Center for Bio-Ethical Reform

The Center for Bio-Ethical Reform (CBR) is an American anti-abortion[1] organization. The Executive Director of the CBR is Gregg Cunningham, a former Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives who has also held a number of other government positions. He was a member of the Reagan administration.[2]

Activities

CBR projects include the Reproductive "Choice" Campaign, the Genocide Awareness Project, Matthew 28:20, and the AbortionNO web site.

The CBR has compared Nazi genocide and lynching victims to aborted fetuses, in the context of its Genocide Awareness Project. Its intentionally offensive displays have been held to be constitutionally protected speech.[3]

English News reports describe a group called Abort67, "whose parent organisation is the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform, which is run by an ex-Republican politician who has come over to train their activists".[4]

In 2019 the UK affiliate of CBR targeted pregnant Labour MP and women's rights campaigner Stella Creasy by advertising on billboards and leafleting in her constituency. The advertising agency responsible for the "disgusting"[5] billboards apologised, commenting "we accept that the content should have been scrutinised in greater detail and should not have been displayed" and removed the posters[6] Some campaigning in the UK has been done under the banner of Abort67, a project of the Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform UK, which was founded as a company in 2010. It has claimed at least £29,000 in gift aid, according to its accounts, but is not a charity so is not eligible for these payments.[1]

The group's Irish offshoot campaigned against the legalization of abortion in Ireland, claiming to be exempt from laws forbidding foreign funding of political activity.[7]

Graphic images

The CBR advocates displaying graphic pictures of aborted fetuses, as well as the dead bodies of Holocaust and lynching victims. The use of shocking abortion photos has resulted in the CBR being a relatively controversial organization. During their protest at Liberty University and The College of William and Mary,[8] the group was met with condemnations by even the campus pro-life organizations, who view the group's tactics and messages to be neither helpful nor appropriate.[9]

Genocide Awareness Project

The Genocide Awareness Project is a movable display which has been temporarily installed on multiple university campuses in the United States and Canada since 1997. The display includes pictures which are claimed to be of aborted fetuses or represent what an aborted fetus would look like, juxtaposed next to pictures of victims of genocide. In 2001, the display was mounted on trucks and driven round San Francisco Bay Area. This approach was also used earlier in Florida, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and Los Angeles area.[10]

In many places students have protested the use 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".[11]

Genocide is defined in international law as oner of a number of actions "committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such".[12]

References
  1. Thomas, Helen (2018-05-14). "Anti-abortion group Gift Aid questioned". BBC News. Retrieved 2020-08-25.
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-10-07. Retrieved 2011-10-04.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. "California high court allows disturbing images during antiabortion demonstrations". 2019-10-17. Retrieved 2020-08-25.
  4. Marsh, Sarah (2018-04-23). "Abortion clinic buffer zones being considered by more councils". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-04-18.
  5. "Ad company removes 'disgusting' anti-abortion campaign directed at pregnant Labour MP". 2019-10-01. Retrieved 2020-08-25.
  6. Marsh, Sarah (30 Sep 2019). "Ad agency apologises to Stella Creasy over foetus billboard campaign". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 Sep 2019.
  7. O’Loughlin, Ed (2018-03-26). "As Irish Abortion Vote Nears, Fears of Foreign Influence Rise". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-08-25.
  8. Martin, SaraRose. "William and Mary students hold counter-protest during anti-abortion group demonstration". vagazette.com. Retrieved 2019-04-18.
  9. Stiner, Mikaela (2019-04-11). "Graphic Abortion Protest Met With Counter Protest". The Lynchburg Torch. Retrieved 2019-04-18.
  10. "Abortion foes plan a convoy campaign Pictures of fetuses displayed on trucks", San Francisco Chronicle, November 24, 2001.
  11. Pro-life images disturb students
  12. "United Nations Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect". www.un.org. Retrieved 2020-08-25.

Leadership

6.76%, or $66,440, of the group's expenses goes to compensating Gregg Cunningham, who is listed as the secretary.[1]

See also

References
  1. "Charity Navigator - Rating for Center for Bio-Ethical Reform". Charity Navigator. Retrieved 2019-04-18.
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