DID see a couple of women (mid-20’s?) holding up a NARAL sign and a Pro-Choice sign…but they were between the graphic signs and I thought they were part of the group…until I gave them a second look.
I really don’t know where the pro-aborts get the idea that we ‘enjoy’ looking at these signs.
Hal:2:09: Let’s see how these tours are viewed by average Americans:
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=475607
Hal, this is one of the responses on your link; he gets it just as Alexandra does:
I’m going to go out on a limb and say that most anti-abortionists are just like any other type of protestor. There’s nothing necessarily sinister or evil about them, and they’re honest with their position.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Alexandra, thank you for your tolerance and kindness. I mean that from the bottom of my heart!
God bless the Scheidlers and the Face the Truth Tour. Changing one heart at a time is what we hope and pray for.
People who curse and go berserk are only thinking about themselves and their own anger – think about what’s really triggering the anger. Then think about the babies who don’t have a chance to be angry as they are killed. They are the reason protestors are there.
There’s one tomorrow by me…I hope I can go!
Gabriella really likes holding signs so I might have to wrastle her for one.
Carla,
Do you think if you had seen a sign like that you would have still had your abortion?
I wish I could go!!! I have other family commitments. RSD and Elizabeth, please say some prayers for me. I’ll pray that you have decent weather. God bless you all!!
I remember this old Jewish saying/ proverb: (from the Talmud)
“He Who Saves One Life, Saves the World Entire”
-also seen at the ending credits of Schindler’s List
Very profound, RSD.
Will do, Janet…I pray for all the people there..even the ones IN the abortuary and the people passing by.
Elizabeth,
I really don’t know. I needed someone to talk to. I think if someone had been standing outside the clinic and wanted to talk to me, I might have learned that my baby had fingers, toes, hands, arms and legs.
I am so proud of you for going out there!! All of you that stand up with your signs and your love for babies and women….GO, GO, GO!!!!!
“Hal, this is one of the responses on your link; he gets it just as Alexandra does:”
I know, there was a cross section of opinion there. Just like “real life.”
RSD,
Maybe I’ll see you there! I don’t know if you know what I look like but you can look me up in the pictures Jill has of all of us on here! (I’ll probably be wearing glasses tomorrow though)
Elizabeth will be the one with the cutest 2 year old there, RSD.
“I DID see a couple of women (mid-20’s?) holding up a NARAL sign and a Pro-Choice sign…but they were between the graphic signs and I thought they were part of the group…until I gave them a second look.”
Well, they have just as much right to be there. However, I think it’s pretty sick to hold up a “choice” sign next to the sign of an aborted baby. Hmm…or maybe it’s just being honest. “This is my choice. I support this choice.” Wow.
Nobody enjoys looking at the signs. No one enjoys looking at pictures of the Jews from the Holocaust or pictures of people lying dead on a battlefield or war zone. But they convey a certain truth to us and make us think about the value of human life. They are necessary.
Elizabeth,
…hmmm..will keep an eye out for you…we will probably be one of the family’s with a stroller.
I happen to know Joe Scheidler, and I think very highly of him and his organization. I’ve seen such pictures change the hearts of real people, in real time, right before my eyes. And I think that the best proof of the effectiveness of using visual images to oppose abortion is the amount of protest coming from those who support abortion. If these photos were merely annoying, abortion supporters would be as happy as larks, instead of howling to the high heavens.
Awww thanks Bobby, I’ll let her know you think so!
RSD,
Sounds good..I’ll have one too!
I’m happy as a lark.
Amanda: Ahhh yes. Those guys. The ones who turned me from ambivalent about abortion to an avid pro choice PP supporter. Fallen back towards the center a bit these days, but all the same, these displays prove and accomplish nothing. Especially considering the procedure that most of them are images of is now illegal anyway.
At least they got you thinking about it! Some emotion is better than ambivalence. You know that Dr. Tiller is one doctor who is still killing babies just like the ones you see in the posters.
Hal..maybe that would be a “loon”, instead? *LOL*
I’m happy as a lark.
Posted by: Hal at July 18, 2008 3:50 PM
You just say that because HisMan isn’t here. :) (Just kidding! Kind of)
Doyle 3:48 I think the use of the graphic posters makes pro-choice people happy as larks, since they know that that tactic will alienate normal people, and keep abortion safe and legal.
Anyone exposing their own small children to those graphic posters should get a visit from the Department of Social Services.
2 Girls 1 Cup, It’s just really gross.
:: laughing :: Grosssssssssssssss!
E and RSD,
I won’t have a stroller. But I will be there with Father Rob and my gynecologist! How weird is that?
RSD, you’ve seen my picture…so fine me.
E, where will we meet????
Anyone else gonna be there?
Janet, are you sure you can’t cancel your plans????
RSD, you wrote: “How much is one life worth, Hal?
In the hands of an abortionist, it’s worth nothing…
…in God’s hands, He used it to save the Whole of mankind.”
My favorite exchange in Verdi’s opera DON CARLO:
King: “Can I, a Christian, have my own son murdered?”
Grand Inquisitor: “God did the same.”
Clearly the Grand Inquisitor has a very poor understanding of the doctrine of the atonement. Indeed, theology matters.
Bobby, that and Size, as they say.
The mention of the Grand Inquisitor reminds of me the Central Scrutinizer.
“This is the CENTRAL SCRUTINIZER…it is my responsibility to enforce all the laws that haven’t been passed yet. It is also my responsibility to alert each and every one of you to the potential consequences of various ordinary everyday activities you might be performing which could eventually lead to *The Death Penalty* (or affect your parents’ credit rating). Our criminal institutions are full of little creeps like you who do wrong things…and many of them were driven to these crimes by a horrible force….”
mk: I’ll see what I can do! Look for a navy windbreaker.
One thing I don’t understand about pro-choicers is their blatantly contradictory reactions over these signs. “Oh, the only reasons these signs get a reaction is because they’re bloody and gross, and they’d get the same reaction with pictures of any other medical procedure.” but then their next line is “THE POOR CHILDREN HAVE TO SEE THESE! THINK OF THE CHILDREN!!” (which I find rather ironic, seeing as how THEY are the ones advocating that the children be allowed to be killed whole and/or ripped to shreds in their mothers’ wombs in the first place, and if they didn’t take such a stance, we wouldn’t be out there showing the pictures to the living children in the first place). Personally, if it was someone who had a problem with knee replacement surgery and was out there with pictures protesting it, I’d have no problem explaining the purpose and general facts about it to my kids as soon as they asked. But when there’s a tiny bloody hand up there, and that’s what it so obviously is, and the kids start asking questions…explaining that and trying to cast the reality of what that is in a positive light to a child has to be a tough thing to be able to do…And they have to think about what it actually is, and how can you even begin to present that concept to someone who was in that sac swimming around just a few years ago and make them think it’s acceptable without sugar-coating like mad at best, and lying your butt off at worst? These pictures NEED to be seen, by everyone. It’s that violent gut reaction to what we know in our hearts to be wrong, and that’s more powerful than anything that can be said, short of finding a miraculous fetus you can keep alive in a jar and teaching it to speak.
Amen X.
The truth about abortion is what gets these people so riled up when they see the images, as did the American public when the reality of the Viet Nam war was presented to them. It stirred the masses against the war.
Why is this any different? Is it because the horrors they are subjected to looking at are taking place right in their own back yards? Too close for comfort???
The media showed pictures of the Manson killings. too. No one was outraged over those.
If parents are worried about their kids seeing these images, which are REAL, where is the outrage over the crap they see in videos, video games, movies, porn racks in stores, on street corners ad nauseum??? Oh, and don’t forget the internet…
The TRUTH hurts.
The display of these images should have started in 1973.
“If parents are worried about their kids seeing these images, which are REAL, where is the outrage over the crap they see in videos, video games, movies, porn racks in stores, on street corners ad nauseum??? Oh, and don’t forget the internet…”
Amen to THAT, Mike!!
And xalisae 12:37–your post rocks, and this is so true: “It’s that violent gut reaction to what we know in our hearts to be wrong…”
Some of us will react in anger, lashing out at those who are simply standing and HOLDING the signs rather than at those who commit such acts (now there’s some misdirected anger for ya, wow), and some will react with emotion that will turn us from apathy to action against this violence.
But then, there are others who have become so desensitized by the culture of which Mike was speaking…the violent video games, movies, etc, that they will think nothing of these images and say they’re not even RELEVANT to the abortion debate. Those, I think, are the people who disturb me the most.
Xalisae, I’m pro-choice and I don’t care at all about public display of gory images. From the crucifix to the ads for steak or zombie flix, it doesn’t bother me.
From our previous conversation, there’s one thing I still don’t understand. Suppose both Iran and Iraq become secular democracies (and I’m still not clear why you are so sure that forces like the pro-Islamic forces operating in Turkey will not prevail in Iraq. Your opinion seems to be: secular democracy is the inevitable result of natural social evolution, except where it isn’t. But suppose.) Why do you think that would constitute “utter defeat” for the movement to scare the rest of the world into converting to Islam, which comes from a literal reading of the Koran and will always spring up again as long as anyone reads the Koran literally, and whose members do not recognize failure, only setbacks?
X,
I just think you are awesome and I am so glad you are here!!
Do you have any children yourself, SoMG? That would be the context I was speaking in that validates my point I was trying to make. None of that stuff really bothers me, as gory advertising for a show or movie is fake, and it’s very easy for me to explain as much to my daughter, and surprisingly enough, she’s already asked me about abortion, and I’ve begun explaining it to her for what it is (she seems quite disgusted by the concept thus far, and I can’t say I blame her). My parents always answered my questions about the world around me whenever I asked in a straightforward manner, as they would’ve an adult, and I’m a better person for it (but I’ve also been quite interested for a long time, I first started watching the news and paying attention to it when I was about 7, and one of my earliest memories is watching the Bush vs. Ducacus debates with my Father when I was 5, but I fear my daughter has for the most part inherited her dad’s apathy)
And to answer your question: secular democracy is the optimal form of government most societies strive for in their evolution. Systems like socialism, as good as it looks on paper, are flawed by man’s inherent flaws-like greed. any progression in that direction is like a bird developing beautiful plumage to attract a mate but which hinders their ability to fly. There are many long-standing, non-democratic systems, but there are also alligators. Being an alligator works well for them, but being human is optimal, because we’re set apart and above other creatures as evidenced by the fact I’m sitting in my house having this conversation with you about alligators, and you most likely wouldn’t have to worry about me walking up to you on the street and taking a bite out of your arm were we ever to meet. Our capacity for cognizance sets us above and apart as stewards of the Earth (even if we’re not the best at that endeavor just yet). If we can get alligators to evolve in such a way that they can be reasoned with, they’ll stop trying to eat us and start helping us take care of the Earth. That’s a lofty goal for an alligator, but if the possibility exists, you can’t fault us for trying. But, with the Koran thing, as the Middle Eastern world progressed towards a more secularly-oriented existence, books like that would lose sway, gradually, and much of the violent implications would change interpretation, maybe even to the extent that a new spokesperson or persons would arise with a total revision.
Something like the shift in Old vs. New Testament versions of the Bible, SoMG. And thank you, Carla. :)
Wait…I was 4 when the debate was on…he was sworn in around my 5th birthday.
I’m leaving in about a half hour for the Eola/New leg of today’s tour. Rain seems likely today so I’m hoping there will still be a good turnout. Please pray for the end of abortion and for the Aurora PP to be closed in God’s sovereign timing.
Eola/New York intersection I meant to say.
God Bless You, LauraLoo!!
X —
These pictures NEED to be seen, by everyone. It’s that violent gut reaction to what we know in our hearts to be wrong, and that’s more powerful than anything that can be said, short of finding a miraculous fetus you can keep alive in a jar and teaching it to speak.
What if there were pictures to protest rape, with images of a man holding a gun to a woman’s head and forcing her to undress, a naked woman crying afterwards, etc? And what if people who felt that women are not always respected by the legal system thought that displaying these pictures to show what rape victims go through was the best way to get people to care? It’s the truth, after all, and you shouldn’t shield your kids from the truth.
I don’t think kids should be shielded from the truth at all — my parents were very open with me and answered any questions I had as they occurred to me. And I did ask what rape was, as well as what abortion was, as well as what orgasms and oral sex were, and a whole host of other things I’m sure were low on their list of “fun things to talk about with your daughter.” We weren’t sheltered at all, but my mom would have been ticked off if we’d been driving home from ballet class and run into graphic images of rape and sexual abuse. It’s a teaching opportunity, yeah, but I can see why some parents wouldn’t welcome it with open arms, pro-life or pro-choice. My friend has a hyper-sensitive 3-year old daughter who is sent into inconsolable tears for an hour by the F page in her alphabet book (a Fox Frying a Fish), and I’m sure that she would rather approach issues like abortion in her own way.
Rape is illegal. There are pictures and videos of rape. It’s called porn. Porn is illegal.
Abortion is legal.
I do agree with you Alexandra about younger children seeing these images when the parents are ready to expose them to it. My eldest son is a very sensitive boy, although he knows my abortion story I don’t feel he is ready yet to see the pictures. When I think he is, I will show him.
In the video
They did have a sign that said Graphic Pictures Ahead so drivers could turn off and drive another way.
Rape is illegal. There are pictures and videos of rape. It’s called porn. Porn is illegal.
Porn isn’t illegal, but my point was that the people would be protesting not rape, which is already illegal, but perhaps a point of the legal treatment of rape that they disagree with. It’s a hypothetical but the point is, people disagree with something for whatever reason and think that just because the graphic images they use to illustrate their point are the truth, anyone who dislikes displays of those images is opposed to or in denial of the truth.
Just wondering who would be out there saying rape is good? Maybe Kinsey fans?
Anyway, I understand your point, Alexandra. For me, personally the photos opened my eyes to the reality of what an abortion is and what it does to a human baby in a way describing it couldn’t. They are graphic and horrifying and are truth. A human life that is being destroyed through abortion is worth being flipped off. I will stand for the innocents.
“like a bird developing beautiful plumage to attract a mate but which hinders their ability to fly”
And then it evolves into a compromise right?
“My eldest son is a very sensitive boy, although he knows my abortion story I don’t feel he is ready yet to see the pictures”
My oldest is the same way Carla. He see’s someone get hurt on Amaerica’s funniest videos and he gets upset. That being said, I still believe the pictures have to be shown.
Pro-Abort Panic: Feds to Recognize Birth Control Pill as Abortion
http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?t=254715
Mike
Yeah, because favoring contraception as a great way to prevent abortions is totally the same thing as being “pro-abortion”.
xalisae: 11:39 AM Yeah, because favoring contraception as a great way to prevent abortions is totally the same thing as being “pro-abortion”.
If it makes you feel any better, Mike’s link is just one article by one pro-lifer commenting on the American Life League which is known for its strong anti-contraceptive stance. It doesn’t mean that all pro-lifers are against contraception, nor does it mean that your contributions to a pro-life blog like Jill’s are any less important than anyone else’s!
Back to the subject of the aborted baby images (for a second…). I have had my windshield smashed 3 times, my tires slashed and dog poop thrown on my truck because of my pro-life bumper stickers and anti-abortion images. My insurance co. finally cancelled me.
I get flipped off all the time by pro-choicers, but also get MANY thumbs up while driving…and I live in liberal California.
Mike,
I am sorry all of that has happened to you while standing for the lives of innocent children.
Where do you think all of that hostility comes from?
One thing I don’t understand about pro-choicers is their blatantly contradictory reactions over these signs. “Oh, the only reasons these signs get a reaction is because they’re bloody and gross, and they’d get the same reaction with pictures of any other medical procedure.” but then their next line is “THE POOR CHILDREN HAVE TO SEE THESE! THINK OF THE CHILDREN!!”
Xalisae, there is “gross” stuff regardless of whether it’s to due with abortion or not, and likewise there is stuff that many wouldn’t want their kids to see (again, regardless of whether it had to do with abortion or not).
No contradiction at all. I understand how you feel about the unborn, but of course many do not feel that way.
Elizabeth,
Did you make it to PP last Saturday? Couldn’t find anybody with a 2 yr old…
Mk and LauraLoo,
..sorry…I read your posts too late and wasn’t able to look for you…It’s probable that we passed by each other in the picket line…
maybe next time (if it’s not raining that hard)?
If it makes you feel any better, Mike’s link is just one article by one pro-lifer commenting on the American Life League which is known for its strong anti-contraceptive stance. It doesn’t mean that all pro-lifers are against contraception, nor does it mean that your contributions to a pro-life blog like Jill’s are any less important than anyone else’s!
Thank you, Janet!
Bethany,
De nada!
No, RSD, I didn’t. My family had to go to Milwaukee early in the morning to look at apartments with my brother cause he’s moving in September. :( We only have one car here, so I would have asked MK to come get me if I knew she was going. But I didn’t get on here til after the protest. Maybe next time kids!