OPINION:
David Ogilvy, the famed British advertising tycoon, aka “The Father of Advertising,” used to remind his agency workers of a timeless truth: “You’re not advertising to a standing army. You’re advertising to a passing parade.”
In the years following the fall of Roe v. Wade, that adage serves as a good reminder to those of us in the pro-life movement. We cannot grow weary of repeating basic and obvious truths regarding the sanctity of life.
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It’s a baby. It’s not a blob of tissue. By just six weeks gestation, there is a steady heartbeat, and at eight weeks all body systems are present. By week nine, the baby is squinting, swallowing and making a fist. By week 18, he or she can cry.
The quest to protect every life under law has been battled in the courts and at the polls, but it’s fundamentally a matter of the heart.
Now that the issue of abortion has been returned to the states, it’s not just up to the legislators to pass good law – or pro-life advocates to turn out the votes on Election Day. As we’ve seen in recent years, it’s a difficult issue when placed before voters. The pro-life side is heavily outspent in advertising, and the radical abortion movement has grown deft in its ability to spin, lie and mislead the public.
To counter the momentum, we need to soften hard hearts and share inspiring stories of brave women who chose to carry their babies to term. We need to make a compelling case about why life is the better choice.
Listen to the ReFOCUS with Jim Daly podcast, where Jim digs deep and asks the hard questions to help you share Christ’s grace, truth and love.
How do we do that?
Several years ago, a five-word phrase came to my mind: “Show the world the baby!”
That was the message I shared with our Focus team back in 2019, when we made the decision to perform a live ultrasound of a preborn baby in the middle of New York City’s Times Square.
Back in January of that year, then New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and his Legislature had celebrated the expansion of abortion rights in their state. And when I say “celebrated” – I mean it. After the vote, they cheered wildly for the death and destruction of preborn life.
It was chilling and heartbreaking. But what could we do about it?
Since many people pay very little attention to the debate over abortion, we thought it would be helpful to show them what a baby inside the womb looks like. As it is, many on the left lie about it. Despite what Planned Parenthood and many of the pro-abortion zealots tell you, it’s not a lump of cells or a blob of tissue – it’s a living miracle.
“Alive from New York” was a raving success, with over 20,000 people joining us at the “Crossroads of the World” and another 100,000 watching online.
The crowd fell silent as the image of Abby Johnson’s baby, Fulton, was broadcast on the Jumbotrons we had brought in on flatbed trucks. His heartbeat echoed off the buildings. You could have heard a pin drop. It was a sacred moment.
We’ve continued to “show the world the baby” in various cities and settings. Our latest iteration takes place this coming Saturday, June 15, here at Focus on the Family. Our featured guests will include retired NFL star Benjamin Watson along with his wife, Kirsten. The Watsons have committed their lives to defending and protecting innocent preborn children.
We’ll also be celebrating the heroes on the front lines in this half-century-long quest to defend and protect every life under law. In addition to opening eyes to the beauty of preborn life, we’ll be encouraging viewers to get involved at their local pregnancy centers. Danny Gokey, a Grammy-nominated recording artist, will also be joining us.
If you can’t be here in Colorado Springs in person, you can join us online – either from the comfort of your home or a nearby church. You can learn all about it at our website.
As Abraham Lincoln sat down to sign the Emancipation Proclamation on New Year’s Day of 1863, he said, “I never in my life, felt more certain that I was doing right than I do in signing this paper … If my name ever goes into history it will be for this act, and my whole soul is in it.”
Likewise, the souls of countless pro-life stalwarts have been laboring for years in the pro-life community. Their whole souls are in it – and they are determined to save as many lives as possible.
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Jim Daly is president of Focus on the Family and host of its daily radio broadcast, heard by more than 6 million listeners a week on nearly 2,000 radio stations across the U.S. He also hosts the podcast ReFocus with Jim Daly.
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