Catholics for Life links to abortion victim photos on our website and we employ these images in some of our literature and public outreaches.
These are real photographs of real people- actual little boys and girls who were killed by abortion- not merely "graphic images." See these children yourself. Then, let us know the impact they had on you.
These victims deserve justice. They deserve to be seen, to be remembered, to be fought for. We show these photos out of love for the children that are pictured in them. We also must show them to love the children they have the potential to rescue, the parents that can be saved from post-abortive agony, and also the parents that need to have contrition and find healing.
The overwhelming majority of leading pro-life groups either show the victims themselves or endorse other groups that do. Read Dr. Monican Milller's defense for showing aborted babies. We show these photos although they are terrible to look at, because people deserve to know the truth. A society that condones, tolerates, and participates in the murder of people should have to face their victims.
"For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come towards the light, so that his works might not be exposed." Jn. 3:20
These little children should not be forgotten- or even worse, hidden- but we should allow them to tell their story. When we show them, we allow them to speak using the only voice they have left.
We cannot "[pass] by on the other side" (Lk. 10:31) when we see the victims. We must love them by exposing the injustice that hurt them.
When we seek to expose the hidden deeds that ended their lives, fight for justice for them, and seek to rescue other children who could face the same fate as them, we honor these victims. We would gladly share in their suffering and face any ridicule we receive for standing next to pictures of these people.
If all we can do now to love these little humans is to name them, hold a funeral for them, bury them, and share their stories through their pictures, we will proudly do that. The fact that the images are so hard to look at should remind us to do all we can to end this evil. We cannot refuse to use the most objective evidence we have- photographs of the people who have been aborted.
We answer the command given to us by St. Paul in Sacred Scripture:
"Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them." (Eph. 5:11)
We always show as much love as we can to post-abortive mothers and fathers, sharing Christ's infinite mercy with them, praying with them, and connected them to healing ministries. Many parents have expressed contrition for their abortion for the first time after seeing photos of what abortion did to their baby. Even more parents are made aware that healing ministries actually exist. We also strive to avoid public outreaches in areas where children are present so that parents are able to explain abortion to their young children as they see fit. When children do see the photos, we offer the parents help in talking about abortion to their children. It has been our experience that if parents act calmly, children always handle pictures of aborted babies well. Young children (under 5) usually do not react at all. Older children (approx. 6 to 9) generally recognize the truth of the pictures and are quick to speak the obvious truth and ask questions such as "What happened to the baby?" or "Who hurt the baby?". Pre-teens usually want to do something themselves to help the babies.
We join with every successful social movement that has shown its victims: American slavery, the Holocaust, the Rwandan Genocide, the Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam War, 9/11, child labor, starvation, women’s abuse in the Middle East, campaigns to end drunk driving & drug addictions, etc. When we do this, we see minds change, mothers and fathers connected to healing for the first time, and lives rescued.
“I don't think anything needs to be thought or said, these pictures say it all. Before you guys came to this campus today I was pro-choice, but after seeing these pictures and the atrocity that abortion is, made me completely change my mind.” –Steven, Florida State University. Read a study that shows that 91% of people affected by seeing photos of the victims feel more negative about abortion. Thousands of people change their minds each year because of abortion victim photos.
“This was the first pro-life event I've ever attended... I've recently started to openly deal with an abortion I had 30 years ago and have felt God's hand in my healing. When you said you were going to show the video of aborted babies, I was surprised. I felt I needed to look--to know once and for all what I did and so that I could finally release it to God, to see the results of what I did. I did watch. It was the hardest thing I've ever done, but after the video, I finally felt God's forgiveness deep into my toes--for the first time in my life. I would compare it to a wound that festers if left alone. It needs to be lanced, opened up so that it can be healed.” -Andrea, post-abortive mother. Watch Andrea's story.
"I've never seen an image like that before...I know without a doubt that an open adoption is what we want to do." -"Tonya," Founder's Women's Health Center, Columbus, OH. Read "Tonya's" story.
Change hearts. Bring healing. Save lives.
Remember the victims. Honor the victims. Show the victims.
See the faces of the children killed by abortion.