Inspired by the Abolitionists....

Ellen McCormack ran for President of the United States in 1976, as well as in 1980:

"for the most part, political novices ran the Ellen McCormack [1976] campaign. The core committee began as a parish dialogue group at Curé of Ars Parish, Merrick, New York....

"While they knew their strongest support would come from Catholics, this was not a Church-driven endeavor; that is, help came overwhelmingly from parishioners rather than from pastors or bishops, many of whom appeared leery of political involvement. They may have been unnecessarily concerned about losing their tax-exempt status....

"New York’s experience demonstrates that politicians respond to voters’ actions more than to words, and are particularly sensitive to challenges in districts where candidates win by slim margins....

"Ellen often affirmed, 'Like the movement to prohibit slavery, the right-to-life-movement will eventually succeed.' She maintained that firmly holding on to the pro-life position was the best way to be effective. Quoting abolitionist [emphasis added] leader William Lloyd Garrison, Ellen pledged: 'I am in earnest. I will not equivocate. I will not excuse. I will not retreat a single inch.' Like Garrison, she claimed, 'That is the only way we will be heard'....

"Significantly, volunteers succeeded in having Ellen McCormack’s name placed on presidential primary ballots in twenty states. The nominating and seconding speeches for McCormack at the Democratic National Convention stirringly upheld the pro-life position for viewers across the nation. Although Senator Edward Kennedy stated from the floor of the 1976 Democratic National Convention that Jimmy Carter had won unanimously, this was not true. Citing as her sources the July 15, 1976, issue of the New York Times and a 1977 issue of the Congressional Quarterly, Mary Meehan, of Democrats for Life, correctly found that Ellen McCormack, who had earned over 238,000 votes in the primaries, won 22 delegate votes at the national convention.

"In her role as candidate, Ellen McCormack, a courageous prolife Catholic from Merrick, Long Island, forced those running for office in the 1976 presidential primaries to address the abortion issue" (Jane Gilroy, The Ellen McCormack 1976 Presidential Campaign: An American Catholic Comes to the Fore, Catholic Social Science Review 13 (2008): 363-371).

Abolish Human Abortion (AHA):

"For the mainstream movement to ban abortion, graphic photos and aggressive language have generally gone out of style....

"Abolish Human Abortion (AHA) begs to differ. Founded out of Norman, Oklahoma, and with chapters nationwide, AHA activists wear t-shirts emblazoned with 'End Child Sacrifice' and proudly display photos of bloodied, fully developed fetuses. They protest outside churches – yes, churches – accusing them of not doing enough to end abortion, and talk scornfully of 'pro-lifers' who make peace with rape exceptions to abortion bans.

"AHA activists disdain the phrase 'pro-life' altogether. They prefer 'abolitionists,' [emphasis added] with all slavery comparisons explicitly intended, and they want to push the larger movement to abide by their uncompromising positions. That means moving away from the incremental strategy" (Melissa Harris-Perry, Meet the rebels of the anti-abortion movement, MSNBC, 3/8/14).

AHA offers provocative and powerful images for downloading: