Enemies of the Left. In his book Siege, Mark Crutcher says that this is not our war; it is a war between the pro-aborts and the pre-born children. We, the pro-lifers, are an army fighting for those who can’t fight for themselves. We were reminded of this while at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte when students held signs that said “F*** those kids!” They must make the poor children their enemies to justify murdering them.

Possessed or triggered?  One woman yelled at GAP staffers without allowing them to answer.  When asked if we could respond, she yelled louder, until she got tired and left.  Some may say she was possessed, others say she’s just triggered.

Old and useless. An older professor was yelling into a megaphone, encouraging students to go vote. Jane, tired of her egging on the kids, walked over and kindly said, “You know these students won’t take care of you when you need them; you’ll be old and useless, like me.” That shut her up.

We’ve taken GAP to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte many times over the past 20+ years. This campus illustrates how our culture has become more and more hateful. Still, the Light shines in the dark.

The danger of opinion on campus. Pro-life students often tell us they feel unsafe around the pro-abortion mob. One student had to be escorted off campus by our staff after being surrounded by a gang of angry pro-aborts. When he tried to leave, they followed him, and campus police did nothing to ensure his protection. We invited him to stay with us until the mob dissipated.

The aggressive truth. “This is really aggressive,” said one student while looking at our signs, “but you know what? It’s the truth.” She had planned on giving us her information and heading to class, but she decided to stick around for a few hours. At one point, she even jumped into a conversation with a student about the pregnancy resource center where she volunteers. Pro-life students are always refreshing.

The folks of Appalachian State University always have a broad spectrum of responses when they see GAP. Here are just a couple from our most recent visit.

No time for truth.  “I won’t accept anything from your 7-year-old embryology book,” yelled one pro-abort, as if human development has changed during the past seven years.   We told her to go to the library and find a recent version to compare it to.  Her response?  “I’m not doing your job for you!  I don’t have time for that!”  After yelling at us for five hours straight, you’d think she would take some time to get her facts straight.

Some just get it.  During handheld GAP on a busy highway in Boone, NC, one man saw our sign about past genocides.  “I was in Rwanda when it happened.  The river was red with the blood from all the bodies that filled it,” he said.  “I was there to help feed people while they hacked each other to pieces with two-dollar machetes from China.”  Needless to say, we didn’t have to explain the signs to him.  He understood genocide.

Just over the state line from ETSU is Appalachian State University.  Many children live today because of our numerous visits to App State over the years. Here are some interactions from our most recent visit.

Gore meets GAP.  Not surprisingly, we were met with more pushback than praise.  Pro-aborts continually yelled obscenities at our team.  A group of them held signs with absurd statements such as “I like my government like I like my coffee—not in my vagina.”  One held a sign that said, “I eat dead babies.”  Sick.

When profanity is your only argument.  While some pro-abort protestors got creative with their signs, most had common pro-abortion slogans.  One said,  “F*** YOU.”  Hmm.  That’s an argument we never considered. We’ll have to go reconsider our entire worldview. 

Here is the last in our series on our recent visit to East Tennessee State University. We thoroughly enjoyed our time there. We hope that you have also enjoyed hearing our stories. You can read the first two installments here and here.

Older and wiser. One student observed that the pro-abortion students protesting were “all so young,” but that CBR staff were older and “older people have wisdom.” This appearance of maturity, along with the abortion images themselves, caused several students to break away from the mob and seek dialogue. If being called “old” means we can better expose abortion, then we’ll take it!

More proof that abortion hurts women. A Nigerian mother of three said, “It’s hard to look at the pictures. These kids are selfish. They do not understand.” She told us about when she became pregnant and her father forced her to abort. “I know I am forgiven by God, but I have never forgotten,” she said, “It is a great sadness.”

Oxymoron. The teaching of Jesus is one Truth, but the doctrines of demons are many, diverse, confusing, and self-contradictory. (1 Timothy 4:1)

One male yelled “I agree with you! We shouldn’t have a choice! We should abort all the babies!” We asked what good that would do. “I don’t know,” he responded, “I’ll leave that problem to the next generation.”

Lemme get this straight. The next generation, the one we kill, can tell us why it’s good they are dead. Riiiiiight.

The prodigal granddaughter returns. One student expressed her supposed hatred for the Church and self-identified as a “positive-outlook nihilist.” After a long conversation, she admitted she missed her Christian grandparents. They hadn’t talked recently because of her non-Christian lifestyle. Jane encouraged her to read the Bible to find Christ, and to give her grandma a call. Two hours later, the student returned to happily report the hour-long conversation she had just had with her grandma. Miracle of miracles, she even asked her grandmother to take her to church.

Stay tuned for our last reflections on ETSU next week.

The amazing Turning Point USA student group sponsored us at ETSU and they gave us so much hope for the future!

A campus divided. We were blessed to have a large contingent of fearless helpers. However, evil was also present in full force as students screamed falsehoods and accusations. Instead of responding to their absurdity outright, a family of GAP volunteers began singing worship music. Of course, that only made the mob angrier.

Safety hazards. One hateful student told volunteer Patty that he wished we would all die that night. As you might imagine, pro-life students felt threatened by this. One wrote us a note saying she wanted to speak with us but was afraid for her own safety

Twenty going on two. Some pro-aborts threw tantrums. They stomped up to the barricades, clenching their fists, screaming at the top of their lungs, “Get off our campus!” Again and again. Sometimes those terrible twos turn into terrible twenties!

Understanding pro-aborts. Still, God does work in the hearts of men. Some of the students broke away from the mob and found themselves in conversation with us. “En masse, they scream. In groups of two or three, they listen thoughtfully,” noted one volunteer.

Stay tuned for more from ETSU next week.

They’ve called themselves by many names over the years…Tigers…War Eagles…Plainsmen. But regardless of label, Auburn students were some of the most thoughtful we’ve encountered recently. And it sure was encouraging to us. No matter the type of response we receive, we know the soil is tilled, seeds are planted, and the truth takes root.

The pictures work … again. Gabe said, “I think you’re doing this work exactly as it should be done.  Put up pictures and let them work. It is so hard these days to have a reasonable conversation.”

Pictures don’t work?  Jennifer, a Christian student, didn’t agree. “My marketing background says this method does not work for this generation. It only makes them mad and they won’t have a calm, informed conversation with you.”

If Jennifer had looked around, she would have seen dozens of newly-informed students calmly learning how abortion is genocide. Like the great philosopher Yogi Berra said, “You can observe a lot just by watching.”

Yeah, they work. Alex, a chemical engineering student said, “Those pictures make me realize that abortion is killing a child. I used to think that it was just a woman’s choice.” That’s why we came!

Activating the converted. The pictures neutralize the opposition, convert the neutral, activate the converted, and energize the active. Benjamin, a pro-life student said, “Your pictures and answers make me believe I need to be active defending preborn children.” 

“You say it best when you say nothing at all.” Jane offered a brochure to a young man, which he declined. She asked if he wanted to talk. “I’d rather not,” he answered. As his chin began quivering, he walked away, obviously moved. Pray for courage and perhaps healing for this young man.

Courageous Students. We were invited by Auburn Students for Life and greatly assisted by enthusiastic Turning Point USA students. They even took some of our “Choice” signs for a pro-abortion rally later that day! We hope to work with these courageous students again soon.

It was lively in Chapel Hill, as always!

Failure of Christian leadership. “They don’t show you this,” she said. “They say it’s just a clump of cells! They’re lying! That’s a baby! This is really hard to look at.  It makes me angry.” Lilly is a Christian student, but had never seen abortion before. Her complaint was against professors who lied to her, but maybe she should confront church leaders who also hid the truth from her.

Powerful arguments? For more than two decades, we’ve asked pro-aborts to justify decapitating and dismembering little human beings. They can’t, but they gave it their best shot. Their signs and chants were not convincing:

•  Whose campus?  Our campus!

•  Go home!

•  My body, my choice!

•  If you don’t want an abortion, don’t have one!

•  You’ve taken away our right to be safe!

As they packed to leave, one of them, referring to us, remarked to another, “They really don’t have an argument.” Riiiiiiight.

Counterproductive. Tripp laughed. “This is awesome!” he said, pointing to the pro-aborts protesting GAP. “They think they’re hiding the message, but they’re just drawing more attention to it!” He was right. And we love it when a plan comes together.

Quiet support. Many students support our work, but fear reprisals. Jane told one of them, “Take this brochure and, under cover of darkness, give it to someone who is on the fence.” He took it.

Death wish. Please pray for these dear children who tell us they are so miserable that they wish they had never been born. We hear that often. We try to share the Gospel; some listen and some do not.

Thank you! Kathy said, “Thank you. This makes me so sad,” as tears came to her eyes. We thank you, our financial partners, for sending us to Kathy and others at UNC, because we can’t go unless you send us.

The following was written by our 2023 Summer Intern Taylor Breeden.

Before the summer internship, I didn’t have a solid opinion on using graphic imagery to expose abortion. I had researched abortion and seen pictures, but I always felt icky at the thought of placing those images in the public square.

Now I do have a solid opinion: I very much dislike it. Let me explain.

CBR’s activism methods can be overwhelming. It’s difficult to feel like you’re doing good by showing something so horrible. I have found that nobody likes the abortion victim images; pro-lifers, pro-aborts, CBR employees, and passersby alike. Nobody feels completely comfortable with images of a dead baby – and they shouldn’t.

The whole point of our work is to expose the truth about abortion. And the truth is, it’s disgusting, so we should all be absolutely horrified when faced with it.

In A Letter from a Birmingham Jail, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stated that “we… are not the creators of tension. We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive. We bring it out in the open, where it can be seen and dealt with.” This statement completely changed my mind set on abortion graphics. Before, I thought it was just as disgusting to show the horror of abortion as it was to commit an abortion. I figured it only had a negative impact on the movement, making people turn away from the topic all together.

Once I read Dr. King’s words, I understood that we weren’t making people uncomfortable; abortion was.

After releasing the burden of guilt, CBR’s methods made perfect sense to me. I’ve even come to see it as a necessity in the pro-life movement. So, while I dislike showing graphic images of abortion victims to the public, I do it, because it must be done.

Kennesaw State University students are always ready for a discussion. We had huge talkative crowds on both days of GAP.
The choice to kill. One student was adamant, “The mother should get to choose whether to kill her child.” He admitted abortion kills a “child.” Volunteer Brad asked if she should be able to choose whether to kill her toddler. He responded, shocking everyone, “The mother should get to choose whether to kill her one-year old!”
Brad escalated, “What if the child is 20 years old and this tall?” as he raised his hand to the student’s height. He walked away, muttering to himself.
Emboldening and Equipping. GAP often attracts pro-life students who want to be a witness. Stephen stood with us for hours talking with his classmates. Armed with undeniable truth, he was formidable. By the end of the day, he was a pro!
A history major encouraged us, “I speak up in philosophy class against abortion and the class gets quiet…But I’m not as bold as you guys are.”
A freshman said, “These pictures make me more informed.”
Many others thanked us. Some helped us. These pro-life students feel so isolated and overwhelmed by the non-stop woke evil around them. Seeing GAP on campus is a welcome change of pace.
Who are the extremists?  The Cobb County Courier called us “extremists” who make “false use of images.”  CBR-SE Director Fletcher Armstrong responded, “You called us ‘extremist.’  Maybe you’re right, but you will have to explain why it’s OK to decapitate and dismember a little human being, but ‘extreme’ to show a picture of it.”  To read Fletcher’s Letter to the Editor in full, click here.

At CBR, we’re not only saving lives of preborn children from abortion. We’re also saving born children from the lies of the pro-abortion culture. And, that’s the theme of our 6th Annual Pro Life Leadership Youth Camp: Countercultural.

As in past years, we will be offering two separate weeks of camp, in two different cities!

Click here for Knoxville, TN camp details.
Click here for Columbus, GA camp details.

Both camps are $100 per person, but additional campers from the same family will be discounted to $50 each. Please pass this information to your church leadership, youth ministries, and like-minded Christian parents and friends. Seats are limited! 

We offer this life-saving training far below cost, thanks to our generous venue hosts and partners.

Help keep camp affordable for all with a special gift here!
(designation: SE-YLC Youth Leadership Camp)

Triniti Patterson

We are blessed again to have four outstanding young people joining us for our Summer Intern Program. Triniti Patterson, Rebekah Warren, Isaiah Abney, and Klayton Wasson come from all over the country and bring many different interests and talents to our merry band of pro-life missionaries here at CBR.

Triniti grew up in Southern California, and was aware of abortion as a child because her dad was a street preacher and activist.  However, it wasn’t until the New York Reproductive Healthcare Act was passed in January 2019 that she realized the extreme horror of abortion and decided to become active in the fight to end it.

Triniti is a rising junior at Cedarville University, studying political science and Biblical counseling. When asked what her most noteworthy experience of the internship has been so far, she said:

I really used to think that anyone could be persuaded by facts and logic, because we are created as logical beings.  But people who are being controlled by demons and dark spirits cannot be convinced of goodness by facts and logic alone.  Working for CBR has made that clear to me.

Rebekah Warren

In the future, Triniti hopes to continue working in the pro-life movement, potentially with CBR or as a crisis therapist.  We won’t beat around the bush: we hope she sticks with us!

Rebekah, a St. Louis native, also comes from a pro-life family.  In fact, her parents have supported CBR for many years and have obviously raised their children to be serious pro-life Christians.  Now a rising senior majoring in Accounting & Entrepreneurship at Baylor University, we have great hopes that she will bring her many talents to CBR and work with us to end legalized child-killing.

Interning with CBR was not even initially Rebekah’s plan for this summer.  She had applied last fall and then forgot about it and began pursuing accounting internships through Baylor.  When we contacted her to interview this winter, she had just been presented with a fantastic business internship offer.  After the interview, Rebekah says she was “both convicted and encouraged.”  She had to decide if she should take the “next right step” for her career, or spend the summer serving the Lord with CBR.  We are incredibly glad she chose CBR!

Isaiah Abney

We first met Isaiah last year at our Pro-Life Leadership Youth Camp in Columbus, Georgia.  Isaiah just graduated from high school, so we were both surprised and delighted that he wanted to spend his summer with us!  When we found out that he plans to join the military, we realized how serious and committed Isaiah is to the cause. “I wanted to do something tangible for God before I leave to the military, and He led me here, so I followed,” Isaiah reflected.

A driving force behind Isaiah’s pro-life convictions is his family.  He was raised in a very pro-life home in Georgia, but like many young kids, didn’t give it too much serious thought.  Then, his mother told him that she had had an abortion.  That made the bigger issue of abortion real and personal to Isaiah, and it inspired him to action.  We are blessed to have Isaiah with us this summer!

Klayton comes to us all the way from Oregon, where he was studying for his Associates degree and considering transferring to a Bible college.  Like the others, Klayton was raised pro-life, but only as he got older did he really begin to consider the gravity of abortion.  He was spurred to action when several friends and relatives got abortions, and he knew he had to do something.  Klayton explains:

I wanted professional training to learn how to stand up for the preborn and to learn how to do activism in the most effective way.  I came to CBR with the intention of making a difference saving lives back home.

Klayton Wasson

Klayton says that being outside an abortion clinic has been the most noteworthy experience of the internship so far.  It makes the otherwise abstract mothers and children a visual reality, and therefore harder to forget.

When asked what he plans to do after graduation, Klayton replied “Serve Jesus.”  Amen!  As to where he might serve, we have a place to recommend!

Thank you for supporting CBR and these outstanding young people.  Please pray that God will bring them back to us next year and also send many more.

Heidi Whaley had always been pro-life, but thought of abortion as a “distant problem” for which she had no personal responsibility. During CBR’s Summer Intern Program, Heidi’s view changed. “Through this experience, I’ve come to view abortion for what it really is: a bloody, ghastly war. I haven’t been asked to help fight in this war, I’ve been called by God.”

To hear more about Heidi’s powerful experience as a CBR Intern, check out the video below.

We’re still accepting applications for our 2021 Internship, until February 28th! (The internship runs from May 17 to August 6 in Knoxville, Tennessee.) For more information and to submit an application, click here.

When asked what she would say to fellow pro-life Christians, 2020 Intern Maggie Groover had this to say: “Why are you being silent? We know that this is going on. It’s not a secret. How can you ignore this any longer? It’s our responsibility to stand up.” 

To hear more about Maggie’s powerful experience as a CBR Intern, check out the video below. 

We are still accepting applications for our 2021 Internship, until February 28th! (The internship runs from May 17 to August 6 in Knoxville, Tennessee.) For more information and to submit an application, click here.