By Maria V. Gallagher, Legislative Director, Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation
It was one of those ads that seem to pop up on the Internet when you least expect it.
The commercial was designed to promote a financial management company. But what caught my eye was the ultrasound image that appeared in the middle of it. The company was chronicling milestones in a couple’s life, and the image of a preborn baby was part of that.
I had to smile as I thought to myself, “The message is getting through!”
Ultrasound images are inherently beautiful, because they depict a child in a mother’s womb. They promote happiness and love and security and hope and many other good things. Ultrasounds depict life and they also save lives through their power to persuade.
With all the negative news that fills our computer screens, it is so refreshing to view what can be described as a baby’s first portrait. With the advent of 4D ultrasounds, we can now see babies smiling, crying, and even somersaulting in their mothers’ wombs.
Dr. Bernard Nathanson, one of the founders of the pro-abortion lobbying group NARAL who ultimately became a pro-life advocate, believed that abortions would not occur if there were a window to the womb. Ultrasound provides such a window, and we can never underestimate its ability to help an abortion-minded woman change her mind.
Of course, we also need to stand ready to assist a pregnant woman overcome all those forces that drive her to abort—everything from lack of emotional support to a preponderance of misinformation. But certainly the image of a preborn baby—especially when it is her baby—can help to strengthen the mother-baby bond which is so important in life.
Advertisers know the power of ultrasound to help sell a product. It is also a terrific tool for putting a face on the issue of abortion—a tool which should never be underestimated in the campaign to advance the cause of life.