A CBR Volunteer shares God’s heart for the unborn.

In Spring 2019, we headed to Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee as part of our new Revival Project.

Check out the press coverage of our visit:

• Lee Students for Life meet in the wake of graphic anti-abortion demonstrations
• Pro-Life group holds anti-abortion demonstration, met with Lee student counter protest
•  Anti-abortion activists visit Lee University campus

This came to my inbox, and I had to share it.  It was credited to “Butch.”

Just one more thing on Donald Trump.
If Donald Trump deleted all of his emails, wiped his server with BleachBit and destroyed all of his phones with a hammer, would the mainstream media suddenly lose all interest in the story and declare him innocent?

Just one more thing on sanctuary cities.
If you rob a bank in a sanctuary city, is it illegal or is it just an undocumented withdrawal?

Just one more thing on the London “lone wolf” terror attack.
After the London “lone wolf” terrorist attack government officials have arrested at least eight other lone wolves who had conspired with the original lone wolf in planning the ‘Lone Wolf’ attack.  Even though all involved are Muslims, you can be assured, the lone wolf attack has nothing at all to do with Islam, just like the other 1000 plus lone wolf attacks by Muslims, are completely unassociated with Islam.

Just one more thing on Entitlements.
We should stop calling them “entitlements.”  Welfare, food stamps, WIC, etc. are not entitlements.  They are taxpayer-funded handouts, and shouldn’t be called entitlements at all.  Social Security and veterans benefits are entitlements because the people receiving them are entitled to them.  They were earned and paid for by the recipients.

Just one more thing on the Muslim Refugees.
If Muslims want to run away from a Muslim country, doesn’t that make them Islamophobic?

Just one more thing on The Women’s March.
If leftists don’t believe in biological gender, then why did they march for women’s rights?

Just one more thing on the Russians hacking the election.
How did the Russians get Debbie Wasserman Schultz and the DNC to steal the primary from Bernie Sanders?  How did Russia get Donna Brazile to leak debate questions to Hillary Clinton in advance of the debates?

Just one more thing on Democrats and the Electoral College.
Why is it that Democrats think super delegates are fine, but they have a problem with the Electoral College?

Just one more thing on Hillary’s speeches.
If Hillary’s speeches cost $250,000 an hour, how come no one shows up to her free ones?

He was a mature adult with a wife and a new baby.  He had a much firmer grasp of reality than his younger fellow students.

Man oh man, check out the nuts at Salt Lake Community College!  But with all the weirdo comments, there were several beautiful gems.

A grandchild’s life in the balance.  A middle-aged woman was taking pictures of our signs so she could show them to her pregnant 18-year-old daughter, Brittany.  She was worried, because her daughter had told her, “I could just get an abortion.”

This mother believed her daughter needed some encouragement and she was so happy we were there to provide evidence she could use to save her grandchild’s life.

Unwanted.  The pro-aborts insisted that it is best to kill the disabled, because no one wants them.  Hearing this, Dana teared up and told us that her late brother Alex had Down syndrome.  That day would have been his 17th birthday.  She missed her brother and wanted him back.

Black genocide.  In response to black abortion statistics a husband and father said, “Think about how that would have changed the demographic in the United States! … You’re looking at far more than 20 million people. … It’s a form of genocide for the black community.”

Accountability.  A young woman standing in the midst of the the nut job group asked a thoughtful question.  “When does accountability come in?  When does a person have to say, “I messed up and I have to take responsibility for my actions?”

Another young woman replied, “We don’t have education.”

“But that too is an excuse. When should we be held accountable for our actions?”  Her calm, quiet words disarmed the group and they didn’t have much of an argument for her.

Freedom of speech for all.  A Hispanic young man spoke with CBR’s Jackie Hawkins, “They told you to go away?  They want to take away your freedom of speech?  There’s a sign over there that says, ‘We don’t need another white man to tell us what to do with our bodies.’  What about me, a Mexican?  What about a woman or a black person?  To me it makes no sense at all.  I appreciate you guys expressing what you believe in.”

It makes sense.  A red haired young man said to the pro-abortion group, “I used to be with you guys, but I talked to them and it makes sense.”

Heard in passing.

• “It’s just so powerful. There’s really no argument that you can make after seeing this.”  (female student)
• “I totally agree with you.” (female student)
• “I’m glad you guys are doing this.” (female student)

Who’s your boss?  At the end of the day, a maintenance worker popped out of her utility buggy and called out the pro-aborts, “You guys think these guys are racist?!  Do you know the roots of Planned Parenthood?  Planned Parenthood is racist!”

The compassionate, caring, tolerant crowd were enraged.  “Are you on the clock?  Who do you work for?  We can get you fired!”

“I don’t care,” she shot back.  “You can’t fire me, I’m working for the Lord!”

Amen.  So do we.  And as long as both the Lord and you are willing, we will keep winning hearts, changing minds, and saving lives!  But you have to be willing.  Please support our work or we have to stay home.

Thank you.  Please keep praying.

A pro-abortion crowd gathered across the walkway from GAP. The more vocal ones made sure we had many opportunities to explain the pro-life position to their more open-minded classmates.

Never believe propaganda.  Salt Lake City claims to be the gayest city in America, but they weren’t happy at all, not after we got there.  More fake news.  Anyway, the deception was strong at Salt Lake Community College.  The students were of average intelligence.  But when it comes to the deeds of darkness, willful ignorance is hard to overcome.

Not very safe.  Salt Lake Community College (SLCC) was one of many schools that created a “safe space” for students who would be disturbed by GAP.  GAP team member Don Blythe went to investigate.  Nobody was around, so he ate all their cookies.

Don has been trying to lose some weight, so that space wasn’t safe for him … but we don’t want to get into that.

Um … could you repeat that?  Early on Day 1, a large group of students gathered on the grass across the walkway.  Several of us went over to speak with them.  We heard lots of extremely silly comments:

• “You are persuading people to say, ‘If this is what abortion is, then I don’t want this!’  You are bad.”  (Bad?  Maybe so, but also effective, apparently.)
• “You aren’t giving us facts; you are giving us quotes.”  (He did actually say that.  And that’s a fact … or maybe a quote … not too sure which.)
• (When we quoted from a medical school embryology textbook,) “That’s just according to your religious beliefs.”  (Embryology is theology.  Who knew?)
• “Planned Parenthood does everything possible to prevent abortion.  That’s the primary goal of Planned Parenthood.”
• “Convincing a woman not to have an abortion is an act of violence!”
• “Slavery has a long history.  Abortion doesn’t.  So you can’t compare the two.”
• “We ask you the same questions again and again and you keep giving us the same answers over and over!”
• “Statistics from 2014 are too old to use in 2017.  Facts change every day.”  (And, after all, as all good Southerners know, tomorrow is another day!)
• “It’s wrong to use someone else’s history to make a point.”  (Is there any history that doesn’t belong to somebody else?)
• “You don’t present all sides. People will come here and get ideas about abortion!”  Oh…so that’s what happens when we show pictures?  Who knew?)
• “These pictures hurt my heart.  I have kids but that doesn’t mean we can take women’s rights away!”
• “We don’t abort children because we hate them, it’s because the circumstances are difficult.”  (So, that means if picking cotton is difficult, then slavery is OK?)
• “Why is it wrong to kill another human being?  That sounds like a moral implication.”

Ad hominem.  A very angry man barked at CBR’s Kevin Olivier, “This shouldn’t be here!  You’re not a woman, you can’t get pregnant, you have nothing to say about abortion!”  Kevin asked, “Are you against rape?” Man: “Yes!”  Kevin: “Have you ever been raped?”  Man: “No!”  Kevin:  “Then how can you be against rape?”

Man: “That’s different; rape is an act of violence against another person.” Kevin: “And abortion is an act of violence against another person. That’s what these signs show you.”

He had no answer, so he changed the subject, “You’re lucky you’re at a school where things are calm. You should try doing this in Portland.”

Little did he know our team would be at Portland State University less than two weeks later!

Mik’aela Raymond

We are pleased to welcome Mik’aela Raymond of Monroe, North Carolina to the CBR family.  Mik’aela is a graduate of Liberty University, having earned one BS degree in International Business and another in Market Research and Analysis.

As a freshman, Mik’aela knew very little about abortion, but after seeing Choice Blues (CBR’s graphic abortion video) and learning the staggering number of children being killed every year, she was motivated to join the student pro-life organization.

Sadly, pro-life activism at Liberty University gets almost zero support from the Administration and most of her classmates at Liberty did not at all support her efforts.  At best they were apathetic, but quite often they were antagonistic.

Later that year, Mik’aela attended a CBR student training conference in Virginia, along with a carload of other Liberty students she brought with her.  At this conference, she learned why CBR projects are so effective.

When she graduated three years later, she felt God calling her to pro-life activism.  She answered, and we thank God for her.

Welcome aboard, Mik’aela!  We’re expecting great things from you!

If you’d like to support Mik’aela (or any of our staff), it’s quick, easy, and secure to support CBR online.  Whatever you can do will make a huge difference.  To support Mik’aela’s work, designate your gift for “Carolina Project Director (SE-MAR).”

GAP at East Tennessee State University.

In response to GAP at East Tennessee State University, Lindsey King, Opinion Editor at ET Online, examined our handout, How Can You Compare Abortion to Genocide?  Her piece, Examining the “abortion is genocide” pamphlet, flunked the exam.

She starts with an ad hominem attack on Rabbie Yehuda Levin, whom we quote in the passage.  He said

Each form of genocide, whether Holocaust, lynching, abortion, etc., differs from all the others in the motives and methods of its perpetrators.  But each form of genocide is identical to all the others in that it involves the systematic slaughter, as state sanctioned “choice,” of innocent, defenseless victims — while denying their “personhood.”

It seems that, according to Ms. King and the Southern Poverty Law Center (a left-wing hate group), Rabbi Levin is not qualified to talk about genocide because he is an Orthodox Jewish Rabbi who quotes passages from the Talmud (which offend modern ears).  Interesting claim.

We also quote Elizabeth Cady Stanton:

When we consider that women are treated as property, it is degrading to women that we should treat our children as property to be disposed of as we see fit.

Ms. King claims that there’s no evidence that Stanton ever said these words.  It would be more correct to say that the letter in which these remarks appeared cannot be found.  We found multiple independent sources which believe this to be an accurate quote, including here and here.  Further, there can be little credible doubt that Ms. Stanton and other feminists of her day were anti-abortion, which is really the point.

Ms. King also disputes the claim by embryology textbooks that each human life begins at fertilization, as chronicled here in great detail: When Does Human Life Begin?  She says that medical scientists should not be consulted on questions of medical science.  She says questions of science are for the philosopher to answer.  In other words, facts don’t matter.

Ms. King knows that she has no arguments to justify decapitating and dismembering little human beings, so she appeals to opinion editors who say we can’t really know if the growing human fetus with arms and legs and fingers and toes is really alive or not.

She links to a short video about personhood that perfectly illustrates our point.  The speaker doesn’t pick a side, but at the end of the video, he invites the viewer to

… try to figure out what you believe constitutes personhood.  As you consider the factors that you think are most important, be careful how you cast your net.  Make sure you include everyone you think should be included and exclude those you think should be excluded.

Bingo.  In other words, be sure to include yourself, but exclude the intended victim group.  Where have we seen that before?  Over and over again, perpetrators of genocide have redefined personhood in terms that excluded the intended victim class.  Over and over again, these victims were either in the way or had something that the perpetrators wanted.

Ms. King goes on to argue that because many (she claims as many as 50 percent) embryos die of natural causes very early in pregnancy, personhood should not be conferred at fertilization.  But the premise does not support the conclusion.  Most people die of natural causes at some point; that doesn’t justify killing them.

Finally, she avoids the question of when she believes personhood begins.  She doesn’t like our view that all human beings deserve equal protection, but she should tell us where she would draw the line between human beings who may be killed and human beings who must be protected.  And she should tell us what criteria she would use to draw that line.  In so doing, she should remember that every time we draw such lines, we get ourselves in moral trouble.

We strongly agree with Ms. King on one point:

Examine the information and arguments that are presented, think critically, [and] do your own research.

Amen.  Start here: www.AbortionNo.org.  And here: www.Abort73.com.

Welcome Joanna Keilson!

We are pleased to welcome Joanna Keilson of Cary, North Carolina to the CBR family.  Joanna is a graduate of UNC Greensboro, having earned her BS degree in Public Health Education.

Pro-life activism is in Joanna’s DNA.  Her mother helped start one of the first crisis pregnancy centers in Maryland.  While a student, Joanna led the campus arm of the Greensboro Pregnancy Care Center.

After graduation, she began to explore career options.  For years, she felt God tugging at her heart.  But the abortion thing?  Really?  She knew somebody should do something, but couldn’t it be somebody else?  Or maybe child sacrifice would just fix itself.  Yeah, right.

She was planning to go back to school and perhaps become a doctor, but then she met CBR at a national conference.  [Note: your checks to CBR make it possible for us to meet outstanding young people like Joanna and bring them into our movement.]

It was a real tug-of-war between CBR and med school, and the children won out!

Welcome aboard, Joanna!  We’re expecting great things from you!

If you’d like to share in this work, it’s quick, easy, and secure to support CBR online.  Whatever you can do will make a huge difference.   To support Joanna’s work, designate your gift for “Carolina Project Director (SE-JLK).”

by Gregg Cunningham

CBR strongly believes that a post-abortive woman is abortion’s second victim, and that abortion already punishes women with tragic severity without ever prosecuting them.

We understand experientially that every woman who aborts knows that what she is doing is wrong, but few understand how wrong.  The humanity of the child is systematically hidden from her by society.  The inhumanity of abortion is methodically hidden from her by society.  Women are lied to about prenatal development and abortion by their teachers, the press, and the entire medical establishment.  The pro-life movement and even the church have unwittingly conspired with Planned Parenthood to hide the horror of abortion.

We allow them to be lied to and then some would punish them for believing the lie?  Where is the love in that betrayal?

Countless pregnant women have told us they have changed their minds about “pregnancy termination” when shown the inexpressible evil of abortion.  Countless post-abortive women have told us they would have never aborted had someone shown them that truth before instead of after they aborted.

The Centers For Disease Control report that nearly half of all abortions are performed on women who have already had one or more previous abortion.  Post-abortive women are among those most at risk of aborting, and are, therefore, among those in greatest need of seeing our deeply disturbing abortion photos – lest they do it again!

These women are not without fault, but it is moral fault, not criminal fault.  The remedy is spiritual, not penal.  They are often panic-stricken.  Many are being coerced by threats of abandonment made by boyfriends, fathers, husbands, etc., who say “This pregnancy will ruin your life!”  What they really mean is “This pregnancy will ruin my life!”

It is, thankfully, impossibly unlikely that the public (even the pro-life public) would support the enactment of criminal penalties regarding post-abortive women.  The mere attempt to enact such legislation would forever discredit our movement.

The enactment of such an insensitive penalty would merely be a pyrrhic victory for the most vindictive among us, because police would virtually never be willing to arrest post-abortive women; prosecutors wouldn’t charge them; juries wouldn’t convict them; and judges wouldn’t imprison them.

Society has already entered into a period of shocking lawlessness when authorities are refusing to enforce enormous numbers of laws.  All that would result from the futile prosecutions of post-abortive women would be a black eye for pro-lifers whose lack of compassion would confirm the accusations that we are misogynous bullies who hypocritically claim to care about the suffering of post-abortive women and then brutalize them as savagely as the abortion industry.

Gregg Cunningham is the Executive Director of the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform (CBR) and a frequent contributor to FAB.

by Nicole Cooley

Abortion is child sacrifice. (Click for a larger image.)

As part-time staff for the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform (CBR), I knew Molech would appear at the March for Life (MFL) this year.  Marching with my oldest sons and pro-life friends from church, CBR’s latest MFL exhibit assaulted our eyes and our ears like nothing I’d ever experienced.

Unlike my CBR colleagues, I didn’t know what to expect.  I was unprepared for the horrific Molech exhibit, just like everybody else.  We had no idea what we were marching into.

Combined sign panels produced an image of a priest of Molech holding two screaming babies about to be placed in the outstretched, red hot arms and hands of the huge brass idol.  The image was 12 feet high and 24 feet wide.  I saw an aborted baby’s hand, blinked, and read the words, “Abortion is Child Sacrifice.”  Then, another larger-than-life portrait, this one depicting Satan. This image was 15 feet high.  My eyes looked away after a brief glance.  Meanwhile, my ears recoiled from the sound of babies crying from CBR’s speakers on both ends of the exhibit.

A short time later, CBR’s Maggie Egger interviewed me on camera.  She asked, “Is abortion child sacrifice?”  My answer flowed easily, recapping my personal history of rape and abortion, and for the first time making the connection, with my own words, that I had sacrificed my child in order to be healed from rape.  Believing a lie from my pastor who urged me to abort, I learned the hard way that abortion would not help me heal, but would compound the trauma and make healing infinitely more difficult.

In the days following the March, I rapidly struggled to make sense of it all.  Perhaps more so than most, because Facebook acquaintances demanded an explanation, one that I didn’t have at first. In the early hours of Sunday morning, God woke me with the thought, “You have now marched to the altar of Molech.”

After searching the Scripture for references to Molech, and finding an article by Gregg Cunningham on the topic of child sacrifice, I began to understand.  Had CBR not assaulted me, I doubt I would have ever done so otherwise.  Even with the fourteen revisions of Gregg’s article in my email archives, nothing had compelled me to dig further until the MFL.

As a result of marching to Molech, I now have a deeper understanding of abortion as Biblical child sacrifice.  I do not relish the path to this insight; I’m ashamed it took that much to make me want to really study Biblical child sacrifice for myself.  I previously knew about Biblical child sacrifice on an intellectual level.  Now my heart understood as well.

Consider this: Simon Sebag Montefiore, international best-selling author of the history text Jerusalem, says:

Most dreadful of all, … [Manasseh] encouraged the sacrifice of children at the roaster — the Tophet — in the Valley of Hinnom, south of the city [of Jerusalem].  Indeed “he made his own pass through the fire….”  Children were said to be taken there as priests beat drums to hide the shrieks of the victims from their parents.  (Vintage Books, 2011, p. 44)

Those of us who participated in the MFL this year have now seen Scripture revealed as plainly as possible.

God’s people in the Old Testament eventually tore down the altars to Molech at Tobeth (2 Kings 23:10).  It’s far past time for His people in the United States to do the same to our altars to Molech, most notably our largest abortion provider, Planned Parenthood.  Instead of trying to justify their existence through Planned Parenthood’s imaginary “good” services, it’s time to tear them down once and for all.  Eliminating over half a billion dollars in federal funding will be a great start towards that goal.

I’m told the MFL is supposed to be a celebration of life instead of a funeral for the lost.  The other side doesn’t fear our celebration of life.  They do fear our real mourning for the over 58 million lives lost to abortion, because that passion could mean their own demise.  Which view would motivate pro-life people more to make a difference in the coming year for life?

Nicole Cooley is a CBR Project Director and a FAB contributor.

by Fletcher Armstrong

Continuing our See you in the funny papers series (explanation), this one from the Grand Valley State University Lanthorn.

No Name:  How dare they compare abortion to the Holocaust. Nothing should every be compared to the Holocaust. … You can’t compare abortion to genocide.  They are two completely different things and trying to do so invalidates people who have survived through genocide or are going through it right now.  Also, the pictures that they put on display can be triggering for many students, faculty, and families who are touring the school.

CBR Response:  No Name, Martin Luther King, Jr. often compared racial injustice in America to the Holocaust.  Rev. Jesse Jackson later extended the comparison to abortion.  Both of them cited some of the same factors that we highlight in our display, including denial of personhood, dehumanization of the victims, etc.  They didn’t “invalidate” anybody when they made these comparisons.  They merely pointed out common themes.

BTW, this talk about “triggering” is nothing more than a plea for censorship.  You say that you think it’s OK for us to voice our opinions, but you think it goes too far when we provide evidence which proves our claim that abortion decapitates and dismembers little human beings.

Why do you want this evidence covered up?  How can it be that it is OK to decapitate and dismember little human beings, but not OK to show a picture of the result?

by Jacqueline Hawkins

Based on what I heard at Mizzou and elsewhere, I’m starting to realize there are two kinds of racism.

Hard racism is the obvious, in-your-face, “We hate black people.  Lynch them!  Enslave them!  ARGH!!!” kind of racism.  This racism is typical of cultural elites like Margret Sanger, KKK members, and neo-nazi skinheads.

But there is another kind of racism: soft racism.  Instead of being fueled by hatred, it seems to come from a pseudo-compassion for the plight of a lesser species.  It’s like the soft spot a pet owner might have for animals.

Mixed with the abortion/population control movement, soft racism has become more dangerous than the harder kind.  It lulls black people into a false sense of security, even as they annihilate their own race, one black baby at a time.  Meanwhile, soft-racist white people feel a sense of accomplishment, because it shows they “care” for the poor, downtrodden blacks.

Take a look at a few choice statements I’ve heard during our campus visits:

p My college roommate, in a gentle, sweet voice drenching with concern about the rate of illegitimate births in the black community, “They don’t know how to use birth control.”

In other words:  Blacks are apparently too stupid to figure out how to take a pill everyday.  (I’m not advocating usage of the pill nor premarital “safe” sex for any race, but the principle of taking a pill everyday is not that hard to wrap your mind around.)

p “I agree we shouldn’t kill children. But not everyone is equipped to take care of a baby.  Minorities need this option,” said a protester during Created Equal’s University of North Florida outreach.

In other words:  While killing children is bad, black people are so bad off that slaughtering their own children is the best option.

p Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders said, “When you’re white, you don’t know what it’s like to be living in a ghetto. … You don’t know what it’s like to be poor.”

Implication:  A double whammy.  Black people only know a life of poverty, but white people eat caviar at the country club.

p As reported in a recent story about microaggressions at Mizzou, white students at the University of Missouri said, “We don’t like that you’re tokenizing minorities!”  And, “You shouldn’t use minorities to further your agenda!”

In other words:  Blacks are too stupid to know their own minds, so their views must be assigned to them by their white benefactors.

p And finally, at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, a young white man repeatedly berated me for being token who had betrayed her own race.

In other words:  Blacks who don’t accept their assigned thoughts, words, and/or deeds must be put back in their places.

When I think about these comments, I feel like I’m in the Twilight Zone.  It’s patronizing.  It’s insulting.  These folks are not entirely without concern and empathy, but it’s not the compassion you might feel it for someone you see as an equal.  Some of these folks seem to see us as lesser beings.  They take pride in shouldering the white man’s burden.

Jacqueline Hawkins is a CBR Project Director and a regular FAB contributor.

by Fletcher Armstrong

Continuing our See you in the funny papers series (explanation), this one from the Grand Valley State University Lanthorn.

Science Student:  You can play with words all you want, but your side will ultimately lose this argument.  It’s inevitable as older generations of voters die-off.

CBR Response:  In other words, if society allows you to decapitate and dismember, then you win the argument and you are perfectly justified in committing the act.  Might makes right.  You say, “We can kill, so we will, and you will lose.”  Gee, where have we heard that before?

I cannot say which view will prevail.  For many years, the pro-slavery view prevailed.  That doesn’t mean it was morally acceptable to enslave another person.

Lincoln Brandenburg, CBR Project Director, Georgia

by Lincoln Brandenburg:

I’ve debated posting my thoughts on the Orlando terrorist attack.  Like many, I was outraged and deeply saddened on Sunday morning to hear of such a senseless, cowardly act of hate.

Like many, I have strong opinions on how we should respond to such disregard for the lives of others.  There are questions and exhortations to be had in terms of public policy, ideology and (not mentioned often enough) personal responsibility.

I may hash some of those opinions out in the days to come.  But in the meantime, I’ll leave it with this:

I don’t care if you’re different than me.  I don’t care if we disagree with each other’s lifestyles, politics or religion.  You are a valuable human being with dignity.  Your life matters, simply because you are a fellow human.  And I like to think that, given the chance, I would stand up for you if your life were in danger.

When Christ reiterated the greatest commandment, “Love your neighbor,” he was asked by a sly lawyer, “and who is my neighbor?”  Christ proceeded to tell the well-known story of the Good Samaritan.  In doing so, he placed two people who were culturally, racially and religiously very different side-by-side as neighbors.  The implications are obvious.

Sadly, Mr. Mateen was devoid of this kind of love for others.  Whether you want to blame radical Islam or guns for this horrible tragedy, one thing is clear: Mr. Mateen was filled with hate for others.  By all means, let’s hash out the tough issues.  But as we do so, let’s not stoop to the level of this coward.  Let’s advocate for our positions.  But let’s also listen to each other without demonizing each other.

Lincoln Brandenburg is a Project Director for CBR and regular contributor to FAB. 

by Fletcher Armstrong

Continuing our See you in the funny papers series (explanation), this one from the Grand Valley State University Lanthorn.

Observer:  People on both sides of the issue spent half their time trash talking people who opposed them instead of keeping it to the issue.  The pro-lifers compared the pro-choicers to Germans who ignored the Holocaust, while pro-choicers compared pro-lifers to racists who fought to keep public schools segregated.  This constant mud-slinging contest is exactly why people don’t like talking about important issues.

CBR Response:   Observer, thanks for your comment.  We did not invent the comparison of abortion to the Holocaust and slavery.  Martin Luther King, Jr. often compared racial injustice in America to the Holocaust.  Rev. Jesse Jackson later extended the comparison to abortion.  Both of them cited some of the same factors that we highlight in our display, including denial of personhood, dehumanization of the victims, etc.  But it would be wrong to accuse them of “trash-talking”.

It isn’t trash-talking to point out that perpetrators of genocide always redefine personhood in terms that exclude the intended victim class.  Our Supreme Court declared preborn children to be non-persons in the 1973 Roe v Wade decision, applying a developmental criteria (trimesters).  The Court did the same thing in 1857, by declaring Black men and women to be “subordinate and inferior” beings.  The Nazi court declared Jews to be non-persons in 1936.

Another common theme is the language used to dehumanize the intended victims.  For example, Nazis called their victims rats, pigs, vermin, and untermensch (subhuman).  We all know the language used to dehumanize Black men and women in this country.  So what do we call preborn children.  A wanted preborn child is called a “baby” — “look at the ultrasound of my baby” — but an unwanted preborn child is never a baby, but is often referred to as a “parasite”, “blob of cells”, “products of conception”, etc.

These are all true historical facts.  Stating facts is not mud-slinging.

Of course, these facts have relevance only if the preborn child is a living human being, but science tells us that the preborn child is both human (not a pig, cow, or horse) and alive (not dead, but growing).  So can anyone tell us why it OK to decapitate and dismember some human beings and not others?  And what criteria is appropriate to decide which human beings may be decapitated and dismembered and which may not?

by Fletcher Armstrong

Continuing our See you in the funny papers series (explanation), this one from the Grand Valley State University Lanthorn.

Science Student:  Your “movement” implies that those who have had abortions are “murderers” and compares them to those who oversaw the holocaust [i.e. “Nazis”].

CBR Response:  We explicitly state that women who have had abortions may not be compared to Nazis.  In fact, aborting mothers are often more victim than perpetrator.  They’ve been lied to.  Many face enormous pressure and even threats of abandonment (or worse) by irresponsible or predatory males who should be supporting them.  Some “choice.”

We compare abortion to the Holocaust because in both cases, (1) the victims are denied rights of personhood, (2) perpetrators use dehumanizing terms to describe the people they intend to kill, etc.  But we also compare slavery to the Holocaust, for all the same reasons.  Does that mean that we believe George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and William Clark were as evil as Nazis, because they owned slaves?  Of course not.  These men are personal heroes of mine, but they were very wrong about a grave moral issue.  They grew up in a society in which slavery was an accepted part of daily life.

Perpetrators of genocide almost always discount the humanity of their victims.