Center for Bio-Ethical Reform: The group behind the Genocide Awareness Project

Mechelle Hankerson
News Editor

The group behind the Genocide Awareness Project is a national educational center called the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform.

The organization formed in 1990 and aims to change more than just laws relating to abortion. The group hopes to change society, according to Virginia’s project director for the Center, Nicole W. Cooley.

“My personal goal and the goal of most pro-lifers is that we want to change our culture,” Cooley said while on VCU’s campus last Wednesday. I hope that once the American people realize that abortion is much worse than they thought it was, that abortion will become unthinkable – that would be our new status quo. Not just illegal, but unthinkable.”

The Genocide Awareness Project is considered the group’s campus outreach project. The display is brought specifically to college campuses to point out similarities between historical genocides like that in Rwanda and the Holocaust.

According to Cooley, the group does recognize that historical genocides and abortion are different, but she said there are similarities.

“There (are) points of comparison; we’re not saying they’re identical,” she said.

Cooley said the fact that unborn children are denied personhood under the law, the use of dehumanizing language (using the word ‘fetus’ versus using the word ‘baby’) and that there is a higher purpose in having an abortion.

“In the abortion movement we say if we get rid of all the unwanted children, then all we have are the wanted children, and we use all these things to justify killing a group of people,” Cooley said.

We’re not saying (abortion and genocide are) exactly the same (but) the same thought process is used in all these scenarios,” she said.

The Genocide Awareness Project is one of four projects the Center has. Others include AbortionNO, Reproductive Choice” Campaign and Matthew 28:20.

Matthew 28:20 was created as an offshoot of the Genocide Awareness Project and employs the same tactic of using large, graphic photos to dissuade viewers to consider abortion as an option. Matthew 28:20, however, is specifically directed at churches and other religious organizations by citing examples and proof from the Bible.

The Reproductive Choice” Campaign uses trucks with photos of unborn children and the word Choice” printed on the side. The Center’s website said this project was planned “since abortion advocates love to talk about ‘choice,’ it is time for the entire world to see what that “choice” does to unborn children.”

The website also addresses criticism they receive for their use of graphic photos. The group argues that the photos are no different than the violence and other graphic acts people can see through the mainstream media.

CBR considers the use of photos one of the more integral parts of their campaigns, especially with the Genocide Awareness Project.

Until people see the truth and know that abortion is way worse than they thought it was, they’re not going to motivated to do anything,” Cooley said.