THE TIMING & TACTICS OF ABORTION VIDEOS:
SPEAK SOFTLY AND
CARRY A BIG STICK
by Ian Lamont
“Behold, I am sending you out as
sheep in the midst of wolves, so
be wise as serpents and innocent
as doves.” MATTHEW 10:16
When The Center for Medical Progress (CMP) revealed that
Planned Parenthood has been selling human body parts harvested from aborted babies, the news reverberated across the Internet
and in the media, echoing around within the hermetically sealed
chambers labeled “Right” and “Left.” Abortion politics were in
full swing, with organizers on each side marshaling their troops
to sign petitions, donate money, and contact legislators and regulators. It was a culture war equivalent to Passchendaele.1
While it is encouraging when works of darkness are exposed for
the filth and ugliness that they are—and God is surely using
the videos in a powerful way—when it comes to waging war,
timing and tactics are absolutely crucial. Even victories are not
always what they seem. Over the summer, I learned about some
of the unintended legal consequences of this sort of media blitz.2
It made me pause, step back, and carefully consider how I, and
others who long to see an end to abortion, can be more effective
and faithful in our fight against evil.
1. POLITICS IS NOT THE SAME THING
AS JUSTICE.
Just because publicity and media are useful in persuading legislators to vote a certain way or promise to do a certain thing,
publicity can be fatal to a carefully crafted criminal investigation.
Don’t assume that contacting the media is the right thing to do.
Justice is usually not flashy. Investigations can be completely derailed when well-meaning activists rush powerful, sensitive information to YouTube instead of the county courthouse.
page 6 | LIBERTY LEGAL JOURNAL | SPRING/SUMMER 2016
2. LOCAL IS NOT JUST GOOD
FOR FOOD.
One of the most brilliant aspects of the American system of government is that it is still largely decentralized. To a large extent,
your local prosecutor has greater jurisdiction and authority than
all the members of Congress put together. Members of Congress
can hold all the hearings they want and still cannot send a single
child molester to jail. It takes local district attorneys, faithfully enforcing laws passed by the state legislature, to prosecute a
lawbreaker. Prosecutors argue their case in front of a jury of citizens and a judge elected by the people. This is as local as it gets.
Brave, responsible prosecutors and judges are far more necessary
to winning this war than the person who sits in the Oval Office
for four to eight years.
3. THERE IS MORE THAN ONE WAY
TO SKIN A CAT.
Those who are callous and greedy enough to break God’s law
by killing unborn children are likely to be breaking man’s law
when it comes to other aspects of their business, such as failing
to report cases of incest or child abuse. The rule of law requires
that such individuals or organizations be prosecuted for those
acts; so don’t get in the way of prosecutors by making it a political issue. One potential problem with the CMP video release
is that it allowed Planned Parenthood to cover its tracks and
“debunk” overstated claims in the media before there was time
for a thorough legal investigation. Without enough evidence for
an indictment, Planned Parenthood can merely rely on its most
experienced practitioners: the spin doctors.
We need more justice, less politics.