The tolerant liberal paladins of Madison, Wisconsin have decided a motivational speaker on teen suicide may not appear at the annual Brat Fest because he also supports a pro-life initiative that encourages abortion-minded women to view ultra-sound images of their unborn babies, according to The New York Times.
Tim Metcalfe, organizer of the private event called the World’s Largest Brat Fest, which features rock bands and tubed meats, was concerned about the growing problem of teen suicide so he invited Bob Lenz to the event to speak about the issue. A local paper discovered Lenz was also part of something called Save the Storks, an evangelical group that funds mobile ultrasound units that they park near abortion clinics.
Save the Storks, a nonprofit created and run by hip young evangelicals, says their mission is based on research data that shows most post-abortive women made their abortion decision but did not have full information about what they were about to do. Showing women ultra-sounds of their unborn babies is frowned upon in abortion clinics because the image of the living breathing child acts as a deterrent to abortion and therefore cuts into profits.
Abortion advocates accuse groups like Save the Storks of intimidating women who are about to enter abortion clinics though news reports show no evidence of such intimidation.
When word got out that Lenz had some connection to Save the Storks a backlash began even though Lenz was only going to speak about teen suicide. No matter. Lenz had to go, according to the liberals of Madison who pride themselves on their open-minded attitudes. Locals said Lenz did not reflect Madison values.
Like many social and other conservatives who have had their speaking engagement cancelled around the country, Lenz fell victim to newly established speech codes. He is not bitter. While he will not attend the Brat Fest, he holds no ill-will toward the organizers of the event or the people of Madison. He said, “I’m not going because I don’t want to pour fuel on the fire.”
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