Abortion is possibly the most polarized issue in our country today. Most everyone has an opinion, and when people who consider themselves “pro-choice” don’t know the details of fetal development or what happens in an abortion procedure, swaying them from their opinion will prove to be very difficult. Having and distributing accurate information should be the first step for anyone involved in the pro-life cause. 

Educating people honestly on abortion should be the foundation in helping someone become aware of the awful truths about the process. Objective information with honest facts gives people an opportunity to make a decision, forming their own stance using knowledge they may have not previously had. 

In our current society, the horror of abortion is minimized and the procedure itself is generally depicted as being normal and essential healthcare. Abortion advocates commonly claim that abortion is “safer than Tylenol”, or “safer than a colonoscopy”, and the phrase “reproductive healthcare” has become the go-to euphemism for abortion. Additionally, it is a common procedure that is frequently performed, with an estimation of 930,160 abortions performed in the United States of America in 2020. 

(There is certainly a conversation to be had about potential underreporting of adverse effects for the mothers and it can definitely be argued that the death rate for the children is almost exactly as high as the daily rate of abortions - for one of the two patients, abortion is clearly not at all safe.)

These pro-abortion claims, whether accurate or not, are significant in that they are typical of the information available when searched. More than likely, unless you were searching for personal reasons, you wouldn’t venture any further than that. You wouldn’t go so far as to research the actual methods used to abort a baby.

Many women who have undergone abortions say they had no prior knowledge of how the abortion was to be performed, nor anything about the development of their baby. It’s been reported that the protocol many abortion clinics abide by is to dissuade or even prevent mothers from seeing their ultrasound images or hearing their baby’s heartbeat before the procedure takes place, when not required by law. There are many women who testify that a lack of knowledge led them to make a decision they now regret. Besides the medical professionals, women considering an abortion should be the most informed. When so many claim to have not been, it certainly suggests that the population in general is not very knowledgeable on the subject.

So what happens when people learn the objective truth about what an abortion entails? Live Action, a pro-life nonprofit, founded in 2003 by Lila Rose, has a series of videos that may suggest a possible answer. In the videos, a random person or small group are interviewed on the street. They are asked about their stance on abortion as well as if they know how an abortion is performed. They are then shown an animated video depicting one of the typical abortion methods.

The videos presented are narrated by former abortion doctors, made to be medically accurate and reviewed by physicians. There is one showing each type of typical abortion:

- First trimester suction dilation and curettage (D & C)

- First trimester chemical abortion, using medications Mifepristone and Misoprostol

- Second trimester dilation and extraction (D & E)

- Third trimester induction abortion

After viewing the video, the interviewee is asked if they’d learned anything new and if it changed their view on abortion in any way. Almost every time, they acknowledge having learned something new regarding both the procedure and the development of the fetus. What’s more, they almost always consider themselves leaning more pro-life afterwards and often consider abortion to be completely wrong. (Click here for videos of these interviews.)

Campaigns like the Live Action videos are encouraging because they suggest that with education, minds can be changed and abortion can be ended. While it may be a long and difficult process, it’s clear that objective information is vital in helping people recognize the violent nature of abortion. When we get to a point where abortion is generally seen as unethical, then we can work together in finding acceptable solutions to the problems abortion tries to mask. When society as a whole accepts the reality that abortion is a human rights violation, then we can finally find common ground and move forward to solve the underlying societal problems without sacrificing our most vulnerable. This should always be the main goal when spreading the truth. 

Because giving someone the opportunity to make an informed opinion has the potential to change hearts and minds, and in turn protect the unborn and their mothers from the horror of abortion.

Consider sharing the videos linked in this article with your friends on social media! Together, we can spread awareness of the violent truth of abortion.