Humanizing Abortion Statistics

The Center for Medical Progress bombshells hit just after my third baby was born. In my lap were the eyes of my two-week-old son. On my screen were tiny eyes in a pile of severed remains. I knew the time had come to seize this moment to help end this macabre practice, but what could I do?

I spend my days converting data into insights for major corporations. God has granted me a unique set of skills and a passion for creating data visualizations. Another Life Taken is my way of applying those skills to help keep the pro-life conversation at the forefront. It is an animated data story that emphasizes humanity over statistics.

Humanizing the Data

The individuality of abortion victims gets lost in numbers as large as 58 million since 1973. It’s hard to relate personally to cold, dead facts. Another Life Taken shows each child as an individual, not an aggregate. The story concludes with women sharing the effects of their choice and redemption in Christ.

We normally see data in charts with lines or bars. These abstractions make it easy to forget the people behind the numbers. In contrast, an array of thousands of fetus-shaped icons puts their personhood front and center. Connecting the icons with the sound of a 10-week-old heartbeat makes their value as a person impossible to deny.

Each one has their own story to tell. How old were they? What might have been their names? Why did they die? Another Life Taken answers these questions using available research on gestational age, reasons for abortion, and popular baby names.

Ongoing Stories

Ending the life of a developing fetus is not the end of whatever situation led to that moment. We don’t often talk about the mothers who live on with post-abortion stress syndrome or related issues. We don’t think about the guilt and shame that’s keeping them in the shadows — even inside our own churches.

Another Life Taken includes testimonies from Peace After the Storm, a recovery program of Initiative 180. While we work to prevent the tragic loss of life in the womb, we must also deal with the tragedies that unfold afterward. These women’s stories show us how Gospel of Jesus Christ redeems even the worst acts.

I hope this project will foster empathy for the victims — babies, mothers, and fathers alike. People must see the facts for what they are: a precious life ended and would-be parent’s lives forever changed.