By, Monte Harms- Stand For Life
(This originally appeared on www.standforlife.net)
In the last week a truck with photos of the truth has been getting a fair amount of publicity in Albuquerque. Local ABC affiliate KOAT-TV aired a story about the “truth truck” that has abortion photos on its side. Pro-life activist Bud Shaver drives the truck around town and parks it across the street from the late-term abortion facility, Southwestern Women’s Options, while he is peacefully counseling women and men at SWO.
The story prompted radio talk show host Scott Stiegler to devote two hours of his show the following day to listener’s reactions to the truck and the use of graphic photos. KKOB with its 50,000 watts is the most listened to station in New Mexico, so there was a huge audience and plenty of comments from the public. Scott Stiegler moderated the two hours by stating it was not going to be about the abortion debate, but he wanted the audience’s opinions about the appropriateness of having abortion images on the side of the truck. Stiegler’s approach was one of the fairest I have seen by the mainstream news media on an abortion-related subject. He started off by saying how we use graphic images for stop-smoking campaigns, driver training videos, and other examples, so why is this any different? Bud Shaver spoke for the first 10-15 minutes about why he uses the truck and the reactions he has received.
Although KKOB’s audience leans conservative or libertarian, it was still surprising how few people disagreed with this method of showing graphic images. Approximately 75% agreed with what he was doing and stated how the world needs to see what abortion is. The other 25% believed it was too “in your face” and not a good way to communicate the pro-life issue.
Hopefully, these reports and the use of the truth truck will wake up the public to the horror of abortion and the issue will be in the news more often. If nothing else, the public that was exposed to these reports now realize that late-term babies are being aborted in their hometown. It’s been obvious that the pro-life view of abortion has been off limits by the mainstream press, but every time a story such as this is aired, the wall comes down a little. In the future the press may be a little more willing to cover the truth about abortion.
Check out Bud and Tara Shaver’s site, Prayer and a Pro-Life Witness, and also go to lateterm.com for more information.
Thanks to KOAT-TV and Scott Stiegler of KKOB radio.
