Research Paper Doctorate 805 words

Abortion Visual Images Work Particularly

Last reviewed: November 23, 2004 ~5 min read

Abortion

Visual images work particularly well in conveying the essential points of the pro-life stance: nothing can be more disheartening and disturbing than a picture of a bloody baby or dead fetus. The Abortion Gallery on the Internet provides particularly powerful visual imagery that conveys the central message that abortion is immoral. Vivid, poignant, full-color photographs of aborted embryos and fetuses are displayed on a simple black background flanked by towers of flame. If the individual thumbnails are not enough to get the viewer thinking deeply on the subject of abortion, clicking on an image will render it in larger size. The primary purpose of the Abortion Gallery, therefore, is to rely on the impact of visual images to argue against the practice of abortion. Pictures portray what words cannot: the horrific consequences of abortion and its essentially being murder. With the abortion issue, logic and reasoning rarely make much of an impact on changing someone's mind. Visual imagery, on the other hand, can work wonders. The images portrayed on the Abortion Pages evoke such emotions as fear, anger, and horror. The conviction that the practice of abortion is wrong is essentially an emotional one, which is why visual images prove particularly powerful.

The realm of the visual transcends logic and reasoning and goes straight for the gut. This is especially true in the case of the online Abortion Gallery. There, a visitor finds dozens of horrifying pictures of aborted embryos and fetuses. The texture and color of these pictures is gruesome, evoking the horrendous nature of the abortion act. Any person considering getting an abortion will look at these images and realize that they will be inflicting the same onto their unborn baby. Some of the pictures show the embryos in relation to adult human hands, emphasizing the fact that we adults should be protective custodians of all human life. The website also includes ultrasounds that depict the unborn child sucking its thumb. Some of the photos are particularly gory, almost like scenes from a horror film. Therefore, the same emotions that one associates with horror films are conveyed through this website.

As abortion is one of the most controversial and sensitive issues facing American culture today, the Abortion Pages are situated at the forefront of the modern debate. Moreover, as they are arranged on a website, they offer the entire world a peek at the crime of abortion. The Internet provides a rich medium with which to provide both text and images in order to argue a case. In this situation, the images work on their own in presenting an effective argument. Just as a lawyer must often rely on visual evidence in court to persuade the jury, so too does a pro-life advocate need to use visual aides to get his or her point across to the general public.

The audience for the Abortion Pages will vary. Some pro-life advocates will visit the website to reinforce their beliefs and remind themselves why they are dedicated to the cause. People in the religious community might point others to the website in order to inform them about the implications of abortion. The values and beliefs of those in the religious community will be generally in line with the views of the creator of the website. The website will bolster the opinions of religiously-minded visitors and will consequently show them that their beliefs have considerable support.

Furthermore, showing the Abortion Pages to a friend or colleague will be more effective than giving them a pamphlet. Finally, the general public is the ultimate audience of the Abortion Pages. People from around the world will encounter the website, which makes the anti-abortion message especially far-reaching. The fact that the Abortion Pages rely on visual imagery for the argument enables the creators to transcend language barriers. If the pages were only text-based, it would be impossible to reach out to so many individuals around the world. Abortion is a universal and timeless issue, as it has been a problem throughout human history. Therefore it is only appropriate that photos be used to convey the fundamental pro-life argument.

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PaperDue. (2004). Abortion Visual Images Work Particularly. PaperDue. https://www.paperdue.com/essay/abortion-visual-images-work-particularly-59342

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