Photos of abortion victims are effective in changing hearts and minds, study claims

A new study commissioned by the Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform (CCCBR) revealed that showing photos of aborted babies are effective tools for pro-life campaigns. It had been argued that gruesome photos of abortion victims are turning pubic opinion against the pro-life movement but the results of the study suggested otherwise.

The study titled "A Statistical Analysis on the Effectiveness of Abortion Victim Photography in Pro-life Activism" was conducted by Blue Direct. The survey targeted the population in areas where CCBR had displayed images of abortion victims. The study covered a sample size of 1,741 diverse respondents.

The results revealed that those who saw the images had a "statistically significant shift in pro-life worldview, a greater negative perception of abortion, a decreased degree of permissiveness and liberalism towards abortion law, and a significant gain in pro-life political views after seeing abortion victim imagery."

90 percent of the respondents said their negative perception of abortion increased after seeing photos of abortion victims.

The study also showed that people who identified as completely pro-life increased by 30 percent after the campaign. Those who thought of themselves as pro-abortion admitted that their support for abortion has waned.

The study concluded that using abortion victim imagery is "intrinsically effective" in positively changing perceptions of abortion.

"There was no evidence to support claims that the strategy of abortion victim images does any harm whatsoever, or that it inhibits other strategies," the report concluded.

Dr. Monica Miller, Director of Citizens for a Pro-Life Society, said that she is convinced by the results that using abortion photos are essential in the campaigns to change hearts and minds.

"This survey is certainly the first of its kind and, considering the decades-long debate among pro-lifers on the effectiveness of publicly displaying abortion victim photos, is long overdue," she told Life Site.

The author of the study, Dr. Jacqueline C. Harvey, is a bioethics scholar from Texas. She is often called to state courts to present her expert opinions in defense of life.