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Do you have other ways besides Trapped... to reach students on campuses?
Why doesn't your cover tell us that Trapped... is about abortion?
Why don't you present BOTH sides of the issue to make the argument fair and balanced?
I am pro-choice, not pro-abortion. Why don't you acknowledge the difference?
Why is Trapped... called an "advertising supplement?"
Human Life Alliance (HLA) inserts Trapped... into campus newspapers as a paid advertising supplement. Often students, supporters, and pro-life organizations will handout HLA's publications on campuses or at other young adult/youth events. Since we don't always know how people are going to distribute our publications, HLA must have the words "advertising supplement" on each copy, since most newspapers require that an insert be labeled an "advertisement" in order to differentiate the views presented from that of the newspaper.
How can I get copies of Trapped... on my campus?
Contact HLA's Distribution Coordinator Jillian Roemer at jroemer@humanlife.org. If you can give a donation to cover any of our costs, that would be much appreciated.
Do you have other ways besides Trapped... to reach students on campuses?
Yes. Trapped... is HLA's primary work, but we can provide students with publications on euthanasia and abstinence. In addition to our publications HLA can provide posters, stickers, and resources for your campus pro-life efforts. If you are interested in any of these other outreach opportunities, contact HLA's Distribution Coordinator, Jillian Roemer, at jroemer@humanlife.org.
Why doesn't your cover tell us that Trapped... is about abortion?
Trapped... is designed for mass marketing. HLA's student pro-life publication changes every year to incorporate a different theme and design. The goal of the front cover is to motivate students to open the publication and read it! Readers will have to examine the text inside in order to understand the meaning of the cover.
Is Trapped... too controversial for my campus?
Absolutely not. HLA has designed Trapped... with appropriate content for all college and high school age students. To say information such as Trapped... was too controversial to have on a college campus would be to undermine the intelligence of your fellow students. Besides, the college campus is the perfect place for students to face controversies such as this head on and decide where they stand based on the facts.
Where do you get your sources?
HLA uses sources such as the Center for Disease Control and the Alan Guttmacher Institute (research arm for Planned Parenthood) to reach a common ground with all of our readers. We are trying to reach the general population, and therefore typically use government or "pro-choice" organizations for our statistics.
Why don't you present BOTH sides of the issue to make the argument fair and balanced?
HLA does not advocate for abortion. Just because a popular homework assignment might ask students to present and defend both sides of an issue does not mean that every argument has to follow that same outline. There is more than one way to defend a cause or argument. Does the popular media cover both sides of the abortion issue equally? No. The pro-life message is hardly ever presented by the media in a positive light or with as much attention as the "pro-choice" message. Therefore we try to balance out the continuous barrage of "pro-choice" information students receive by presenting the pro-life view to students.
Why does Trapped... push religion and politics on me?
HLA is not a religious or political organization. We have no religious or political affiliation. We do not print religious or political arguments to defend the right to life for the unborn. The only references to God that appear in Trapped... are contained in personal testimonies.
How does "the pill" cause an abortion?
Once a zygote has implanted in the uterine wall, the pill would generally not terminate the pregnancy. However, life begins at the moment of fertilization, not at implantation. At the moment of fertilization, one egg and one sperm unite to create a unique, irreplaceable, new human being. We all started our lives at this microscopic moment!
All hormonal contraceptives (the pill, patch, shot, mini-pill, vaginal ring, implants, etc.) can be abortifacient in nature because they attempt to cause a chemical abortion by not allowing the conceived embryo to implant and receive nourishment. Hormonal contraceptives have three basic methods: they attempt to stop ovulation, they thicken the cervical fluids to prevent fertilization, and they thin the lining of the uterus to prevent implantation. The first two methods are contraceptive, but the third causes an abortion because it occurs after fertilization. We know that hormonal contraceptives do not always stop ovulation or fertilization because of the percentage of live births that occur in women taking them. When these contraceptives do not stop fertilization, they attempt to cause a chemical abortion by preventing the embryo from implanting in the uterus.
If you get married someday, consider Natural Family Planning (not to be confused with the rhythm method). This is a safe, highly effective (some methods of NFP can be 99% effective in the avoidance of fertility) form of fertility awareness that can be used to either avoid or achieve pregnancy with no possibility of causing an abortion and no side effects.
What about rape and incest?
It is a despicable injustice when a woman is violated and raped. If a crime of this nature occurs and a child is conceived, HLA believes strongly in bringing the criminal to justice. We stand firmly in defense of the woman and the innocent new individual now existing - for neither have committed a crime. A former HLA employee was conceived in rape. She shares her side of the story:
"I am sure happy that my life was not cut off because of a crime my biological father committed. I am grateful for the life I am living and I know, even though I am far from perfect, my mom has no regrets either. Despite the circumstances of my conception, once I exist, I have the right to life, just as you or anyone else does - for it IS an inalienable right."
In cases of incest, abortion only allows the abuse to continue unnoticed. Rather than helping the victim, the abortion helps cover for the abuser. HLA will continue to advocate for positive alternatives to abortion that will truly help all women (born and unborn.)
Why do you compare abortion to slavery?
The similarities in how people defended slavery then and how people defend abortion today is shocking. We hope that by drawing the comparison, students will understand the injustice of abortion.
Take a look at "Comparing Abortion to other forms of Historical Genocide"
http://www.blackgenocide.org/abortion.htmlSomeday abortion will be illegal and unthinkable just as slavery is today. It is only a matter of time before Americans realize the illogical stance they hold toward the unborn.
What if the mother will die?
There are no situations where abortion is medically or psychiatrically justified to save the life of the mother. With the advancement of medical science, today's doctor is never faced with the dilemma of choosing between the life of the mother and the life of the baby.
Opponents often bring up such cases as an ectopic pregnancy or cancerous uterus. However, these are not abortions. When the embryo lodges in the fallopian tube and grows there, the damaged portion of the tube, containing the developing human being, may be surgically removed. Morally, such operations are justified under the principle of double effect, or secondary effect, since the death of the child is the unintended effect of an operation independently justified by the necessity of saving the mother's life. These operations do not involve the intentional killing of the unborn child for the preservation of the mother's life. Morally, therefore, such cases as the ectopic pregnancy and the cancerous uterus present no problem, since they are not abortions.
Also, cases of medically necessary premature delivery are not abortion. Most cases occur in the third trimester when the child is developed enough to survive. These cases are emergency premature deliveries and the goal is to save both mother and child.
Some women have courageously chosen to potentially sacrifice their lives (by postponing treatment such as chemotherapy) rather than possibly harm their unborn child. HLA applauds these women for their amazing sacrificial love for their unborn child.
[Some of the language in this HLA statement is taken from the treatise, Abortion: No Compromise, by Charles E. Rice, Professor of Law, Notre Dame Univ. Law School and from "'Life of the Mother' Is it Needed in Legislation?" by J.C. Willke, M.D. published in the July 2000 issue of Life Issues Connector.]
Why don't you protect and provide for all the unwanted children that are already here rather than worrying about those not even born yet?
All human beings have worth and should be protected. That is why organizations focus on different issues. Some organizations fight hunger, some raise money to build shelters, some defend the unborn, some support the elderly, and some help those ravaged by war, etc. As you know, one person (or organization) cannot do everything to help everyone.
HLA's focus and mission is to keep the debate alive on campuses through our thought-provoking publications and provide educational resources for those who need them. Nevertheless, we are proud to work in cooperation with countless national organizations that do provide financial assistance for women in unexpected pregnancies such as The Nurturing Network and Cradle of Hope, as well as thousands of other pregnancy resource centers throughout the United States. We also work with Feminists for Life, an organization that specializes in helping student parents and lobbying for affordable housing and childcare on campuses.
I am pro-choice, not pro-abortion. Why don't you acknowledge the difference?
Unfortunately, the term "pro-choice" is very ambiguous and avoids talking about what is actually happening. Most people agree that we can be "pro-choice" about a lot of things without offending anyone (i.e. what books we choose to read, where we choose to attend school etc.). The term "choice" is in fact value-neutral and meaningless unless we have some idea what we are choosing. Society generally limits people when it comes to choices that are harmful or potentially harmful to other people. As a society, we are "anti-choice" when it comes to theft, arson, murder, and a whole host of other offenses.
What then is abortion? Does it fall in the category of choices that we ought to condemn or condone? First, it is killing. Abortion renders something that was demonstrably alive, demonstrably dead. Second, what is killed is human. The fetus that grows in a mother's womb is not a duck. The female reproductive system is designed for the precise purpose of carrying a living being. Therefore, abortion is the killing of a human being. People cannot hide behind the argument of saying they are personally opposed to abortion but wouldn't want to restrict someone else's "right." Try that argument in the following situations: "I'm personally opposed to slavery..."; "I'm personally opposed to gassing Jews...". Furthermore, it should be quite obvious that even though people will continue to do wrong things, the solution is not to redefine right and wrong. The government does not legalize theft just because lots of people do it (and get injured doing it) and will continue to do it despite what the law says.
Don't buy into the "choice" rhetoric. The issue here is rights. No one has the right to violate another person, let alone take a life.