That level of harassment is enough to make anyone consider a new profession. Not to mention, a threat to the life of one's husband and daughter would send most folks fleeing to the first bland desk job they can find. That is why anti-abortion activists do it; terrorism can be very effective. That isn't to say that Johnson was coerced into quitting her job and joining the other side. It's utterly believable that an ultrasound could change one's feelings about abortion, especially for someone living in a staunchly conservative community. However, it's hard to fathom spending eight years witnessing abortions, crossing picket lines and having your life threatened -- first as a volunteer and later as a rank-climbing employee -- without being clear on your feelings about abortion or the basic medical reality of the procedure. How many pamphlets and protest signs displaying extremely graphic images (far more so than an ultrasound) must have been shoved in her face over the years?
Don't they know the story of Bernard Nathanson, the man who founded NARAL, and how he rejected abortion when he saw the ultrasound of an abortion?
If anyone knows about being on the front lines of the abortion war, it's him.
And what about Norma McCorvey?
And what about other ex-abortionists?
There's a big difference between seeing graphic pictures and an ultrasound.
The pictures show a dead body and lots of tissue. When you're involved in medicine, you can be deadened to that sight.
But to see the act of abortion itself-- live-- is quite different. To see that baby scream that silent scream is like nothing else. It's visceral.
