Stop and Think is a large open-air traveling exhibit created by the non-profit organization Justice For All. Its first public exhibition took place on April 20, 2016 at Colorado State University. Consisting of nine six-by-twelve-foot panels arranged in a triangle, Stop and Think invites the university community to stop, reflect, and engage in dialogue about pregnancy, abortion, and human rights. Each side of the exhibit has a theme. The current themes for the sides of the exhibit are as follows:
Feminism and the rights of women
Pregnancy from a woman's perspective
Stories of pregnancy and stories of abortion
Here's a brief introduction to Stop and Think through just a few pictures (Spring 2016 Events at CSU and UCLA):
You can find more detailed information about each panel in Stop and Think through the following links:
1: Feminism and the Rights of Women
Embrace
This panel encourages the viewer to consider whether or not female unborn children should be considered equal members of the human community. Should feminism embrace them?
Image of human fetuses 18 weeks post-fertilization age is from Lennart Nilsson & Lars Hamberger, A Child Is Born (New York: Delacorte Press/Seymour Lawrence, 1990).
Note one developmental feature of the 18-week fetus is that he/she "responds to sound":
See Hepper PG, Shahidullah BS. "Development of fetal hearing." Arch Dis Child. 1994 Sep; 71(2): F81-7.
Note: In the medical literature, gestational age usually refers to "last menstrual period," which is about two weeks prior to the date of fertilization. So, to compare the "Embrace" panel to this article, subtract two weeks from the gestational age references in the article. So, the first response to sound found by the researchers here was at 17 weeks post-fertilization.
See video of and learn facts about the unborn at various stages of development at JFA's "What Is the Unborn?" page.
MIA
Text: According to The Lancet, millions upon millions of girls around the world are missing due to sex-selective abortion and infanticide. Are you saddened by this or do you find yourself indifferent? Is this phenomenon an expression of women’s rights or a violation of women’s rights?
Shirish Sheth,"Missing female births in India", Volume 367, Issue 9506, 185–186 (January 2006)
In It's a Girl, see the moving stories of some of the women and men with personal experiences related to this panel:
ERASE
This panel encourages the viewer to consider whether or not abortion is compatible with feminism and women's rights.
From far away, the meaning of the panel is ambiguous. The word "Erase" is seen above the symbol for feminism and an image of the limbs of an aborted fetus. A closer view, though, reveals grey text inset in the feminism symbol: "freedom through killing." Is the killing of abortion accomplishing freedom and the ideals of feminism or erasing them?
Photo of aborted human fetus 10 weeks from fertilization: Copyright Center for Bio-Ethical Reform
See more images of abortion and information about abortion procedures at JFA's "What Is Abortion?" page.
2: Pregnancy from a Woman's Perspective
Believe - I Am a Rock
Believe - Blank
This panel invites the viewer to consider lies pregnant women sometimes believe.
Believe - Say Goodbye
3: Stories about Pregnancy and Abortion
Her Story: BJ's Mom
Letter submitted to JFA in 2011; Photographed by the author in 2016; Used by permission
Their Story: Dylan and His Parents
Text: Dylan, pictured above, has both Down syndrome and a contagious joy for every person who crosses his path. When this picture was taken, he was competing as a swimmer with others his age who were “normal.” When asked early on if they realized Dylan would be living in their home for the rest of his life, his parents replied with a smile, “We were hoping that he would.” Compare that attitude to what appears to be a common attitude among parents of children diagnosed with Down syndrome in utero. In 67% (and some data suggest up to 90%) of these cases, the parents opt for abortion (though not necessarily only because of Down syndrome). To which of these attitudes should we aspire?
His Story: Rilegh's Dad
Letter and Rose Left on the JFA Poll Table; Colorado State University, 2004; Photo by Katherine Clark
Interesting Note: This panel was first displayed at Colorado State University in 2016 in approximately the same location where the note was originally left on the Justice For All Exhibit Poll Table in 2004.
Alternate Panels
THEIR STORY: FIRST TO COLLEGE
Image by Cheryl Caffarella Wilson; Used by Permission
FEMINISM CANNOT SURVIVE...OVER MY DEAD BODY
recent "Stop and Think" Dialogue Events
Stop and Think Exhibit at Colorado State University, April 2016
Stop and Think Exhibit at UCLA, May 2016