7th May 2019
Baby Johnson makes his or her screen debut in Times Square.
"This is a baby! This right here is a baby. This right here is a baby!
A few weeks ago, Students for Life of America displayed pro-life adverts on the billboards of Times Square. Now, Focus on the Family have gone one better and broadcast live footage of an ultrasound scan, along with the unborn baby’s heartbeat.
4D view of baby Johnson
It was only when the scan was over that it was revealed that the mother of the baby was Abby Johnson, the Planned Parenthood clinic director turned pro-life leader, and subject of the new pro-life film Unplanned.
The youngest Johnson baby (Abby’s eighth with husband Doug) made his onscreen debut as part of Focus on the Family’s "Alive from New York" pro-life rally in Times Square on Saturday afternoon. The event was planned as part of the backlash against New York State’s new extreme pro-abortion legislation. During the rally, Ms Johnson went into a mobile medical unit behind a stage where a technician transmitted a 4-D ultrasound of her child on giant screens in the square.
Between 10,000 and 20,000 people heard the technician point out the baby’s nose, lips and heart, and saw him or her yawn and stretch. Applause broke out when the heartbeat was transmitted over loudspeakers.
Silencing the protestors
One witness, writing for the Town Hall news website, said that even the abortion advocates gathered there to protest the rally fell silent when the ultrasound was transmitted.
"In the middle of literally the world’s busiest intersection, a quiet fell across multiple blocks that was so deafening you could literally have heard a pin drop," Kevin McCullough said.
"No angry chants in protests. No applause of agreement. Just a sleepy little baby’s face, in beautiful 4D, staring out across New York City’s busiest neighbourhoods."
Making abortion unthinkable
Afterwards, Ms Johnson appeared on stage and announced "life is winning."
She said of her unborn child, "This is a baby! This right here is a baby. This right here is a baby! It's not a cat. It's not a parasite. This is a human being with a heartbeat, with its own DNA that is separate from my body. And this baby deserves to live."
"We will see a day when abortion in this country is unthinkable," she predicted.
The rally also featured musical performances and speeches by such pro-life luminaries as Jeanne Mancini of the National March For Life and Dr. Alveda King, the niece of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
Vice President Mike Pence drew attention to the rally’s main event on Saturday when he tweeted: "As Democrat Governors in NY & VA advocate for late term abortion & even infanticide - & Democrats in Congress refuse to allow a vote on the Born-Alive bill - TODAY in Times Square an ultrasound will be shown for all to see, demonstrating the miracle of life."