Quote :

Anti-Abortion Billboard in SoHo Comes Down

Updated: Friday, 25 Feb 2011, 10:28 PM EST
Published : Thursday, 24 Feb 2011, 4:34 PM EST

MYFOX NEW YORK STAFF REPORT

MYFOXNY.COM - Lamar Advertising pulled down a controversial anti-abortion billboard that hung over a building in SoHo, but the company told MyFoxNY.com that the decision had nothing to do with the content of the advertisement.

The ad read "The most dangerous place for an African American is in the womb"and featured a photo of a young African-American girl behind the text and a link to a website for a group called Life Always .

"We received a complaint that some people who objected to the billboard were harassing the wait staff of a nearby restaurant," said Hal Kilshaw, a VP for Lamar Advertising. "We heard that there would be a protest tomorrow. There were concerns about problems for people who live or work in the area. That's why we chose to take it down. We are not taking the copy down because we don't think the copy should have been accepted in the first place or that it is too controversial."

In a statement, Life Always said it disagreeed with Lamar's decision.

"[T]he billboard's message holds true, and truth has a place in the public square," the group said in the statement. "The intent of the board is to call attention to the tragedy and the truth that abortion is outpacing life in the black community."

The billboard over Sixth Avenue was purposely placed near a Planned Parenthood location.

The activist Rev. Al Sharpton cancelled a protest at the billboard site that he had planned for Friday.

"The billboard was offensive, especially during Black History Month," Sharpton said in a statement Thursday.

But Rev. Michel Faulkner, a pastor from Harlem who is black, strongly disagrees that the billboard is offensive.

"While this billboard causes a visceral reaction from many African Americans, it addresses a stubborn truth that 60 percent of black babies do not make it out of the womb. We must do something now," said Faulkner, a supporter of Life Always. "Instead of challenging the design of the ad, we should ask why the message is true and how can we change the fact that the leading cause of death for African Americans is abortion."

The girl seen in the photo is Anissa Fraser, 6. On Wednesday, her mother, Tricia Fraser, said she was shocked that her daughter's image was used in the billboard.

"I would never endorse something like that," Fraser said Wednesday. "Especially with my child's image." Fraser wanted the group to pull the ad.

Two years ago, Fraser brought her four children to a modeling agency to be photographed. She acknowledged signing a release form that allowed the photos to be sold as stock images. But she said she never thought her daughter would become the face of a pro-life campaign focusing on African Americans.

The Women of Color Policy Network at NYU's Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service had objected to the billboard and had written a letter to the advertising company.

"The billboard is only one of the many attacks on reproductive freedom and services for low-income women across the country," said Nicole Mason, the executive director of the Women of Color Policy Network.

With Dan Bowens

A sad truth that people would rather be locked away do they can pretend like it doesn't exist. But you can't run forever.

That should have come down. Seemed very mocking and condescending IYAM.

^^^^Condescending? I don't think so, no more so than MANY other billboards out there.

The desperate lows these right wing groups are willing to sink to when they know they are losing the cultural battle. It tickles me that this ad was pulled, seeing as how they were trying their damnedest to shame black women out of considering an abortion.

^^^^But they are not losing the cultural battle. And left wing groups arguably sink much lower.

The truth hurts and that is why this add was really pulled. People can't face it. If the right wing were truly loosing this war, then they would've never HAD to pull this in the first place.

Since Roe v. Wade is STILL in effect, with no signs of repeal happening in the foreseeable future, I would say that the right IS losing (and has been fighting this losing battle for the past 40 years.) All of the protests, distasteful signs and banners, threats, harassing, murdering of doctors in abortion clinics has done little to nothing to swing the pendulum back to the 1950s. The truth does hurt.

^^^^Roe has never been reflective of the culture, and your claim specifically went to the cultural side of things. I have no doubt that people tried to discourage those who tried to fight against slavery in the same way.

And the right has no desire to go back to the 50's. The left seems to still be out to lunch on that fact(I think the left secretly likes the 50's based on how much they talk about it), but I guess we'll let them wallow in their delusions a bit longer. There's nothing 50's about not killing people.

As I said, if the right were REALLY losing this fight, that billboard wouldn't have needed to be taken down because nobody would've paid attention to it. Abortion will one day join slavery on the shelf of America's mistakes. Until then, those who see the truth will continue to push on and not be discouraged by overblown setbacks(ie this billboard issue) or by the taunts of the industry's supporters. Slavery wasn't won overnight, but it was won. So will it be with abortion.

The ad was in very poor taste and tried to make an unfair scapegoat out of black babies.

Jason B. wrote:

The ad was in very poor taste and tried to make an unfair scapegoat out of black babies.

That's all there is to it. It was taken down as it should have been.

tmontyb wrote:

Jason B. wrote:

The ad was in very poor taste and tried to make an unfair scapegoat out of black babies.

That's all there is to it. It was taken down as it should have been.