Created Equal on Campus- Responses to Victim Imagery

            I am asked many questions every day: professors, family, friends, people who disagree with me, people who agree with me but want to know more. Allow me to pose a question of my own.

            Why is it that we allow abortion to occur, but don’t want to see the results of it?

            Created Equal came to NKU’s campus, and it was abuzz before we had ever set up.          People are disgusted by us, by what we do, by what we show them. They believe they, at the expense of first amendment rights, can censor what comes to THEIR campus.

            There are two types of these people: pro-choice and pro-life. Let me define terms. If you are against abortion in all circumstances, you are pro-life. Otherwise, you are pro-choice. Let me first address those who are pro-choice.

            Why is it wrong to have photos of abortion on YOUR campus, but okay for the practice that creates those photos to go down in your community and all over the country, times 3,300? To say that is to commit a most hypocritical fallacy. If there is nothing wrong with abortion, then why is there something wrong with the photos of it? It is just a “parasite”, a “blob of tissue”- not a human, or at least not a valuable one. You should have no problem with photos of it. In fact, they just show OUR campus what you support, and how humane and painless it is.

            Obviously, that is not the case. You don’t want the pictures here. Perhaps you are afraid they expose many people who had no idea to the barbarity of the practice you support. Perhaps you are trying to ignore your conscience that tells you this is wrong, but that’s going to be much tougher to do with images of victims burned into your mind. Perhaps you want the ability to kill people, but don’t want to deal with the mess. I’m not sure, but I’d be interested to hear the reasoning behind such a position.

            “But there could be children that see it.” How prevalent are children on YOUR campus? There aren’t that many, especially in the middle of everything. The target is not children, nor is it just women that we are forcing ourselves on (actually said). The target is adults- faculty, staff, and college students who can’t ignore what they are seeing. Many have dodged it for a while, but they are now being exposed and offered the opportunity to make a choice. Will there be some children that see it? Probably. Which is worse: children seeing abortion, or children being aborted? And what is so bad if abortion is perfectly acceptable?

            A guy in passing yesterday summed it up well: “I’m just want to say, not for or against, but I really respect what you all are doing out here. It is a perfect example of exercising your First Amendment rights. Displays like this must be controversial, but you all are using your freedom of speech perfectly.” You’re telling me we shouldn’t use victim imagery? You’re using your free speech rights to tell me mine should be limited. Where is the logic in that?

            Pro-life people against what we do are also an obstacle. I used to be where they were. Then I saw the effectiveness. Victim imagery works; we’ve seen it. Don’t tell me you can get the message across without images. Any murder trial will use pictures of the murder, so everyone there can see what has happened. It would not have the same affect if we left out the images and details of the crime. There wouldn’t be a case. You say abortion is wrong, but you need to show them abortion is wrong. Debate all day, it may mean nothing without them seeing it.

            Force pro-choice people to defend what they support. Ask them if they support abortion while pointing to a dismembered fetus. See what their response is. They don’t want to know; they won’t seek out the truth on their own. We have to bring it to them.

            Would the Holocaust Museum be the same without seeing the victims? Do you support people having to see the effects of drugs, tobacco, alcohol or STDs to prevent them from making bad choices? How about the victims of other genocides? Tell a child who has been brutally beaten to go away and let you tell their story for them. It’s not the same; it’s not fair. Let their injuries tell the story. Why is abortion any different? Let the victims tell their stories. Allow them to have the voice they never had. You are not protecting the unborn by telling someone life begins at fertilization. They want proof. Give it to them.

            The double-standards would amaze me if I didn’t expect them. You believe in tolerance, yet won’t tolerate an opposing view? You cling to free speech, then try to stifle anyone that would dare to effectively disagree. You are disgusted by images, then get angry at the people who dare to show them on YOUR campus, rather than at the practice that creates them.

            If this didn’t work, we wouldn’t do it. Stay ignorant of the subject if you wish. But knowing 1.2 million innocent people are legally killed in a multi-million dollar industry in MY country makes me uneasy. So I’m doing something about it. Continue to pursue your own passions. But at least give me a logical, unselfish reason why we shouldn’t mobilize to protect others.

            Please, give me a reason. I think you’ll have trouble coming up with one.