A pro-life advocacy group published a series of man-on-the-street interviews to make the case that some pro-choice Americans shift to a pro-life position when encountered with the reality of abortion.
On Tuesday, Live Action, a nonprofit organization based in Arlington, Virginia, released a video that showcases a series of self-proclaimed pro-choice Americans watching a four-minute video made in late February. It portrays former abortionist Dr. Anthony Levatino describing in detail the steps of a second-trimester dilation and evacuation abortion.
Live Action aims to uncover and shed light on abortion procedures in an effort to make the practice illegal in the U.S. Its mission is to “end abortion by leading the culture to embrace the rights and dignity of every person.”
Guttmacher Institute, a sexual and reproductive policy organization, states that “nearly half of pregnancies among American women in 2011 were unintended, and about four in 10 of these were terminated by abortion.” This statistic is just one of many that prompted groups like Live Action to take action.
“We wanted to show America that most people who support abortion have no idea what it actually entails for the mother and the defenseless child inside her,” Lila Rose, Live Action’s president and founder, told The Daily Signal.
“We also wanted to show how quickly hearts and minds can be changed when we simply expose people to the truth with the four-minute ‘Abortion Procedures’ videos . We hope this stunning man-on-the-street video encourages people to share the ‘Abortion Procedures’ videos with everyone they know until millions more have come over to the pro-life position.”
If born at 24 weeks and given sufficient medical care, a baby can make a full recovery and live a healthy life, according to Baby Center, a tool for expecting mothers. Because abortion up to 24 weeks is legal in many states across the country, Live Action decided to show Americans what an abortion at 24 weeks really looks like.
According to a statement released by Live Action, the video also includes “medically accurate animations to give viewers a window into the womb during an abortion and show how developed a baby is during the procedure.”
When asked to describe their stance on abortion, all 11 of those interviewed believed women should have the right to choose whether or not to carry a pregnancy to term. After watching the four-minute video, every one of them expressed a completely different opinion.
One interviewee’s stance changed from, “I think the person should have a choice to have an abortion or not,” to “abortion shouldn’t be legal.”
While some questioned the legality of the abortion procedure, others questioned the humanity. One observer said, “I believe that’s, like, murder right there—what I saw.” Others labeled abortion “inhumane” and “heinous” after viewing Levatino’s presentation.
Brian Gottstein, chief communications director of Live Action, told The Daily Signal that the ‘Abortion Procedures’ videos, released over the last three months, have received “over 42 million views,” and are “changing hearts and minds about abortion.”