Eli Hodapp’s large collection of words.

This past Friday the Pro-Life Anchor League brought their “Face the Truth Tour” to the fair streets of Naperville, displaying gigantic signs with graphic images of mangled fetuses to raise awareness of the terrible secrets of abortion!

“Throughout the year, all around the country, pro-life activists are conducting Face the Truth tours. Holding pictures of beautiful unborn babies and huge graphic signs of aborted babies, we line the roads at major intersections, to show Americans the truth about abortion.” -Face the Truth

Even if I don’t agree with a particular cause, I can get behind people actually taking advantage of the rights we have as American citizens to freedom of speech, peaceful protest, and all those other fun things most people take for granted. Unfortunately, it seems the more extreme your approach is in conveying the actual idea you’re raising awareness for the further your entire viewpoint is discredited.

Further proof of this can be seen in the comments of the Naperville Potluck’s entry for the protest, some of which are actually fairly amusing. One woman claims to have almost been involved in a car accident directly related to the protest, which resulted in three hours spent in the emergency room from the resulting asthma attack she experienced.

“When I had the misfortune of driving past there going east on Ogden they were just setting up and did not have ANY warning whatsoever posted before exposing drivers to these images. I was on my way to get a late breakfast for my daughter when we were assaulted by these horrific images with I add again NO WARNING! It was an absolute unexpected visual assault on us. Obviously other drivers were experiencing the same shock and horror as I nearly was hit by another motorist.

Following that debacle triggered by the unexpected shock and adreneline [sic] from avoiding the accident I experienced a severe asthma attack, and was rushed to the emergency room where at spent the next 3 hours of my day.

This is abhorrant [sic]. I believe in Freedom of Speech, but not freedom to display graphic dismembered bodies on public streets. You can speak and say your peace without assaulting others.” -Kat

I just… wow. While it isn’t funny that her life was supposedly threatened, I can’t help but find her extreme reaction amusing. How is it possible to allegedly believe in freedom of speech, but at the same time propose limitations on that freedom? That goes against the literal definition of the word “freedom,” and I can only imagine the amendments to The Constitution that would take place if the poster of this comment was in a position of power. “Freedom of speech” is too broad, why not the “reasonable guidelines for speech,” and while we’re at it, instead of the “right of peaceful protest,” why not the “right of a non-offensive peaceful protest with proper notice given and signs posted.”

Unfortunately, it is literally impossible to debate the tactics used by the activists (per the original blog post) without people coming and missing the point entirely-

“It’s not just YOUR body, but another precious person made in the image of God, with separate DNA.” -Peter LaBarbera

But, despite all odds, reasonable people have actually weighed in on the issue-

“Despite what side of the argument you support, both sides should agree there is a need for common decency and dignity in discussing abortion. I witnessed one of these protests arranged last year along the Eola corridor in Aurora during the height of rush hour when many parents were ferrying their children home, and seeing another in Naperville this past week made me wonder who considers these promotional campaigns.

Increasingly American society is reported as jaded by years of exposure to violence through various forms of media, so I imagine the rationale of the design — to shock and horrify — is considered necessary to break through the psychological isolation and lack of response engendered by TV, the news, movies, and so forth. But this steps over a line of taste, for one, and gives no credit to anyone’s sense of maturity.

The images of a mangled fetus, blown up on a large poster board and staked at a corner or waved around by a zealotous protester, are disrespectful and ill-conceived. Yes, I use the word zealotous because I think the attitude of these individuals standing out there haranguing the general public requires a rather extreme view on matters. Some condone this protest because of the charged subject matter, but would you be agreeing or tolerating the same if a similar group showed images of massacred civilians and claimed US engagement in a foreign conflict was acceptable? In the end the content is the issue at hand here, and the way it was flagrantly put on display.

Though I do not have children myself, I know how many families reside around Naperville and let’s face it, this is the summer when parents take their children to and fro. The group there knew full well when they set out their materials they would be targeting more than just informed adults. They disregarded any kind of privacy or choice by failing to post any sort of warning for parents about what lay ahead. The jeering and shouting I saw back in Aurora last year and again in Naperville, not to mention the large placards, caused many young kids to cry or look about in bewilderment.

Is this something that the protests are proud to have done? Congratulations, you reduced five-year-olds to tears over something they do not understand and you violated any parent’s right to protect their children from graphic images. We have warning labels on video games, movies and music to prevent this sort of thing. Even TV news casts are courteous enough to warn viewers of impending graphic images, details or scenes in a pending broadcast. Here we were left with nothing except fuming adults and distraught children.

I hope they do something about it. There are far more elegant ways to present an argument, but I suppose we should be grimly grateful they aren’t mailing out illustrative pamphlets yet.” -Leyli

I find myself agreeing the most with this comment. As I was saying earlier, the more extreme you appear when championing a cause, the less people actually absorb the information you’re presenting and the more you’re just disregarded as a nut-ball. Further evidence of this-

“Jesus told His followers to “go forth and teach.” Face the Truth responds to the Gospel call by teaching the truth about abortion. The truth is that abortion kills innocent human beings, made in the image and likeness of God. That is why we must take the pro-life message to the streets of our cities.

…

Photographs and films of human beings stacked like cordwood outside Nazi concentration camps exposed the murderous truth of Nazi genocide. Disturbing as these images are, we all recognize the value of squarely facing the truth of the Holocaust.

…

When Christ died for us, it was in a very graphic way—a public crucifixion. His body, twisted, disfigured and covered with blood, hung on a cross for three hours in full public view. He said He had to be lifted up in order to show His love for us and to show us the seriousness of sin.

Likewise, our pictures graphically portray the reality of abortion in the public square, and show the seriousness of taking the life of an unborn child.” -Face the Truth

I honestly don’t care what you’re arguing, as soon as you involve Hitler, you automatically lose, although they do get style points for also dragging Jesus in to the mix, I suppose.

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