US Anti Abortion Advert

After the removal of a billboard in New York City which charged that abortion makes a mother's womb the most dangerous place for African Americans, Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan condemned the move as an intolerant gag order.

Likening the ad to anti-smoking campaigns that show the graphic affects of nicotine addiction or world hunger organizations that show pictures of starving children, the New York archbishop said that being confronted by the truth can often be unpleasant. Dolan said that the removed ad is so upsetting because its message is somberly true.

The billboard, sponsored by the group Life Always depicted a young black girl beneath the phrase The most dangerous place for an African American is in the womb.

Pete Costanza, the general manager for Lamar Advertising, said the billboard was being taken down because an objector to the billboard harassed the waiters and waitresses in the Mexican restaurant below the sign. The restaurant has no affiliation with the billboard company or the pro-life group.

The New York Daily News has reported that Tricia Fraser, the mother of the young girl depicted in an anti-abortion billboard, has sued the organization behind the ad.

The billboard shows Fraser's daughter Annisa in a pink dress and a bow in her hair, with the words: The most dangerous place for an African American is in the womb above her photo.

Tricia Fraser's lawsuit charges the use of her daughter's image was defamatory and racist.