A billboard near my house recently showed an adorable baby girl with the words "I'm a looker!" and something about how early the eyeballs form. Every time I drove past it, I fumed at how deceptive it was, how patronizing, how dismissive, and how emotionally manipulative of women who may be in a really tough place. They should show an actual fetus if they want to provide accurate information. But of course, it's not about accuracy. It's about guilting women away from making their own choice, and replacing it with the religious beliefs of the people who paid for the billboard. When I drove home the other day, I saw someone had vandalized the billboard. Instead of "I'm a looker!" it now reads "I'm NOT A FETUS." Plus, the bit about the eyeballs forming at 19 days has been whited out—the baby now has googly eyes, and someone added "Fuck Trump!" for good measure. Thank you, mysterious spray-painter, for promoting truth in advertising. Neither you, nor I, nor that healthy chubby-cheeked year-old baby on the billboard are fetuses, and it's important to remember the difference.

Anonymous