I recently learned of a pro-life group which was forced to shelve its life-like fetal models at a county fair because the images had been deemed "disgusting." Keep in mind that these models had not been manipulated in any way—they had not been dismembered, or covered with fake blood.

They were simply representations of the human body at various stages of development.

Unfortunately, the criticism of fetal models is nothing new. I recall hearing about pro-abortion parents at a private school raising a ruckus because the little baby dolls had dared to make an appearance in the classroom. Baby frogs and hamsters were ostensibly fine—it was the baby humans that caused offense.

And this puzzling philosophy is not limited to the cultural landscape of the U.S.

A few months ago, in Holland, an uproar ensued after 150 fetal models were dispatched to members of Parliament. Accompanying each model were a letter and a book detailing the harmful effects of abortion on women. The Dutch House of Representatives reportedly called the pro-life group known as Cry for Life and said the materials would not be sent to the legislators and would be destroyed if Cry for Life did not reclaim them.

What’s to fear from fetal models? The fact is, they're effective.

It’s hard to argue that abortion simply destroys a blob of tissue, when you see an image of a being with eyes staring back at you. It’s difficult to claim that the fetus is a non-person, when a model of that entity looks a great deal like yourself at a younger and more innocent age.

An article on the National Right to Life web site sums up this fetal phenomenon: “If you've volunteered at a well-equipped pro-life fair booth, you've seen the amazement in visitors’ eyes. People of all ages—but especially children—are especially drawn to life-size models of unborn babies.”

I've seen this fetal fascination first-hand. A two-year-old will walk up to a pro-life table, see a fetal model resting in a basket, and proclaim to her parent, “Baby!” If a toddler can recognize the humanity of the preborn child, why can't the rest of us?

As a reporter in the secular media, I produced a great many stories about abortion. But I actually didn't understand the definition of the term. I didn't realize that abortion stops a beating heart. It was only in reading materials produced by pro-lifers that I came to comprehend the ultimate human rights violation that abortion entails.

The National Right to Life website refers to fetal models as little ambassadors of life. That’s why advocates of abortion want them hidden from view. They are prima facie evidence that abortion is not simply an exercise in self-determination, but the wanton destruction of a human life.

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