Imagine hating the pro-life message so much you proclaim death to any unborn baby. Imagine hating the pro-life message so much you destroy other people’s right to proclaim it. Its’ not hard to imagine that at all since vandals posted it all over billboards in the San Francisco Bay and Eureka, CA areas. PROLIFE Across AMERICA, the sponsors of the pro-life billboard ads, has seen the graffiti repeatedly and the message is anything but subtle.
Director Mary Ann Kuharski says:
“Our ads have proven to change hearts and save babies’ lives. We recently learned of three babies saved from abortion because of our ads and 800 Hotline.”
Because of this, PROLIFE Across AMERICA intends to continue the ads, as their funding allows.
The organization says:
“Graphic graffiti including vulgar messages, such as ‘Kill the shrimp’ scrawled over the face of a baby, has continually marred the ads located in the Bay and Eureka areas. In spite of surveillance cameras and warnings of prosecution by the outdoor ad company, the pro-life ads continue to be vandalized, as well as the structure displaying the ad.”
The billboards not only show a baby and fetal development, but they also give a toll free phone number for people to call for pregnancy information. In short, the organization’s message is focused on the positive, on helping women find options and help. But that has not been welcomed in these areas of California.
PROLIFE Across AMERICA sponsors over 6500 Billboards in over 40 states annually. The 501c organization is non-profit and non-political; it also uses radio and internet ads to create what they say is an “atmosphere of Life” in a “culture of death.”
Besides their positive pro-life messages, they also provide information on adoption and post-abortive assistance. Their focus on the positive, which has only been met with this vandalism and opposition in these regions of CA, is part of the reason they are troubled, even more so, by the crimes:
“We are saddened that our tender messages have met with such organized opposition. So often, our message may be the only visible sign of hope and help to someone feeling abortion is their only ‘solution’.”
PROLIFE Across AMERICA has sponsored new billboards that have come with more security, but they say the crime continues anyway. “We ask for prayers that not only can we continue to support billboards in this area but also for the vandals committing these crimes,” Kuharski said.
These crimes are a stark reminder to the pro-life community that the “pro-choice” debate often means “agree with me or don’t talk.”
