The abortion industry has been gloating over a new Gallup poll that claims half of all Americans identify themselves as “pro-choice.”  But the devil for the pro-aborts is in the details.

You don’t have to drill down very far to see that 55% of Americans agree that abortion should be completely illegal or legal only in a few circumstances.  Only 42% say abortion should be legal under most or all circumstances.

Apparently, many Americans don’t know what they mean by “pro-choice” or “pro-life.”  For example, 4% of those who described themselves as “pro-choice” said that abortion should be illegal in all circumstances.  Not sure what they were smoking.  (Come to think of it, that 4% is roughly equal to the percentage of Americans who live where marijuana is legal; hmmmmm.)

Anyway, a full 23% of self-described “pro-choicers” said abortion should be legal in only a few circumstances.  Hardly your classical “pro-choice” position.

Always look at the details.

The Knoxville News Sentinel printed part of my letter, but here is the entire letter.

The abortion debate is usually quite polarized, so people are always asking me, “Isn’t there some room for common ground between pro-life and pro-choice?” I never thought so until now, but clearly, Amendment 1 is that common ground.

People on both sides agree that abortion facilities should be licensed and inspected. Amendment 1 allows that to happen.

People on both sides agree that women should never be coerced into having abortions, yet the Elliot Institute reports that as many as 60% of abortions are coerced (Forced Abortion in America, accessed online). Amendment 1 allows measures to curtail unwanted coercion.

People on both sides agree that women should be given all the information regarding medical risks and alternatives to abortion, yet the Elliot Institute reports that 79% of women were not told of available resources.

If you follow the money, the big money against Amendment 1 is coming from the abortion industry. Go figure. But most people agree that regulatory oversight is important and necessary to ensure women’s health.

by Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey

Tennessee is one of the best-managed states in the nation. Our budget is balanced every year, we have cut taxes and our recent education reforms are the envy of other states.

Due to its many attractive qualities, Tennessee has become a great magnet: for retirees looking for a place to spend their golden years, for working people looking to escape states that bleed their earning through state income taxes and for entrepreneurs looking to take advantage of our business-friendly environment.

Unfortunately, there is another reason people come to Tennessee that is not cause for celebration: our liberal abortion laws.

In fact, just a few days ago, the New York Times asked in a headline whether Tennessee was the “abortion capital of the bible belt.” It is my hope that Tennesseans will go to the polls Nov. 4 and vote YES on Amendment 1 so that question will never be asked again — rhetorically or otherwise.

The origin of this amendment is rooted in a Tennessee Supreme Court decision which asserted Tennessee’s Constitution prevents the legislature from passing common-sense laws regarding abortion. Planned Parenthood v. Sundquist (2000) resulted in the removal of three protections passed by the General Assembly: informed consent, a 48-hour waiting period and a requirement that late term abortions be performed in a hospital setting. A fourth protection passed after the ruling that would have required state inspection of abortion facilities and licensure of providers was also struck down.

So in Tennessee, hairdressers and exterminators are licensed and inspected – but there is no oversight of people who perform abortions.

The lies told by those who oppose Amendment 1 are cynical and misleading. They insinuate the amendment could end legal abortion in Tennessee. It does no such thing. The amendment would merely allow the legislature to pass common sense laws regarding abortion that many, many other states have passed. Nothing more.

These measures have widespread support. While the extreme liberal activists at the Tennessee Democratic Party are spreading half-truths and conspiracy theories, the fact is Amendment 1 has support across ideological and party lines. Amendment 1 passed the legislature by wide margins.

That means legislators, Democrat and Republican, pro-life and pro-choice, believe Tennesseans should have the final say.

Those who support unrestricted, unregulated abortion on demand are trying to make Amendment 1 a litmus test on whether one believes in legal abortion. It is not.

This issue is beyond simplistic labels. Personally, I am pro-life and believe that abortion is the killing of an innocent human life. But even those who believe abortion should remain legal think the practice should be safe, legal and rare.

This amendment does not eliminate the right to choose; it simply allows us to join with other states to pass common sense laws that protect women and ensure their safety.

Many Tennesseans are decidedly pro-life and some are militantly pro-abortion but a plurality are somewhere in between. Polls indicate that nearly half of the electorate falls somewhere between the two polar extremes. This amendment not only brings us in line with a majority of other states, it allows us to put safeguards in place on which most reasonable people can agree.

According to the Department of Health, nearly one-fourth of women having abortions in Tennessee were from out of state. Tennessee should be known for its scenic vistas and pro-business economy, not for having the most liberal abortion laws in the southeast.

Vote Yes on Amendment 1 and bring common sense back to the abortion discussion in Tennessee.

FAB contributor Ron Ramsey also serves as the Tennessee Lt. Governor and Speaker of the Senate … in his spare time.

Pro-lifers voted for Gov. Haslam in 2010 and would do it again.  But this year, many will skip the Tennessee governor’s race altogether.  Why?

Because a vote for governor (any candidate) will be a half-vote against pro-life Amendment 1.  The Tennessean explains in this article.  According to the Tennessean … and have no fear, they are correct this time …:

 That logic … hinges on a provision in the state constitution that outlines the threshold an amendment must get for it to succeed — a majority of the votes cast in the gubernatorial election regardless of the number of votes cast on the amendment.

Watch this video and pass it on!

Michelle Anderson at Oakland University (on the right) is an  up-and-coming leader for the pro-life movement.

Next stop for this Spring’s massive Genocide Awareness Project (GAP) tour was Oakland University (OU) in Auburn Hills, Michigan, a northern suburb of Detroit.

Like most suburban universities, OU is relatively new (established 1957) and is growing by leaps and bounds.  Students are more likely to commute and less likely to be involved in student activism.  The OU Students for Life (SFL) are a refreshing exception to that rule.

Under the leadership of Michelle Anderson, the OU SFL has become a force on OU’s campus.  They have hosted a number of big events on campus, including an appearance by Rebecca Kiessling  and a major debate with the pro-abortion club.  And now, they have hosted GAP.

Media Coverage:

• Two-day project shocks campus, draws protest
• Graphic Image
• WARNING GRAPHIC: Genocide On Campus (see video at bottom of page)

More to come.

Abortion touches many people in surprising ways.  (Message written on our Free Speech Board, near the GAP display.)

CBR Virginia Project Director Maggie Egger explains how unwanted people are killed by “choice.”

The Carolina Students for Life (CSFL) hosted our Pro Life Training Academy (PLTA) and Genocide Awareness Project (GAP) in late March.  It was our third trip to Chapel Hill.  We gotta do this more often!

Due to a turf restoration project on Polk Place, the normal venue for displays like GAP, CSFL reserved a very visible space just outside the Wilson Library.

Co-Presidents Julie and Emily Ascik are very effective leaders who labored long and hard to convince the CSFL members to host GAP.  As it turned out, some of the opposition came from “members” who rarely bother to do very much at all (other than obstruct, apparently).  Fortunately, several younger members stepped up and CSFL’s future looks bright indeed.

Media coverage:

• Letter: Abortion should be considered genocide
• Letter: Abortion letter was ignorant and hateful
• Letter: A pro-life response to the abortion letter
• Letter: Thoughts on Israel and abortion
• Letter: The missing element in abortion debates
• Controversial anti-abortion protest on UNC campus
• Visual tactics of anti-abortion protest in front of Wilson Library questioned
• Letter: Abortion display was in bad taste
• Students protest anti-abortion display on campus
• UNC students protest anti-abortion advertisements (video with excellent commentary by CBR’s Maggie Egger)
• Opinion: Winston Crisp’s email was not sent to enough people
• USA Today: Anti-abortion group sparks controversy on UNC campus
• Letter: Equal access to contraception is key
• Letter: Thoughts on the abortion display
• Quickhits for April 3, 2014:  Why so serious?
• Column: Public displays of revulsion
• Letter: Abortion images were simply the truth

Julie and Emily aren’t the only pro-life warriors in their family.  Older brother Peter was President of the Students for Life at the U of Georgia when they hosted GAP in 2010.

More to come.

GAP in front of Wilson Library. Note more signs to right side of stairway.

We handed out nearly 4,000 brochures!

Like water gushing around a river rock,  herds of young people swarmed past our signs, on their way into and out of the Passion Conference.  How would they respond?

“I’ve never seen these pictures before…  I didn’t realize abortion was this bad!”  Some were arrested by the pictures of abortion victims.  They stopped and responded with compassion,  wanting to know how they could help.

Our volunteers and staff were glad to speak with them and even prayed with some.  We showed them how to win hearts, change minds, and save lives in their own churches and schools.  One young woman,  herself a pro-life advocate,  was very grateful and moved by our outreach.  After speaking with us at length, she turned to a group of fellow conference-goers and pleaded with them, “We need to pay attention to this message.  This is just as important as human trafficking!”

What does God think about this? CBR volunteers David Harbin and Todd Childers discuss with a passerby.

Some were not so happy to see us, and they told us so!  An Atlanta police officer even rolled down his patrol car window and blared through a bullhorn, “You people are doing a great job scaring folks with these disgusting pictures!”  His negativity was a positive sign … that he needed to see our message!  We pray that his disgust with the exposers of abortion will be transformed into compassion for the victims of abortion.

The most common response we saw was no response.  Many of the young students of Passion had not thought much about abortion before.  It is likely that many of them internalized their thoughts, rather than speak with us.  And that’s OK.  They will remember the images of abortion victims long after the conference.  God will use what they saw to work in their hearts over time.

Sadly though, many of these young Christians were noticeably apathetic about the injustice they were seeing.  One young man, when asked what he thought about the display, replied with disgust, “I’m on my way to dinner right now!”  Many tried to ignore us, declining or throwing away our literature.  Our volunteers were grieved to tears by the scores of Laodicean responses.  How could so many Christians be “neither hot nor cold” about the killing of innocent preborn children?

Was our outreach at Passion effective?  Thousands of Christian’s eyes were opened to the injustice.  The empathetic were galvanized.  The apathetic can no longer trivialize.  And at least one baby was saved (see Passion Part 2).  Decide for yourself, but your humble corespondant would say it was definitely effective!

“You may choose to look the other way, but you can never again say that you did not know.” – William Wilberforce

See Passion Part 3 for one of our most encouraging responses!

Submitted by: Lincoln Brandenburg

Nearly every attendee saw one of our photos and was offered an explanation of why we displayed abortion photos at the Passion Conference.

Picture this:  20,000 Christian young people, all gathered under one roof.  Worshiping, praying and hearing the Word from Louie Gigglio, John Piper, Francis Chan, and others.  This is the Passion Conference, an annual gathering in Atlanta.

Passion challenges young people to raise awareness of modern-day slavery, an evil that beggars the imagination.  For weeks after the conference, attendees use social media, bracelets, and bumper stickers to “shine a light” on slavery.

But there is a victim whose voice has not been heard at Passion.  It is the voice of preborn children.  Here is the irony: It is unlikely that any Passion attendee will ever be tempted to buy a slave, but many of them will certainly be tempted to kill their own children (or know someone who will be).  According to the Guttmacher Institute, 1 in 5 abortions are performed on evangelical or born-again Christians.

What could happen if these young people were as fired up to “shine a light” on the killing of preborn people as they are about the enslavement of born people?  While most of them can do little to actually free human slaves, they can do much to stop the killing of preborn children in their own churches and communities.

With this vision in mind, CBR staff conducted an all-day outreach on the sidewalks near Philips Arena, where Passion 2014 took place.  Displaying “Choice” signs at nearly every entrance to Philips Arena, nearly all of the 20,000 attendees would see our signs during the day.  We gave out nearly 4,000 of our new “Why This? Why Here?” brochure, which exhorts Christians to take a stand.

How did Passion attendees respond?  See “Passion Part 2” to find out!

Members of Operation Outcry and Georgia Right to Life helped CBR reach thousands of Christian students at Passion 2014.

Submitted by: Lincoln Brandenburg, CBR Georgia Project Director

CBR volunteers show what “family planning” looks like to NEA delegates.

On Monday morning, July 1st, delegates of the National Education Association’s (NEA) annual assembly were in for an eyeful as they made their way to the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.

CBR volunteers from all over Georgia stood at the intersection of Andrew Young International Boulevard and Marietta Street with CBR’s handheld “Choice” signs, which depict images of early-term aborted fetuses. Our group’s positions were adjusted throughout the morning to adapt to changing traffic patterns.

CBR was working alongside other pro life organizations, including Georgia Right to Life (GRTL) and Pro Life Educators of America (PLEA), to bring a message to the NEA: adopt a neutral position on abortion.

“We are not asking the NEA delegates to do a one-eighty and change our union’s abortion position and activism to being pro-life,” said Bob Pawson, Director of PLEA and  NEA member, “We are asking that our union be verifiably neutral and totally non-involved regarding abortion. And stop hiding their advocacy behind euphemistic language such as ‘reproductive freedom’ or ‘all methods of family planning,’” Pawson said.

CBR works to effectively dismantle such euphemisms. While other pro life advocates used text signs to exhort the NEA to neutralize it’s pro-abortion position, the graphic pictures we used showed exactly what certain methods of “reproductive freedom” and “family planning” do to unborn children (and future students).

The Truth Truck made several rounds in front of the CNN News Center in Atlanta.

NEA members were also shown the true meaning of these genteel phrases by billboard-sized abortion images on CBR’s “Truth Truck.” Our truck made rounds in the Georgia World Congress Center vicinity throughout the mornings and afternoons of July 1 and July 2, insuring that as many NEA delegates as possible would be exposed to the brutality that their union’s official resolution currently supports.

“Normally, in America’s news media, when citizens hear or read press reports about teacher unions and picketing, it is the union DOING the picketing; usually demanding more money. This event is one of those unusual instances in which the NEA Teacher Union is the TARGET OF PICKETING; ironically, by NEA members, taxpayer-parents, and students. The very constituencies which the NEA leadership touts itself as supposedly serving,” said Pawson.

While we received some of the usual irate responses, several passersby paused to observe and ask questions about the images. One driver, a young African-American woman, rolled down her window to address one of our volunteers when stopped at the traffic light:

“Excuse me, is that a real picture?”

“Yes, it is”

“Awe.” She was audibly saddened by what she saw.

Much conversation was overheard among pedestrians regarding abortion and the NEA’s stance on abortion. While some doubted that the NEA took a pro abortion stance, others indicated that they were previously unaware of the fact before encountering the message being shown to them. Pro life NEA members in particular expressed appreciation of CBR’s message and our assistance in reforming the teacher’s union.

For more on the NEA’s position, please see http://www.grtl.org/?q=NEA-pro-abortion-tendencies

Submitted by: Lincoln Brandenburg

Truth wins out when you support CBR.

Pro-abortion professors hate it when somebody comes along to challenge their little monopoly on campus.  They control the message for 363 days a year … but then we come along with GAP for a couple of days and ruin everything!

The effect of GAP lasts much longer than just the 2 days we are on campus.  Our huge photomurals of aborted babies will remain imprinted on the brains of students and others for years, even decades.  Once people see the truth for themselves, it is much harder for leftist professors to lie about abortion, and they know it.

Some of them were so frightened at the prospect of losing their monopoly over the terms of the abortion debate, they even compared pro-lifers to people who supported lynching Black men.  (See their letter to The Spectrum here.)  How dare those rascally pro-lifers show pictures of aborted babies and compare the practice of dehumanizing and killing preborn children because they are unwanted with the practice of dehumanizing and killing other unwanted people groups?

Lemme get this straight.  Saying we shouldn’t kill people because they are young and defenseless is like lynching Black men.   Riiiiight.

UB SFL President Christian Andzel responded

It is absolutely shameful for the paid professionals at the University at Buffalo to insinuate that anti-abortionists ‘appear to have a lot in common with those who supported lynching.’ As a student in the history department and President of the Pro-Life club on campus, not only am I ashamed and appalled that my professors twisted our message to suit their point of view, but I am offended due to their false characterization of our argument. We were citing the history of oppression and voicelessness of the victims who deserved human rights and justice.

Register and vote pro-life

CBR is at it again!  We are launching our 2012 Key States Initiative (KSI) for 2012, perhaps the most dramatic and effective pro-life voter education project every conceived!  And you can be a key part of this historic event!

VOTER EDUCATION FOR 2012

The media describes pro-life candidates as “ultraconservative” and “extreme,” but they describe pro-abortion candidates as “moderate” on abortion. We will show voters the truth, so they will know that killing babies is extreme.  Saving them is not extreme; it is compassionate.

DRIVER QUALIFICATIONS NEEDED

No special license required.
Must have a good driving record.
Must be 21 years old.

COMING TO A STATE NEAR YOU

Must be available to travel to a nearby state, teeming with voters who need to know what abortion is and does. Immediate need for drivers willing to go to Florida, Virginia, Colorado, and Iowa.  Wisconsin and other states may also be targeted later this year.

INTERESTED IN JOINING US?

Contact Leslie Sneddon
Call 207-607-3488
lsneddon@cbrinfo.org

Pro-life activist and CBR operative Todd Bullis is at it again!  The founder and perveyor of Pro-LifeTube.com has now launched ProLifeBook.com, a social networking site for pro-life people!  Story in WorldNetDaily here.

As of today, ProLifeBook has more than 3200 members, including yours truly!  I was one of the very first.  Of course, I never understood Facebook … and ProLifeBook works a lot like Facebook.  Yikes!  All of a sudden, with this one new invention, I reckon I’m twice as far behinder as I was before!  Woe is me.

This just in from SFLA:

With many pro-abortion speakers presenting at commencement ceremonies across the nation, Students for Life of America (SFLA) is proud to offer a respectful way for graduating pro-life students to Stand for Life with the first-ever Pro-Life Grad Cap Stickers.

The stickers simply read “Pro-Life” and are meant to go on the top of the graduation cap. There is a hole cut through the center of the sticker to allow the tassel on the cap to pop through, and they are die cut to look great on any color cap!

These stickers offer a way for graduates to respectfully show their pro-life values during their graduation.  It’s a means to grab the attention of the university, fellow graduates, parents, and media; especially at ceremonies featuring a pro-abortion speaker.

Buy a grad cap sticker for $2 by clicking here!

Anna and Christina talk about “choice” with a GMU student. They use a CBR “Choice” sign because they know the word has no meaning without the photo.

We continue to be impressed by the good work of the George Mason University (GMU) Students for Life, led by their president Anna Maher and aided by local CBR volunteer Jonathan Darnel.

With Planned Parenthood making national news, Aldo could intoduce GMU students to PP's main business.

Every week, they display abortion pictures.  Every week, they pick up new members.  More people are volunteering for leadership.  It’s amazing what one person can start when she puts her mind to it.

Michael and Nicole at GMU.

Earlier this month, they were joined for the day by CBR Virginia Project Director Nicole Cooley.

The “pro-life” church is massively uninvolved in activities that have any chance at all to end abortion.  When we approach church leaders about doing much of anything, they reel in horror, hands over both hears, as if trying to keep their heads from exploding.  They exclaim, “Why are you bothering us?  We’re already pro-life.  We checked that box years ago.  Leave us alone!”

In reality, they don’t do much because they fear controversy within the church.  They say just enough to satisfy the pro-lifers in the pews—“We are a pro-life church”—but little else.  They know if they actually organize pro-life activities or even show members a brief video of what abortion is and does, they will hear complaints from people who don’t want to be reminded.  Members might leave the church.  Donations might go down.  The building program might be jeopardized.

Controversy is bad for business if your business is to appeal to the widest possible audience.  Which brings us to our “Quote of the Week”, by Gregg Cunningham of the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform:

Alas, if only killing babies were as controversial as saving them.