During our last visit to the U of Tennessee, we were greeted by a dozen women whose tops consisted entirely of small but strategically placed squares of duct tape. We can only imagine how much it hurt to peel those off. OUCH! 

Yes, they were pretty nasty. The level of hate is quite astonishing, but understandable. These children have been taught to hate their country, hate people who don’t agree with them, and, in some cases, even hate their own bodies.   They appear to have learned that lesson well.

Still, we were encouraged by a steady stream of students who stopped and thanked us for being there. Even on campuses that seem completely overcome with darkness, we always seem to find those few who are lights amidst that darkness.

Inspiring faith. Debbie Picarello was stationed near GAP representing Deeper Still, a post-abortion healing ministry and was able to reach many students who desperately needed it.

Julie was 19 when she aborted at 5 weeks.  She was sure God knew she wasn’t “ready.”  But now she is comforted by a little girl in her dreams.  The girl appears to be 3 years old.  Debbie told her many post-abortive women have dreams of their children in heaven.

Julie was not ready to come out of denial, but she did say, “Your faith is inspiring me today.”

Praying for courage to speak. Melody was almost aborted. Her dad took her mother to the clinic for a consultation. But when her mother came back the next day, sidewalk counselors spoke with her and took her across the street to the Hope Resource Center. This was Aug 18, 2000. Now both Melody and her mom are Christ followers. Melody realizes she has a special story to tell and is praying for the courage to tell it.

Ilyssa is a senior intern, returning to CBR for a second year. She just graduated with her bachelor’s in Anthropology from Cleveland State University (CSU) and is planning on getting a master’s degree from CSU next year.

CSU’s leftist campus made Ilyssa realize that many of her peers were misinformed about abortion. The skills she learned and the people she met while working for CBR last summer gave her the confidence and courage to start a pro-life club at her school in hopes of informing her classmates on the issue. The Club, CSU Advocates for Life, has done several events including tabling, a pro-life training academy (thank you, Fletcher!), and the Genocide Awareness Project. If you want to keep up with their activism, their Instagram handle is @csu_advocatesforlife.

“Pro-life students thanked us for being on campus, pro-aborts verbally attacked us, and those in the middle asked us questions. CBR’s display really made an impact,” Ilyssa said. She is excited to continue to bring truth to her campus next fall.

Ilyssa returned to CBR because she appreciates the effectiveness of our methods and our dedication to protecting humans and raising pro-life Christian leaders. “At our first GAP of the summer, hearing and seeing the reactions of the people we are reaching, whether pro-abortion or pro-life, really affirms the importance of what CBR does and my decision to keep working with them,” Ilyssa explained.

We are so pleased to have Ilyssa back with us!

We believe that God always makes special appointments for specific people to see the photos and respond accordingly, so we pray that no obstacles would prevent these appointments from being kept. Here are just a few examples from our most recent visit to Columbus State University in Georgia:

No such thing as unplanned.  “Rachel” was adopted from Ukraine as a teenager and is a Christian.  CBR staffer Jane Bullington challenged her belief that abortion could be okay in some circumstances. “Because God is God, and He knows, and He is in every situation, there are no unplanned pregnancies in His mind.  He will help.” Rachel walked away pondering these truths.

Calling all overcomers. “Cathy” grew up amidst poverty and abuse, which she is overcoming. She was glad to learn that there are resources for women in need and she took our resource cards to copy and distribute, so that students would know about pregnancy resource centers and adoption agencies near campus.

They say she should be dead.  “Eva” told us that she had been conceived in rape, so it hurts her when people say a child conceived in rape should be aborted.  How could it not?

Kennesaw State University students are always ready for a discussion. We had huge talkative crowds on both days of GAP.
The choice to kill. One student was adamant, “The mother should get to choose whether to kill her child.” He admitted abortion kills a “child.” Volunteer Brad asked if she should be able to choose whether to kill her toddler. He responded, shocking everyone, “The mother should get to choose whether to kill her one-year old!”
Brad escalated, “What if the child is 20 years old and this tall?” as he raised his hand to the student’s height. He walked away, muttering to himself.
Emboldening and Equipping. GAP often attracts pro-life students who want to be a witness. Stephen stood with us for hours talking with his classmates. Armed with undeniable truth, he was formidable. By the end of the day, he was a pro!
A history major encouraged us, “I speak up in philosophy class against abortion and the class gets quiet…But I’m not as bold as you guys are.”
A freshman said, “These pictures make me more informed.”
Many others thanked us. Some helped us. These pro-life students feel so isolated and overwhelmed by the non-stop woke evil around them. Seeing GAP on campus is a welcome change of pace.
Who are the extremists?  The Cobb County Courier called us “extremists” who make “false use of images.”  CBR-SE Director Fletcher Armstrong responded, “You called us ‘extremist.’  Maybe you’re right, but you will have to explain why it’s OK to decapitate and dismember a little human being, but ‘extreme’ to show a picture of it.”  To read Fletcher’s Letter to the Editor in full, click here.

We are thrilled to welcome Cody and Amanda Levi of Knoxville, Tenn. to the CBR family! A newly married couple, they will both be serving as Student Outreach Coordinators, helping college students be more effective pro-life advocates.

Amanda just graduated from Liberty University with a Bachelor’s degree in Law and  Policy. Cody is a graduate of The University of Tennessee with Bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience and Psychology.

Amanda was raised pro-life and has always been passionate about the cause ever since finding out what abortion is and does to little human beings. Cody grew up in Dayton, Tenn., in a family where abortion was never really discussed or even mentioned.

After meeting at the speech and debate club at the University of Tennessee, Cody and Amanda had many conversations centering around the underpinnings of the Christian worldview, which included abortion.  When he understood that abortion violently and intentionally kills an innocent, preborn child, Cody knew that nothing could justify that act of murder.

While at UT, they noticed that there was no pro-life voice on campus, so Amanda and Cody co-founded the Vols for Life to teach students the scientific and philosophical arguments against abortion, so that they could defend the pro-life position more effectively.

Cody’s and Amanda’s goals at CBR are to (1) expose abortion for what it is, and (2) motivate, train, and equip college students to work with CBR to change public opinion in society, because we can never change public policy until we change public opinion.

We are so excited to have Amanda & Cody on our CBR team!

by Brad Martel

I first learned of the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform on Valentine’s Day 2011. Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee was the keynote speaker at their benefit dinner, and I went to hear him. “The sanctity of human life,” Huckabee said, “transcends all other political issues.” I agreed with him, and I was glad to discover this organization that works to end the killing of unborn children.  CBR does this work not just with words, but with pictures that undeniably expose abortion for the evil that it truly is.

However, this event got me examining myself. Did I treat abortion like it transcends all other issues? In all the time that I had been pro-life, what had I ever done about it?  Beyond voting for pro-life politicians every year or two, I had to admit I’d done nothing.  But here was an opportunity to make a difference! So, I became a CBR supporter.  I chose to make a monthly donation that, while small, would be significant over time.

Then the newsletters started to arrive. Each time, I wanted to prepare myself to see the graphic pictures, so I soon learned to procrastinate instead of opening them right away. How awful to see the abortion victims again!  How awful that this even happens!  But I did open the newsletters.  I did see the pictures, and I read the stories.  Stories of young people responding to CBR’s campus projects, some with shock, some with sadness, and some with denial or worse. I appreciated the courage and persistence of the CBR team, and their willingness to spend whole days with the awful pictures that I could only promptly return to the envelope after reading the stories.

After a few years I learned to manage my aversion to the photos and looked forward to the newsletters.  I remained impressed with CBR’s encounters on college campuses and the reactions of the passersby, ranging from sympathetic to hostile to sometimes positively loopy.  I began to wonder what it would be like to serve alongside this group, to see what it’s like, and maybe even have some of these conversations myself.

In 2018 I reached out to CBR with a simple email.  Volunteer coordinator Jane Bullington invited me to a Genocide Awareness Project (GAP) in April of that year and promised me: “You will never be the same!”  Then came the hard part; I had to prepare.  I looked up CBR’s website, AbortionNo.org, and as the abortion video played on the home page, I found myself leaning back in my chair as if to shield myself from the real-life horror story.  I looked over the abortion victim photos.  I read Gregg Cunningham’s “Why Abortion is Genocide,” and learned how to compare abortion to slavery and other genocides.

I did not know what to expect on my first day of GAP at the University of Tennessee.  I had never met any of the staff before. I thought that perhaps, with the graphic photos and such a sobering message, I would be meeting a somber, melancholy group of people.  I was relieved to find that, though quite serious about the mission, these people have joy!  I came to understand this attitude in part as a sense of satisfaction in supporting the important work.  “There’s something special,” staffer Mik’aela Raymond said one day, “about doing something hard for God.”

CBR paired me with staff members and experienced volunteers so that I could learn on-the-job how to talk to students about abortion.  They taught me with both their example and with useful tips that they would share after our conversations.  I learned over time that I could do this, even by myself! Having gained some confidence, I wanted to learn more.  I read Stephanie Gray’s book, “Love Unleashes Life,” which urges us to focus first on the person standing before us, their background, and their needs.  I also read “Healing the Hurt that Won’t Heal,” Karen Ellison’s thoughtful book about the grief that abortion brings and how God can heal those wounds.

I volunteer with CBR a few times a year now, and though I have plenty more to learn, I am comfortable now defending the pro-life position to strangers.  I have met dozens of students at these events; some supportive, some against, and some who just don’t know where they stand.  I have had thoughtful conversations and some not so thoughtful.  I have been ridiculed and yelled at with cursing and swearing.  Not often, but it happens.  But none of the negative feedback matters.  What matters are the times that I have led a student to set aside the slogans and really think about the unborn child as a human being.

And even when those conversations are lacking, I remind myself that it’s the abortion victim photos and not our conversations that carry the bulk of our pro-life message.  The images affect all who see them, whether they stop to talk or not.  Each day that I leave GAP it is with a sense of satisfaction that my contribution helps others to choose life.

I cannot identify a specific moment when I felt a calling or experienced a revelation that told me I should volunteer with CBR.  I agree with what Lincoln Brandenburg said recently during his interview on The Pro-Life Guys Podcast: “Don’t wait for feelings of passion… step out in obedience.” Although I had no previous experience with pro-life activism, and I have a full-time job that affords me only occasional availability, I can make a difference for the unborn children of America.  I would encourage anyone with a heart for the unborn to volunteer with CBR.  “You will never be the same.”

Brad Martel is an engineer and lives in Knoxville, Tennessee with his wife.  They have three grown children. 

“It never occurred to me to be against using the pictures. It was just the most natural intuitive thing. Of course, this is happening, this is real, and this is something we’re outraged by, why wouldn’t we want to shout it from the rooftops? Why wouldn’t we want everyone to see what goes on behind closed doors?”

That’s just a snippet of what you’ll hear from our very own Lincoln Brandenburg on The Pro-Life Guys Podcast. Lincoln was recently interviewed by Cameron Côté, Western Outreach Director of the Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform and co-host of The Pro-Life Guys Podcast. Lincoln talks about how he first was convicted to action, some encounters he’s had during activism, and finally encourages men to step up and defend life without shame.

Check it out on your favorite podcast app, or through the link here: HPLM 16: Lincoln Brandenburg – The Pro-Life Guys Podcast (prolifeguys.com)

by Maggie Ferrara

Two years ago today, when I was 6 weeks pregnant, I was assaulted for speaking out against abortion.

My colleague Jackie and I were displaying pictures of aborted babies on the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) when a girl walked up to us and started pouring orange juice over the sign I was holding. Before I even realized what was happening, she raised her arm and poured the remainder of the bottle over my head and face. Then she quickly turned and walked away. Shocked, we called out after her, “Hey, what are you doing?” But she remained silent. As my eyes stung and my face dripped, Jackie dropped her sign and flagged down the nearby policeman. The girl was arrested immediately.

Thankfully, we were each wearing a GoPro video camera, which captured the entire incident and made it all extremely easy for the Commonwealth’s Attorney assigned to my case. (See above.) The arresting officer, who was a VCU Policeman, mentioned later that the school was considering expelling her for her actions. That seemed harsh to me, but I didn’t know what an appropriate punishment should be.

Several weeks later, in a Richmond City court room, the judge gave her sentence: 100 hours of community service and a verbal apology to me (which she completed immediately). But that wasn’t all. My orange juice assailant, Rachel, had to write a three-page paper about the importance of The First Amendment and return to court to read it into the record. I couldn’t have come up with any better punishment!

Sometimes I think back to this incident and wonder about Rachel. I don’t really know anything about her except her name. But I wonder. What motivated her to pour orange juice on me? Why was she silent during her attack? Did she regret her actions immediately, or when she was arrested, or maybe not until much later? I assume she does now. These and many other questions come to mind. I also wonder if she still thinks about it. Does she think about me? She didn’t know any more about me than I did about her. She didn’t know I was pregnant when she attacked me. If she had known, would that have mattered to her?

I will probably never know the answers to these questions. But I can pray for Rachel, and so I will.

Maggie Ferrara is the Communications Director for The Center for Bio-Ethical Reform. She has been a pro-life missionary for almost 9 years. She lives in Virginia with her husband and daughter.

CBR Staffer Mik’aela Raymond explains that just because an act is government sanctioned, doesn’t mean it is right.

We had not been to the University of Georgia in many years, and our return last fall did not disappoint. Students and faculty showed up with visceral reactions, shouting the usually obscenity or ad-hominem attack. However, several students came back with calmer, even remorseful, spirits.   It was in these pockets of humility that we found opportunities to share truth.

Google is on our side. “Fetuses are not human,” one woman emphatically claimed. CBR Staffer Mik’aela Raymond responded, “If these organisms aren’t human what species are they?”  “We’re not talking about organisms, they are just one cell,” the woman explained.  She attempted to use Google to prove her point.  Fortunately, our scientific sources check out with “Google science”.  She was confused upon reading the results of her search — a human being is a living organism from it’s most humble single-celled beginning.

180 degree, “About-Face!” A young man returned to our display to re-visit a conversation with Mik’aela.  “I was rather incendiary yesterday; that was wrong. I shouldn’t have acted that way and I am sorry.” He went on to admit, “I have a different view now than an hour ago.”

Actions speak louder than words. “Get off our campus; we don’t %^$&*n want you here.” A woman was visibly upset during her first visit to our display.  The next day, she returned and hung around the display all day long — listening to various conversations, staying silent. When asked if her mind had changed at all she said “No”,  but her radically shifted countenance spoke much louder than her words.

The truth is solid! A group of five men huddled around CBR volunteer Marie. One piped up to ask, “How do you justify comparing abortion to genocide?” Marie explained, “When we fail to recognize the humanity of an entire group of people it enables us to justify all kinds of violence against them.” The group fell silent, then one said “Solid!”  He left.  The second said “Solid!” and left.  The third said “Solid!” and left.  The last two stayed for a continued dialogue.  It was like a scene out of a movie!

Dear conservative, freedom-loving student,

When we met you on campus some time ago, you mentioned your grades suffering because of your conservative views.

Yes, taking a stand against evil will always cost you something.  It’s much safer to go to sit quietly at Pizza for Jesus meetings, soak it in, and do little else … and it is very tempting.  But I’d like you to consider a world being run by these people:

These thugs use violence to intimidate and shut down people they don’t like.  And they don’t like you.

Teachers who threaten you or punish you for your views are no different.  Maybe they don’t wear masks of cloth, but they use their lofty positions as masks of respectability.  And they are nothing more than bullies trying to shield themselves from accountability for their thuggery.  Don’t be afraid of them.

But I have to tell you that, unfortunately, they do have a clear path to victory.  Edmund Burke showed us their roadmap.  He said that “the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”  That’s why they threaten you, so that you will do nothing and they will win.  When they do, we all lose … and we lose more than just good grades.

Please consider two kingdoms.  The first is our earthly kingdom, the United States and the freedom, security, and prosperity it offers.  Please consider what your freedom cost, from our the founding of our nation until the present day.

We are reminded of the cost when we see the monuments to fallen soldiers at Bunker Hill, at King’s Mountain, at Flanders Field, at Normandy, at Manilla, and many other places around the globe.  Hundreds of thousands have given their lives so that we can live free.  And not just we alone, but hundreds of millions of others around the globe who were rescued from tyranny by the blood of US soldiers.

The second is the Kingdom of Heaven.  Jesus said when we stand for truth, we will be persecuted.  He said, “If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20).  But he also said to count it a blessing: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:10-12).

I count it a blessing to be in this battle with you.  Let us heed the words of  Winston Churchill, who famously encouraged his nation during the darkest hours of WWII.  “Let us neither flag nor fail.  Let us fight on to the end,” for the alternative is to be governed by thugs, and that is unthinkable.

Thanks,
Fletcher

Much has changed in our world this past month, but three things have not changed:

1. Abortion providers are still killing children, and the death toll far surpasses that of the COVID-19 threat.
2. CBR is still working for the helpless.  As long as babies are dying, our work to make abortion unthinkable goes on.
3. God is still in control.  We don’t need to panic; we can choose to trust in and follow Him.

As each of us is bombarded with pandemic news and opinion, please do not forget the less visible (but just as real) plight of abortion victims.  Continue to be a witness and a light in the darkness, knowing that “as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” (Matthew 25:40)

Although we can’t take abortion images to large crowds on college campuses (for the time being), there is still much important work we can do.  Please be in prayer for the following needs:

1. Summer Intern Program.  We are already training our 5 new interns to raise their own support for the summer. Please pray specifically for Maggie, Heidi, Annie, Brittany and Merissa.  Upon arrival in May, their schedules are packed with intensive training, displays at Christian events, urban GAP, and other forms of street activism.
2. Pro-Life Leadership Youth Camp.  We are collaborating with other pro-life ministries to plan a one-week day camp for middle and high-school students.  Our vision is to empower each student to “stand strong against the storm.” (Matthew 7:24-25)  Learn more at www.vimeo.com/282887769 (3.5 minutes).
3. All Black Lives Matter at the African American History Museum.  We are working the phones to recruit staff and volunteers and to partner with churches in the DC area.  When the Museum reopens, we will be ready!
4. Fall GAP planning.  We are seeking pro-life students to invite us to bring GAP to major universities in Alabama, Kentucky, Georgia, Virginia, and Tennessee.

There’s even more.  We are also recruiting new staff/interns, performing much-needed maintenance on our RCC truck and DOT compliance program, updating our computer databases and systems, and revising our project handouts, to name just a few!  Plus, we’ll soon take our interns back out to the streets with our huge hand-held signs (Lord willing).

In addition to prayer, please continue to support our work financially, as you are able.  Many of our staff are still only partially funded, and they need your help to stay in the fight.  The universities are closed, but the bills keep on coming!

We thank God for you, and we are praying for your health and peace during this time of uncertainty.  Please let us know how we can pray for you, and feel free to send our staff any notes of encouragement.
“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” — Romans 8:38-39

Your friend for Life,
Fletcher

P.S. God said, “And I sought for a man among them, that should … stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.” (Ezekiel 22:30)  Will you keep standing in the GAP with me?  Please click here to help end abortion.

Hundreds of students are shown the reality of “Choice” in between classes.

Once again, our recent visit to Chapel Hill exposed many a “tolerant” college student to be less supportive of the free speech, and more “if I don’t like what you have to say, I have the right to yell, hit, and destroy.”

Even though many students were angry, they ended up attracting even more students to the display. These calmer students quietly observed the pictures and began wondering if abortion is as clear-cut at they thought.

Dead child, better parent? “I aborted my child with Down Syndrome because of the life it would have had. I think my husband and I are better parents because of the abortion.” This woman told CBR staffer Joshua Lindsey that her profession, ironically, involves working with people with special needs.

Abortion hurts men, too. A mild-mannered man wanted to know if there are truly any women who want a strong man in their life. “On this campus, women don’t seem to want a man to speak anything into their lives.” This gentleman raised an interesting, yet sad point – with abortion, fatherhood is sometimes taken from a man who is willing to be there for his family.

A path toward healing. Two women approached the Free Speech Board, one crying and one comforting. The first was post-abortive and needed a hug, the love of Jesus, and post-abortion materials. They received all three, and left, late for class. Praise God the truth of GAP was an impetus toward healing for this young woman.

Thank God her mom didn’t think the same way. A young woman boldly proclaimed, “I would be more concerned about pushing an 8 pound baby out of my body, breaking bones and stretching skin than anything else.”

Students flocked to GAP in between classes. Many had never seen what it is that abortion does to a baby.

Fall 2019 was full to the brim with eventful campus visits…to say the least. We hosted the Genocide Awareness Project (GAP) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in October, where the student body came out in swarms to see our display.

Check out press coverage of our visit:

•  Anti-abortion exhibit spurs counter-protests from campus activists
•  Maya Little arrested Monday after group protesting abortion came to campus
•  Doctoral student Maya Little arrested by UNC Police

CBR Staffer Joanna Kielson and a volunteer answer a young man’s questions about abortion and rape.

At East Carolina University (ECU), students flocked to our Genocide Awareness Project (GAP). Some had unfounded claims, others brought quirky questions, and still more came with minds eager to learn. Here is a snapshot of the weird and wonderful!

Can a tomato really think? “If you are pro-life, you need to be a vegan.” There it was again — the well-worn argument posed to catch a pro-lifer off guard. CBR staffer Joshua Lindsey quickly challenged the young man’s statement, “Sure, you are still (technically) killing even when you eat veggies, but we all take it for granted that veggies can’t think.” Joshua stood in disbelief as he heard the young man’s reply, “Actually tomatoes can think. There is a book that says tomatoes can think.”

Knowledge is power. CBR volunteer Tony spoke briefly with Justin, a freshman. Justin admitted, “Abortion is crazy. I was pro-choice, but now being informed about it, I’m having different ideas of if it should be legal (or not).” No wonder the other side works so hard to cover up abortion; they know that once people see for themselves, the lies that justify abortion begin to crumble.

Who wants to cancel Halloween? A group of students approached the display and immediately proclaimed their feelings: “Your pictures are traumatizing and make us feel unsafe. They cause PTSD.” Quick to point out a double-standard,  Joshua mentioned that there was a bloody hand picture in the student center advertising a movie for Halloween. He said, “That doesn’t upset you because it isn’t real. Abortion is real. If I asked for Halloween to be canceled (because some find it offensive), you would laugh me out of the room.” The student reported: “You WILL NOT cancel Halloween.”

The healthcare deception. A male nursing student was appalled. “I was trained to believe abortion was a good thing; that it was simply the removal of a clump of cells. I have been mis-taught and deceived.”

God is faithful to provide. Tommy encouraged us, “Yeah, these are big pictures, and you are doing a great work.”

A student protests GAP at ECU.

In October 2019, CBR headed to Greenville, North Carolina for a return visit to East Carolina University. We captured the attention of the campus for the two days with our Genocide Awareness Project.

Check out the press coverage of our visit:

•  Anti-abortion display should have been reconsidered
• Group calls abortion ‘genocide’ at ECU