We just got back from Niagara Falls, Canada and I was appalled to see these enormous (about six feet by five feet rectangular) color photos of aborted babies at various weeks of age. People were standing there propping them up and there were about ten of them on every corner as you drove on the main street. If you were just driving down the street you could NOT avoid these things...like I said, one on every corner. While I happen to be opposed to abortion I am also opposed to those signs! Little kids all over were exposed to those sights and the parents were unprepared for it and all were exposed through no fault of their own. My DDs are six and eleven and it's my business when I choose to discuss such a topic with them. For those arrogant people to force such a discussion and force the viewing of such photos is soooo wrong in my opinion!! Fortunately I did manage to get their attention to the other side of the street and we sped up and passed the ten or so signs without them taking notice, but I was very angry about it all.

Can you believe that?? Huge, graphic color photos of aborted babies all over the public street for everyone to see with no warning whatsoever?? Do you think that is an acceptable method of putting forth the pro life message or not? If I had been alone or with just my husband I would have stopped and explained to those people that while I supported their stance, I did NOT support their methods and that I was appalled they would use such tactics. Comments??

By Dawnk777 on Sunday, July 22, 2007 - 06:05 pm:

The abortion people do that around our house, too, sometimes, since we don't live that far from Planned Parenthood. I think it's rather annoying, too.

I'm glad we didn't have to see that, when we went to Niagara Falls.

By Amecmom on Sunday, July 22, 2007 - 09:25 pm:

I think it's horrible and should be against public decency laws.
I also have a huge problem with my own lovely RC church's catch 22 - be pro-life - but BC is also a sin. It leaves little wiggle room.
Terrible, terrible.
Ame

By Nicki on Monday, July 23, 2007 - 01:38 am:

I remember taking a class in college and abortion was being discussed. Prior to the class, we were all told the topic of discussion and given warning that there would be some graphic photos shown. This was done so anyone who was sensitive to the subject was allowed to leave. I can't believe these signs were shown in public! How insensitive, and yes, I would be livid if my dd was exposed to these without a choice. Unreal. Very inappropriate.

By Kate on Tuesday, July 24, 2007 - 08:01 pm:

Wow, Dawn....in all my 30+ years I've NEVER seen these types of signs....after seeing them in Canada I assumed they weren't allowed in the USA!!

By Tink on Tuesday, July 24, 2007 - 09:56 pm:

There is a man in our city who has large (8x6 ft) foot signs that he carries around in the back of his pickup truck with these types of pictures and has anti-abortion slogans painted all over the truck. Another group frequently pickets our local Planned Parenthood clinic and they have signs (2x3 ft) signs they place out front. I deliberately drive out of my way to avoid that area so that I don't have to worry about explaining things to my dks. We've unfortunately already had to explain to my oldest what an abortion is but those photos are sickening and I refuse to give them the benefit of shocking my family anymore. Unfortunately, I think they are protected under freedom of speech.

By Reds9298 on Tuesday, July 24, 2007 - 10:03 pm:

Totally inappropriate, inconsiderate, and extreme. I'm a huge pro-life person and I think this kind of thing is totally unbelievable! I would have a heart attack if my child was exposed to these kinds of pictures, really at any age, because those pictures aren't the reason I'm pro-life and they shouldn't be the reason that anyone is. It's a sick way to try to "convince" people to be against abortion. Would just be speechless if I had to experience this type of demonstration in person.

By Juli4 on Tuesday, July 24, 2007 - 10:21 pm:

I have seen these pics and have mixed feelings about them. On one hand I am glad that people are confronted with what is being aborted and then on the other I am a mom and do not want to explain to my children at 6 years of age what it is and why someone would do that. Then again I try to be consistent and not let them see other things that would lead to questions about sex. Like images on T.V.
Our children are exposed to so many things at such an early age. People force sexuality, violence and other unnecessary subjects down our throats and it is our job to protect them as much as we can from it. I want people to know the reality of what is going on and not that it is a blob of tissue, but then again as a parent I want the choice of when and where I explain those things.

By Dawnk777 on Wednesday, July 25, 2007 - 12:08 am:

Yes. They've been to Sheboygan more than once!

By Marcia on Wednesday, July 25, 2007 - 12:33 am:

Kate, I live in Canada, and have never seen them. We really don't have many big billboards or anything. I just think that they go where the protesters take them.

By Dawnk777 on Wednesday, July 25, 2007 - 01:25 am:

In northern WI and northern MN, we saw lots of billboards with cute baby faces, that gave little factoids, like "I could smile before I was EVEN born" and stuff like that. Every billboard said that the heart starts beating in only 18 days. I think those would get the anti-abortion message out more effectively, because the babies are cute!

By Reds9298 on Wednesday, July 25, 2007 - 08:36 am:

Yes Dawn, I agree!

By Yjja123 on Wednesday, July 25, 2007 - 09:05 am:

When we first moved here, I was stuck in a traffic jam. The protestors had blocked off the road I was on. They had huge signs with pictures like you mentioned. My children were in the car and it really upset my daughter. I was furious that we were subjected to that. I hated having to explain to child way too young to see graphic pictures. I do NOT believe that is the way to get their message across.

By Emily7 on Wednesday, July 25, 2007 - 10:20 am:

The problem is that it isn't just people that are having or preforming the abortion that you are showing.
There was a Pro-Life rally in my town just months after I lost my first baby, I was just over 16 weeks pregnant & had to have a DNC. It was horrible to see what happened to my baby and I was hysterical by the time I got home.
Then I was confronted with possibly having to make that decision when I was pregnant with my ds because of the problems that he had. They did a amnio & if the tests had come out one way then I would have been encouraged to abort him.
I feel for them women like me that didn't have a choice about having a DNC, and the women who have abortions because of very serious birth defects. I know how those pictures make them feel & it is just wrong. Plus having to explain it to a child, I can't even imagine the questions it would cause them to have.
Granted people have the freedom of speech, but my goodness can't they think before they use it about how it is going to affect the rest of us.
Besides how do they get the pictures?

By Kaye on Wednesday, July 25, 2007 - 10:21 am:

I haven't seen them either. Of course in Houston, our billboards and such are too busy promoting •••• that it is hard to get space in edgewise...lol

By Tink on Wednesday, July 25, 2007 - 07:35 pm:

Ok, Kaye, I have to know what the word that was "bleeped" was. What is Houston promoting that can't be written here?

By Kaye on Wednesday, July 25, 2007 - 09:42 pm:

LOL...pictures of scantly clad women mostly rhymes with scorn

By Dawnk777 on Wednesday, July 25, 2007 - 10:08 pm:

Thanks! I was wondering, too!

By Tink on Thursday, July 26, 2007 - 01:05 am:

I had no idea that was allowed here! Advertising for that is all over the subway systems in the UK and France but I haven't seen that around here. Just a matter of time, I'm sure!

By Bea on Monday, August 13, 2007 - 12:36 pm:

So much for Vegas being a place for FAMILY vacations. There are huge billboards everywhere, promoting all kinds of topless shows and such. On the Strip, the hookers are pass out business cards. It didn't upset me, but if we had small children with us, I would have been furious.

By Cat on Monday, August 13, 2007 - 05:26 pm:

Bea, we were just there a couple weeks ago. I had to stop people from giving my 11 and 13yo sons cards with naked women on them. How sad is that? Thankfully, there were guys in our group that got in these guys faces for me, asking them what the heck they thought they were doing. Sick

By Dana on Monday, August 13, 2007 - 09:04 pm:

After going to Vegas for our anniversary back in 2000, I was wondering who even had the bright idea to make it a family place. NO WAY would I take my kids there.

I saw children, (even what looked like an 8 yr old watching over her little brother--sleeping on the stairs and a baby in a stroller) in the wee hours of the morning. No kids allowed on the floor, but no rules about them not being on the outskirts of the gambling floor. It was just awful.

After being on a plane all day to get there and a long layover, then seeing little children EVERYWHERE looking like they were about to fall asleep or already sleeping unwatched by a parent, I was actually in tears. I couldn't get to our room fast enough. I told DH to go by himself because I couldn't go back out there again. It broke my heart every night seeing children left alone at 2am or later.

I'm glad they are trying to get Vegas back into the adult only mode---not that I think strippers need to be posing everywhere, just adults only in the club areas.

By Nicki on Monday, August 13, 2007 - 10:38 pm:

That's terrible, Dana. How selfish and cruel to bring children so young and leave them unattended and up so late. Not only selfish, but dangerous. I hate to think how many children are abducted when left alone in the hallways.
I really never thought as Vegas as a family friendly place, yet I know they try to promote this idea.