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Genocide Awareness Project

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The Genocide Awareness Project (GAP) is a movable pro-life display being temporarily installed on multiple university campuses in the United States and Canada since 1997. The display includes pictures of aborted fetuses juxtaposed next to pictures of abused animals and victims of genocide. The display is produced and managed by the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform, a privately funded United States organization.

In 1999 the display has been on at least 17 campuses. Gregg Cunningham, the executive director of the Los Angeles based-center said that most people have never seen abortion photographs, and in 1998 at the University of Tennessee, eight pregnant students who were planning on getting abortions changed their minds after seeing the display. [1]

In 2001, the display was mounted on trucks to roam the San Francisco Bay Area streets and freeways. This approach was also used earlier in Florida, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and Los Angeles area [2]

Controversy

The organizers maintain that the display stimulates dialogue among students and others who ordinarily would ignore the abortion issue.

In March 2007, pro-life students from the University of Calgary successfully organized their third GAP display. Pro-choicers protested at each of their displays, including bringing manure as a sign of what they thought of the campaign.

At the same time, in some places the controversy around the project was quite high and some campuses banned the display. On March 16, 2004 The National Post run a headline, “Pro-life signs rejected as inflammatory,” describing that University of Alberta turned down the request to put this display in a high-traffic area of the campus, alternatively offering a space in a room. The posters were described as discriminatory and inciting contempt towards women. Other protesters say that to compare these women to Nazis and terrorists is hateful and offensive, and that the use of the word genocide in relation to abortion is contestable because abortion does not discriminate on national, ethnical, racial or religious grounds.

In many places the students protested the alleged abuse of the words genocide and Holocaust in this context. For example, at the University of Maryland over 500 students signed the petition "I Am Insulted by the Exploitation of the Holocaust for Political Gain".[3] The Center for Bio-Ethical Reform website maintains a FAQ where they explain their reasons for using this comparison. unfortunately my son has taken to not wearing their clothes not because he doesnt like them but the stick from other kids who tell him he is gay as they are telling him it stands for gay and proud kids are cruel and no matter what you are when they say things like this to you you do anything to avoid it so part of the problem i feel is that as soon as kids start something like this it spirals. I had never heard the expression before and still try to encourage him to wear what he wants and not because of what people say to him but its hard when they are at the growing up stage and want to fit in and not stand out. I'm proud of my kids no matter who or what they are but will listen to them when they make choices about what makes them happy and comfortable in their environment

A Letter to the Editor published in The Cincinnati Post on April 20, 2000 says that the genocide exhibit uses a false analogy between Holocaust and abortion, quoting: The distinction is simple, and is based on the use of the significant word: Choice. The answer to this accusation published on May 10, 2000 states that that there is the common thread connecting racism, the Holocaust, and abortion. In each case the same technique is the basis of the crime: dismiss the victim as less than human, then dispose of them.

Sometimes the discussions between the opposite camps border on slander. For example in September 2000, the Pro-Choice Action Network had to publish an apology to GAP in Vancouver Sun for an article published earlier on February 24, 2000 in the newspaper. [4]

References

  1. ^ Genocide Awareness Project uses campuses as forum to address topic Life Advocate article, September/October, 1999 Volume XIII Number 8
  2. ^ "Abortion foes plan a convoy campaign Pictures of fetuses displayed on trucks", San Francisco Chronicle, November 24, 2001.
  3. ^ Pro-life images disturb students
  4. ^ Litigious GAP Threatens Pro-CAN
  • Article describing pro-life GAP event - [1]
  • Description of the GAP event on ProLifeOnCampus website - [2]
  • GAP Handout: How Can You Compare Abortion to Genocide? - [3]
  • GAP Project Rejected by a Majority of University of Toronto Students - [4]
  • University of North Carolina Review of GAP - [5]
  • Overview of GAP Program according to CBR website - [6]
  • List of College Campuses and Pictures of GAP events (CBR website) - [7]
  • CBR Video about GAP - [8]
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