“Frailty, Thy Name Is Woman,” Says NARAL

Kirsten Powers is rightly offended by NARAL’s claim that crisis pregnancy centers should be shut down because they use the “scare tactics” of showing women photographs of their children in utero. Powers finds this “perplexing and more than a little insulting to women.” It is, she says “like saying it is a ‘scare tactic’ to show a man a picture of clogged arteries to try to get him to understand his health situation. Yes, it may scare him in a certain direction—or not—but it’s an informed decision.”

Even Powers’ apt analogy doesn’t fully demonstrate the absurdity of NARAL’s argument. Better: It is like saying it is a scare tactic to show a teenage smoker pictures of his still-healthy lungs to help him decide if they are worth preserving. As with the fetal pictures, the objective is to inspire enthusiasm for a good, not fear of a repugnant evil. Does NARAL think women too weak to bear the sight of life and health?