Note: The scheme described below was later revealed to be the publicity campaign for a new novel that includes a scenario of a woman offering to call off an abortion for money.
A new generation of activists has a new approach and new tools to make their case, including vivid computer imaging that shows thriving babies in the womb and a growing network of counseling centers that seek to persuade pregnant women not to have an abortion. RNS photo courtesy Shutterstock.com.
(RNS) An online offer to call off an abortion in exchange for $1 million has disgusted and fascinated people on both sides of the abortion debate.
The deal, described on a website, www.prolifeantiwoman.com, and written in an anonymous woman’s voice, accuses abortion opponents of caring more about oppressing women than saving fetuses.
Titled “How much would you pay to stop an abortion?” the writer challenges the nation’s “127 million Americans that identify as pro-life” to give less than a penny each to save an unborn child.
“The backward direction this country is headed in terms of its treatment of women I feel is due in large part to the influence of the religious right disguised as the pro-life movement,” reads the one-page post.
The purportedly pregnant writer gives potential donors 72 hours — the same amount of time a woman must wait in some states before getting an abortion. The author promises that if $1 million is raised, she will put the baby up for adoption and reserve the $1 million for the offspring in a trust fund.
“I’ll keep none of the money for myself so if I am to be vilified in this process, it can’t be for that. If the one million dollar goal is not met by the end of those 72 hours, any and all donations received will be refunded and I will have an abortion that I have already scheduled for July 10th in my home state,” the post continues.
Below, a sampling of tweets on the topic:
A clever (if 100% unverifiable) way to make a point about the motives of anti-abortion campaigners, via @publicroad http://t.co/pvygFEEhH1 — Oliver Burkeman (@oliverburkeman) June 30, 2015
#prolifeantiwoman, how can anyone trust that the money you ‘raise’ will go to the child when you are so ready to dispose of a life? — Jessie (@jessietobey) June 28, 2015
Disgusting. A failure to raise $1m would prove nothing about pro-life people — this is extortion. Nothing more. | http://t.co/GTtwjPYkij — Colleen Snow (@ColCol37) June 17, 2015
She is holding a gun to her dear baby’s head. This makes me ache. http://t.co/8P4PLCvVM7 — ChrisFouche (@ChrisFouche407) June 30, 2015
This woman needs serious mental health counseling http://t.co/fb2tDvVJck — caroline (@carolinepilgrim) June 28, 2015
YS/MG END MARKOE
