Genocide Awareness Project
Encyclopedia
The Genocide Awareness Project (GAP) is a movable pro-life
display being temporarily installed on multiple university campuses in the United States and Canada since 1997. The display includes pictures of aborted fetuses juxtaposed next to pictures of abused animals and victims of genocide. The display is produced and managed by the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform
, a privately funded United States
organization.
In 1999 the display has been on at least seventeen campuses. Gregg Cunningham
, the executive director of the Los Angeles based-center said that most people have never seen abortion photographs, and in 1998 at the University of Tennessee
, eight pregnant students who were planning on getting abortions changed their minds after seeing the display.
In 2001, the display was mounted on trucks to roam the San Francisco Bay Area
streets and freeways. This approach was also used earlier in Florida
, Michigan
, Ohio
, Indiana
, Kentucky
, and Los Angeles
area.
In March 2007, pro-life students from the University of Calgary successfully organized their third GAP display. Pro-choicers protested at each of their displays, including bringing manure as a sign of what they thought of the campaign.
At the same time, in some places the controversy around the project was quite high and some campuses banned the display. On March 16, 2004, The National Post ran the headline, “Pro-life signs rejected as inflammatory,” describing how the University of Alberta
turned down the request to put this display in a high-traffic area of the campus, alternatively offering a space in a room. The posters were described as discriminatory and inciting contempt towards women. Other protesters say that to compare these women to Nazis and terrorists is hateful and offensive, and that the use of the word genocide
in relation to abortion is contestable because abortion does not discriminate on national, ethnical, racial or religious grounds.
In many places the students protested the alleged abuse of the words genocide
and Holocaust in this context. For example, at the University of Maryland
over 500 students signed the petition "I Am Insulted by the Exploitation of the Holocaust for Political Gain". The Center for Bio-Ethical Reform website maintains a FAQ
where they explain their reasons for using this comparison.
A Letter to the Editor
published in The Cincinnati Post
on April 20, 2000 says that the genocide exhibit uses a false analogy between Holocaust and abortion, quoting: "The distinction is simple, and is based on the use of the significant word: Choice." The answer to this accusation published on May 10, 2000, states that that there is "the common thread connecting racism, the Holocaust, and abortion. In each case the same technique is the basis of the crime: dismiss the victim as less than human, then dispose of them."
In the past, the discussions between the opposite camps have bordered on slander. For example, in September 2000, the Pro-Choice Action Network
had to publish an apology to GAP in The Vancouver Sun
for an article it published in the newspaper earlier on February 24, 2000.
Pro-life
Opposition to the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-life, or anti-abortion, movement, a social and political movement opposing elective abortion on moral grounds and supporting its legal prohibition or restriction...
display being temporarily installed on multiple university campuses in the United States and Canada since 1997. The display includes pictures of aborted fetuses juxtaposed next to pictures of abused animals and victims of genocide. The display is produced and managed by the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform
Center for Bio-Ethical Reform
The Center for Bio-Ethical Reform is an American pro-life organization promulgating views of the right to life for the unborn, disabled, infirm, aged and other vulnerable groups. The CBR was founded in July 1990 as a privately-funded, non-profit educational corporation...
, a privately funded United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
organization.
In 1999 the display has been on at least seventeen campuses. Gregg Cunningham
Gregg Cunningham
Gregg L. Cunningham is a former Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. He is currently Executive Director of the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform, a pro-life advocacy group.-References:...
, the executive director of the Los Angeles based-center said that most people have never seen abortion photographs, and in 1998 at the University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
, eight pregnant students who were planning on getting abortions changed their minds after seeing the display.
In 2001, the display was mounted on trucks to roam the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
streets and freeways. This approach was also used earlier in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, and Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
area.
Controversy
The organizers maintain that the display stimulates dialogue among students and others who ordinarily would ignore the abortion issue.In March 2007, pro-life students from the University of Calgary successfully organized their third GAP display. Pro-choicers protested at each of their displays, including bringing manure as a sign of what they thought of the campaign.
At the same time, in some places the controversy around the project was quite high and some campuses banned the display. On March 16, 2004, The National Post ran the headline, “Pro-life signs rejected as inflammatory,” describing how the University of Alberta
University of Alberta
The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada...
turned down the request to put this display in a high-traffic area of the campus, alternatively offering a space in a room. The posters were described as discriminatory and inciting contempt towards women. Other protesters say that to compare these women to Nazis and terrorists is hateful and offensive, and that the use of the word genocide
Genocide
Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
in relation to abortion is contestable because abortion does not discriminate on national, ethnical, racial or religious grounds.
In many places the students protested the alleged abuse of the words genocide
Genocide
Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
and Holocaust in this context. For example, at the University of Maryland
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
over 500 students signed the petition "I Am Insulted by the Exploitation of the Holocaust for Political Gain". The Center for Bio-Ethical Reform website maintains a FAQ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions are listed questions and answers, all supposed to be commonly asked in some context, and pertaining to a particular topic. "FAQ" is usually pronounced as an initialism rather than an acronym, but an acronym form does exist. Since the acronym FAQ originated in textual...
where they explain their reasons for using this comparison.
A Letter to the Editor
Letter to the editor
A letter to the editor is a letter sent to a publication about issues of concern from its readers. Usually, letters are intended for publication...
published in The Cincinnati Post
The Cincinnati Post
The Cincinnati Post is a discontinued afternoon daily newspaper that was published in Cincinnati, Ohio. Distributed in Northern Kentucky as The Kentucky Post, it was owned by the E. W. Scripps Company. Since the 1980s, its editorial stance was usually conservative. The Post published its final...
on April 20, 2000 says that the genocide exhibit uses a false analogy between Holocaust and abortion, quoting: "The distinction is simple, and is based on the use of the significant word: Choice." The answer to this accusation published on May 10, 2000, states that that there is "the common thread connecting racism, the Holocaust, and abortion. In each case the same technique is the basis of the crime: dismiss the victim as less than human, then dispose of them."
In the past, the discussions between the opposite camps have bordered on slander. For example, in September 2000, the Pro-Choice Action Network
Pro-Choice Action Network
The Pro-Choice Action Network is a Canadian pro-choice advocacy group based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Founded in 1987 as the BC Coalition for Abortion Clinics, the group changed to its current name in 1998. It began publishing a quarterly newsletter, The Pro-Choice Press, in 1995. Pro-CAN is...
had to publish an apology to GAP in The Vancouver Sun
The Vancouver Sun
The Vancouver Sun is a daily newspaper first published in the Canadian province of British Columbia on February 12, 1912. The paper is currently published by the Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network. It is published six days a week, Monday to Saturday...
for an article it published in the newspaper earlier on February 24, 2000.
External links
- Article describing pro-life GAP event - http://www.peak.sfu.ca/the-peak/2005-1/issue10/ne-abort.html
- Description of the GAP event on ProLifeOnCampus website - http://www.prolifeoncampus.com/anti-abortion-pro-life/projects/debate-on-campus
- GAP Handout: How Can You Compare Abortion to Genocide? - http://www.prolifeoncampus.com/libraries/tiny_mce/tinymce/plugins/filemanager/files/How%20Can%20You%20Compare%20Abortion%20to%20Genocide%20-%20brochure.pdf
- GAP Project Rejected by a Majority of University of Toronto Students - http://www.peak.sfu.ca/the-peak/2006-2/issue1/ne-abort.html
- University of North Carolina Review of GAP - http://www.unc.edu/cr/features/genocide-awareness-project-2005.html
- Overview of GAP Program according to CBR website - http://www.abortionno.org/gap.html
- List of College Campuses and Pictures of GAP events (CBR website) - http://cbrinfo.org/GAP/gap_photos.html
- CBR Video about GAP - http://old.abortionno.org/realaudio/gapdsl.rm