Readers who have picked up the Catholic Star Herald in the last six months have likely noticed the powerful images of newborn babies, or newborns and their parents, with accompanying messages.
“Love them both.”
“Protect them both.”
“Cherish children”
“Cherish family.”
“Spread the culture of life: If not us, who? If not now, when?”
These advertisements come from a small but determined group of pro-life Catholics in the Diocese of Camden who are united in their belief that a picture is worth a thousand words.
“We thought that by relying on short, profound, simple images and messages, we can touch people’s hearts and souls, prick their consciences and gradually shift” a culture that can disregard the humanity of unborn children, said John Cogan, a member of the Culture of Life Advocates.
The grassroots group also includes Cogan’s wife, Cathy, as well as Maureen Master and Joe Sosnowsky, all parishioners of Saint Damien Parish, Ocean City.
Each has been in involved in pro-life advocacy for decades; outreach includes praying in front of women’s clinics, taking part in the National March for Life in Washington, and promoting the need for better care for pregnant mothers and their children.
In addition to advertising in the Catholic Star Herald, the group has started a dedicated Facebook page to help all understand “the truth and beauty of the pro-life message,” Cogan said.
Those who follow “Culture of Life Advocates” on Facebook will find more than 25 images and writings available to share, free of charge.
“Our approach is to get these images out into the mainstream as much as possible, and asking people to share these images with their friends and family,” Cogan said. “We hope that over a period of time, this will gradually result in more people moving culturally to the pro-life side.”
Visitors to the page can also find additional information and resources to support the pro-life cause.
“We’ve always thought that politics and legislation are downstream of the culture, so if you start with the culture, it will affect everything else,” Cogan said.
The group hopes to draw as many people as possible to the pro-life images, but particularly young people and pregnant woman and their partners who may be in difficult circumstances. Regardless of who happens upon the messages, however, “we want to communicate to all … that God is with them, and they can rely on His mercy and compassion,” as the group’s mission states.
“We expect the truth and beauty … to gradually pull at [individuals] so that even the thought of abortion becomes unthinkable,” Cogan said. “We expect this outcome to take time, but it is worth it.”
With the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022, which eliminated the constitutional right to an abortion, the pro-life effort has shifted to individual states.
“The battle got harder, and there’s no resting on any laurels,” Sosnowky said. “Everybody’s got their part to play, and this is our role.”
Added Master, “Our hope, and belief, is that by flooding [social media] with these positive, beautiful messages, people will change their hearts. We want to influence people in a positive way, without shame or guilt.”
“This movement is an invitation for anyone who believes in the value of human life,” she continued. “If everybody just sent one of our messages to one family or friend, the reach would grow exponentially.”
“The more you see a beautiful image, the more it has a positive effect,” she said.
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