The Bengali leaflet distributed at the Kolkata Book Fair, 2014:
The cover of the English leaflet:
The text of the English leaflet:
Our collective human mind recoils in shock when we think of the bloodiest war in history, 1939-1945. In each of those six years, 10 million people died violently, in battle or in gas chambers, or of starvation or disease caused by the war.
Yet now every year, 40 million unborn babies around the world die of abortion, and most of us never think about it. 6-11 million of them, mostly girls, die in this way in India. In West Bengal alone, about 1500 of our little unborn sisters and brothers die by abortion each day, before they have ever had a chance to see the light of the world.
The Viswakamal Welfare Society (www.viswakamalwelfaresociety.org) is determined to change this.
An unborn baby is hidden deep inside the mother, and even if we could see within, that baby necessarily starts out microscopically small. So at the surface level of our thoughts, most people may not love the unborn. But deep in our hearts, if we think enough, we all do love the unborn and want to protect it. Through a campaign of posters, banners, leaflets, Facebook and other internet pages, and newspaper and TV ads, Viswakamal has begun to awaken that love and awareness here in West Bengal.
Besides the widespread devaluation of those who are invisible and defenceless (unborn children), some of Indian society has long devalued women. This attitude toward women has resulted in violence against grown women, but also violence against unborn women in the form of sex-selective abortion. Unborn girls are killed in our society at an even faster rate than unborn boys.
One other social factor that results indirectly in violence is the negative stereotyping of illegitimate children. Unmarried women are sometimes driven to abortion by the fear that their children will be mistreated in life. Society must be educated to understand the irrationality of blaming innocent children for the circumstances of their birth.
To the parents of unborn children:
Some abortions are necessary in order to prevent real harm to the mother. But sometimes there is no medical necessity, and yet parents feel that circumstances are forcing them to kill their unborn child by abortion. In such circumstances, think of the value and beauty of that child, and contact us. Don’t make a hasty decision that you will regret. An unborn baby is very easy to kill, but very hard to restore to life.
If you live in the Kolkata metropolitan area, we can try to put you in touch with adoption possibilities. We can guide you to ultrasound (sonogram) facilities (if permitted by law before sex differentiation in the growing child). An ultrasound can help you to understand better the life that is growing in the mother, and help you make a more informed decision. We can try to arrange financial assistance for ultrasounds and even for needs after birth, though we cannot presently guarantee such assistance.
The world is full of possibilities and miracles. Give your child a chance to live its life.
Contact us at viswakamal.ws@gmail.com with your phone number.
Or go to www.viswakamalwelfaresociety.org, and leave a reply with your phone number. Your reply will not appear publicly.
To the relatives and acquaintances of parents of unborn children:
Please help convey the above message to the parents.
Overpopulation
Many people ask, “In a country like India, won’t fewer abortions lead to overpopulation, or increase the existing overpopulation?”
Killing those who are weaker than ourselves is not the right way to reduce overpopulation. Please see www.viswakamalwelfaresociety.org, and click on “Q&A: population and other questions“.
Due to financial limitations, Viswakamal was unable to print more than 2000 leaflets for the Book Fair. With your help, larger numbers of leaflets can be printed for upcoming events, including International Women’s Day on March 8. If you can help, please write for instructions to viswakamal.ws@gmail.com with the word “donation” in the subject line.