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Toronto Photo Essay: Anti-abortion Activism
Photos and writing by guest contributor Sam Obeid.
WARNING: Extremely graphic, morbid images within.
Anti-abortion Activism
I drive by this clinic almost daily, and usually see one or two people outside, holding up signs (some pointing passersby to a website called Show the Truth). But on this particular morning, anti-abortion protestors were fully organized and had about 10 people lined up on both sides of the street, displaying some very disturbing, poster-sized photos of dead and dismembered fetuses.
If I agree with a cause or not, I will always support the right to peaceful protest. This one appeared to be peaceful, but I was still bothered by the fact that they had a little boy holding up one of the graphic signs. This little boy should be out playing in a park, not protesting an abortion clinic!
I also question the photo - not necessarily the use of them, but I do wonder if they're actual abortion photos or not. I could be wrong, but I suspect they're from another source, such as medical school text books.
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sensibilities of the general public to make
their point.
Rather like hitting a person over the head
to get their attention. Self-defeating at best.
My point is, some editorial discretion is needed. I could submit a picture of some guy picking his nose on Bathurst, which fits the stated criteria of this column, but I would hope the editors do his/her job and not publish that.
Abortions and Steakhouses shouldn't really be beside each other. You could have put the FRINGE article between them for some breathing space between these two examples of different bodily procedures - Abortion and Eating.
It's poor taste.
Secondly, to tie it in to recent news, you could have mentioned Dr. Morgentaler's entry into the Order of Canada, and the surrounding current opinions recently, in this article. This protest outside this clinic has been occuring since my grade school days. This isn't really anything new or shocking, whether I agree with it or not.
When the 'abortion = genocide' circus came to UofT, they were required to have their little 'exhibition' set up in a closed circle outside of public view. Passers by could be invited in and go look if they so chose, but it wasn't gruesomely assaulting the sensibilities of just anyone making their way to class.
that being said, i don't agree with this display. i know of these people and definitely think this is more traumatic thank helpful.
oh, and in response to this:
"Well the last picture which I find the most disgusting is also not accurate. It has a healthy head of hair and fetal hair does not begin to grow until between 19 & 23 weeks and hair follicles only begin to develop between 32 & 36 weeks. That means a fetus with that much hair would be almost 8 months old, far more developed then abortions done in clinics.
Posted by: Eric at July 11, 2008 3:58 PM"
Actually, part of the reason so many people protest is because in Canada there is no law governing abortion. A woman can have one right up to term if the baby has not yet been born.
freedom ain't always pretty...
I do find it odd that presumably progressive and open-minded inhabitants of the comments section are so intolerant of a different viewpoint than theirs. This is a topic on which reasonable people can disagree, as far as I'm concerned, so calling one side "lunatics" seems pretty ridiculous.
LOL. That's funny.
I don't give a crap about whatever little protest you want to have, please don't try and drive away my customers.
Absolutely demented.
As someone else said, reality ain't pretty.
As a Jew I find it offensive that you'd compare abortion to the holocaust. Comparing everything to the holocaust is a weak attempt at justifying your hatred for women's rights. Jews that that got killed in the holocaust were already living, breathing individuals with no umbilical cord attached to their mothers. They didn't have much choice whether or not they were going to be killed. You are using the deaths of my people as a way of pushing your own agenda. That is disgusting.
Who do you think you are, telling women they are killing their own kids? Are you waiting in line to adopt all these children? Abortion is a difficult decision because it involves complex biological and psychological issues. It isn't that simple. But you are not a woman, so you wouldn't know how it feels to even get a period. Go tell a rape victim she's evil. You sound like you belong in Saudi Arabia.
According to Jewish law, A baby isn't a full human being until half of the body is out of the mother and it takes it's first breath of air. We also believe that during pregnancy, should an emergency arise, the life of the mother is more important than the life of the unborn child. These are the same laws your Jesus would have believed.
Go ask a Rabbi if you don't believe me. (not a jews for jesus one please)
"Women's rights" is a shorthand for the right to kill someone. An unborn baby isn't not a person because he/she has no ability to protest their death.
^^^ You should have left this out somechick because it makes you sound disgusting despite your well thought out arguement.
Really - I think people just like having things to bitch about.
I don't mind the fact that it was there, but some people may not appreciate them due to their graphic nature (I heard a few people mumbling how protests like this would probably change their minds on abortion... AWAY from the anti abortion front) But to each their own.
What annoyed me is that they were using little kids to hold and hand out these images.
Women's rights are about the freedom to have control over our own bodies. It's about having the right to have a job, own a home, drive a car and geting an education. It's about being autonomous and deciding whether or not to have children, whether or not to get married and having the right to vote in elections and become active members of society. It's about deciding what is right for us and not letting men decide what's best for women. Just because abortion is legal, doesn't mean women are gonna rush out and get them. It's about having a choice to do so or not based on a woman's own values or beliefs. if a women chooses not to have an abortion, I support that decision as much as that of a woman that chooses to have one.
There are lot of progeressive,supportive men out there. Unfortunately, you "person" aren't one of them.
Thanks John!