Page 33 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 21

Leadership
Health & Healing

Visualizing Abortion Statistics:

Who’s Being Killed and Why?

By Brian Clowes, PhD| January 26, 2022 | https://www.hli.org/

ale professor Edward en killed by illegal abortions, panel And our imagination is one of the
Tufte is an information trucks with giant bloody aborted-ba- critical tools that will, in the end,
guru. He travels the by pictures on them, and NARAL’s win the abortion battle. As none
Yworld teaching people “Silent No More” debacle, where other than Joseph Stalin said, “Ideas
the art of “data visualization,” or weeping women described in great are more powerful than guns.”
how to most effectively present the detail the suffering of their (mostly
power and the beauty of evidence. imaginary) women relatives at the The reality is clear, as are the statis-
His work highlights the fact that the filthy hands of drunk illegal abor- tics: According to the World Health
battle over social issues is largely tionists. Organization, “around 73 million
one of images that activists from all induced abortions take place world-
sides attempt to establish in people’s We pro-lifers can increase the im- wide each year.”
minds. pact of our message if we cultivate
our “visual literacy.” The average So how do we get people to look
No battle is richer in imagery than pro-lifer doesn’t have access to the at abortions as killing a baby rather
the struggle over abortion. We have sophisticated technical equipment than as mere statistics? If we can’t
seen everything from coat hangers needed to make his arguments visu- get people to care about the millions
to roses, ultrasound photos of pre- ally gorgeous, but he does have the of dead preborn babies, we will
born babies, faked photos of wom- power of imagination. never get them interested in specif-

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