Just when you thought you had seen everything, and just in time for the Christmas season, it was discovered that the hideous Scotsdale abortion clinic in Detroit was actually advertising its killing business in the Southland Center Shopping Mall in Taylor, Michigan, located south of the city.
The large display ad was practically the first thing shoppers would see when they walked into the main entrance to the mall. And this ad was not even hiding the fact that Scotsdale was an abortion center. Notice the ad states “termination services.” How’s that for some Christmas cheer!
Members of Michigan Downriver Right to Life saw the ad and composed a letter of protest that was sent to the mall’s General Manager, Beth Isola. The letter appeared to be ignored, as no one who signed it received any kind of acknowledgement.
“Changing the Language” Not Good Enough
I decided it was time to call the General Manager and insist that the ad be removed. I left a voicemail for Isola on Monday, Dec. 1st. That very evening I received a call from the central office of Rouse Properties in New York, the company that owns the mall. It was a man named Jason who heads up the Public Relations and Communications Deptartment. He said that they were aware of my voicemail to Isola and were now looking into “changing the language” on the ad.
I said “NO. That is not sufficient. This is an abortion clinic and the whole ad needs to be removed.” I told him that hundreds of people, if not thousands, were set to boycott the mall—during the Christmas season, no less—and that public protests were planned.”
That seemed to get his attention.
Since Monday, December 1st, dozens of complaint calls went to the general manager’s office and indeed Citizens for a Pro-Life Society had made plans for a protest for Saturday, December 6th in the mall, right at the kiosk where the ad was displayed.
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We also checked to see if perhaps the Scotsdale ad was showing up at other area malls. And it wasn’t, thank God.
Mike Currin of Downriver Right to Life, one of the signers of the letter sent to Isola, also followed up with a phone call to her office on Tuesday asking for a response. Undoubtedly many calls like this one were having an impact. On Thursday, Mike decided to see if the ad was still up. And what do you know—it wasn’t there! And it wasn’t anywhere else in the mall either!
This prompted me to get back in touch with Public Relations at Rouse Properties at their New York office. I wanted to see if any action had indeed been taken by them that would explain why the ad wasn’t there. I left voicemails for Jason and his assistant as well to get back to me. Within a matter of a few hours, they did.
Complaint Calls, Scheduled Protest Have an Impact
On Thursday evening I received a call from Jason’s assistant. She called to inform me that indeed Rouse Properties had the ad removed.
I asked her, “Can you tell me why the they saw fit to remove it?” She replied, “Because of the nature of the ad.”
I asked her: “Are you saying that the ad was a source of controversy for the mall?” She said, “Yes.”
This is a huge admission that indeed the ad—for an abortion mill—was controversial and that our planned protest of it was the reason it is no longer there!
This is a lesson: Pro-life activism works!
I wish to thank all who helped in this effort, and I also thank all those who were willing to stand with me for the inside-the-mall protest—which we ultimately called off. I especially want to thank the Downriver Right to Life Affiliates, Mike Currin, and activist Lynn Mills, for all they did to contribute to this victory.
The Scotsdale abortion clinic’s death-peddling ad would still be up if it were not for pro-lifers doing something it, so never underestimate what you can do for life!
Keep in mind, however, that while this is a significant victory, the Scotsdale abortion mill is the real place of injustice, lies, blood, and death. (See picture at right—this is what Scotsdale really looks like.)
Thus the true victory will be when this place and all other abortion centers are shut down!
But in the meantime, you can save babies scheduled for abortion. Please consider going to your local abortion clinic to pray and reach out to the moms in sidewalk counseling. Don’t let unborn children die alone!
LifeNews Note: Monica Migliorino Miller, Ph.D., is the director of Citizens for a Pro-Life Society and author of Abandoned: The Untold Story of the Abortion Wars (St. Benedict Press, 2012).
