Abortion Warning Label

You may have heard about the new regulations on tobacco packaging that have been promulgated by the US Department of Health & Human Services.  They are saying what we have said all along.  Pictures work!

Here are some points and counterpoints.  Please comment.

Frequency.  21% of Americans smoke.

• 43% of women have abortions.

Deaths.  Smoking and other tobacco use is the “number one cause of preventable death” in America, claiming more than 440,000 lives a year, according to HHS Sec. Kathleen Sebelius.

• Actually, abortion is the number one cause of preventable death in America, claiming more than 1.2 million lives every year.

Verbal warnings not effective.  HHS believes current verbal warning labels are not as effective as they need to be, because they are ignored.

• Debates and speeches will not end abortion, because they are ignored.

Knowledge.  “With these warnings, every person who picks up a pack of cigarettes is going to know exactly what risk they’re taking.” (HHS Sec. Kathleen Sebelius)

• When people see abortion photos, they will know exactly what they are doing.

Gross factor.  “They are [really gross].  We want kids to understand smoking is gross, not cool.” (HHS Sec. Kathleen Sebelius)

• We want kids to understand killing preborn children is gross, not cool.

Immunity.  People have become immune to the old labels and really didn’t see them anymore. (Thomas Glynn, American Cancer Soc.)

• People don’t think about abortion in any kind of analytical way. Even “pro-life” Christians have become complacent about abortion and really don’t pay any attention to it.

Reminder that smoking kills.  “For smokers, it’s a new and very visible reminder that smoking can harm them, harm people around them, including children.” (Thomas Glynn, American Cancer Soc.)

• For abortion-vulnerable parents, abortion images are a very visible reminder that abortion kills their children.

Images are for everyone.  “For nonsmokers, it’s a reminder that smokers need their help and concern as far as quitting. The labels are not just for smokers, the labels are for anyone interested in public health.” (Thomas Glynn, American Cancer Soc.)

• For people not personally at risk of abortion, graphic images are a reminder that women and families need their help in choosing life. The images aren’t just for mothers, the images are for everyone interested in any mother’s wellbeing and that of her children.

People responding.  The American Lung Association says that calls to their stop-smoking hotline have spiked since the publicity over the new images.

• The first time abortion images appeared at the University of Tennessee, 9 women chose life (that we know about).

Staring them in the face.  “For decades, Big Tobacco got away with slick marketing campaigns that fooled the public into thinking smoking was glamorous – and now we’re turning the tables on them. Each time a smoker reaches for a pack of cigarettes, the deadly truth will be staring them in the face.” (US Sen. Frank Lautenberg)

• For decades, Big Abortion got away with slick marketing campaigns that fooled the public into thinking that abortion was not a horrific act of violence, and now we’re turning the tables on them. Each time an abortion-vulnerable person sees one of our signs, the deadly truth will be staring them in the face.

Tags: abortion pictures, CBR, Center for Bio-Ethical Reform, graphic images, tobacco

This entry was posted on Monday, June 27th, 2011 at 8:26 pm and is filed under Pro Life, Pro Life Strategy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.