Congressional Candidate Launches Graphic Abortion TV Ads
WASHINGTON – Aborted baby images are being aired on local television channels during popular shows such as "Oprah" and the late night comedy of Jay Leno, Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel as part of a political campaign for a Washington, D.C. Congressional candidate.
Missy Smith, the Republican candidate for D.C.'s U.S. House of Representatives seat, has been fundraising on her campaign website to air two advertisements showing aborted babies, with the promise to open eyes about abortion.
"This is an unprecedented opportunity in our nation's capital to show that abortion is murder," said Smith, who built up interest for the ads through social networking sites like Facebook, blogs and email listservs.
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After raising $20,000, Smith launched the ads this week on the local channels of four national affiliates, NBC, CBS, ABC and FOX. On most nights, the ads will be shown during late night programs.
However, on Monday, the first night of scheduled airing, the commercials were visible during afternoon programming such as "Oprah," "Seinfeld" and the 5 p.m. news on ABC, CBS and NBC.
Smith said she is not concerned about children watching the commercials. In fact, she hopes that it will spur discussion. "What I want is for people to talk about abortion and for people to realize that this is murder," she commented.
The commercials' images are graphic. One of the ads shows the images of dead bloody and black and blue bodies of babies. In the background, Smith tells the story of how she says she was duped into aborting two babies. Another ad features images of developing babies in the womb. At the end, two tiny arms are shown detached and encircling a dime.
Eric Scheidler, executive director of Pro-Life Action league, said he understands that parents would be concerned about their children seeing the ads. However, he added, "I also think Americans need to see the face of abortion."
Many of the images of the commercials are the same as those featured on the website of pro-life group Priests for Life. The Rev. Frank Pavone, Priest for Life's national director, said the images are the most popular part of the site.
Though graphic, Pavone encourages the viewing of the images noting, "Americans will not stop abortion until it sees abortion."
"Like so many human rights causes over the course of history, seeing the victim is essential to seeing the injustice and then stopping the injustice," he said.
The commercials, set to air unedited until Nov. 1, also advertise Smith as a candidate. As a Republican running in a Democratic town, Smith said, "I'm hopeful but I'm realistic." She sees the opportunity as a pivotal moment to show people what abortion is and why it should be banned.
Smith, whose Democratic opponent is longtime Rep. Eleanor Homes Norton, professes to be Catholic and a pro-life advocate for 12 years. She founded pro-life group Women Against the Killing and Exploitation of Unprotected Persons, W.A.K.E.U.P. and created the EWTN film "How Can I Breathe?" This is her first time running for public office.
