| 9/29/2009 8:24:00 AM | Email this article • Print this article |
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| Photo by Michael Clancy |
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Famous photo changed man's view on abortion, now he hopes to change other hearts
LYNNEA PRUZINSKY MUMOLA
Special to the Standard
Ten years ago, the subject of a news photograph - a 21-week-old fetus - reached his arm outside his mother's womb during prenatal surgery. A photographer captured the image of a tiny hand grasping the gloved hand of a surgeon. In the months that followed the publication of his photograph, Michael Clancy, a freelance photojournalist, found himself deeply committed to the fight to end abortion and having to choose a new career. For Clancy would end up in the middle of a heated political controversy and instead of reporting news, he suddenly became the news.
On Sept. 18, Clancy shared the story behind the photograph as well as his journey toward personal faith with over 40 people gathered at Sacred Heart Parish in Bowie. Sponsored by Defend Life, Clancy used a power point presentation to illustrate the "miraculous picture" of Baby Samuel at the end of a one-hour in vitro surgical procedure to limit the effects of spina bifida.
"After witnessing Samuel's struggle," Clancy said, he came to realize "a child deserves all legal protection."
After the surgery, Clancy sent the film to USA Today which published the photograph in September of 1999. Once processed, the film revealed a series of four photos. In the first two, the baby's hand can be seen reaching out of the surgical incision and in the third photograph the baby's fingers tighten around the surgeon.
Later the doctor, Joseph Bruner, granted interviews telling the media he posed the baby's hand for the photographer. "The doctor still claims, he pulled the hand outside the womb," Clancy noted. In his presentation, Clancy explained exactly where he was standing and described how he saw movement of the woman's uterus in the moments before pointing and shooting the photographs. "My picture is not posed," Clancy added.
Clancy, whose pro-life advocacy continued to grow, eventually found that these questions about his credibility ground his photographic career to a halt. Unable to get any photo assignments after publicly speaking out against abortion, Clancy became a full-time advocate against abortion.
In 2003, Clancy shared his famous photograph and testimony with Congress. Along with Samuel and his family , Clancy helped persuade the lawmakers to pass the law banning partial-birth abortion. Later, the photographer was invited to the White House when the bill was signed into law.
Today he shares his photograph and the story of his faith in God to persuade others to change their hearts about abortion. "God speaks to people through this photograph," Clancy said.
He runs a website featuring the powerful image and said he responds to each and every e-mail. Although there have been a few discouraging notes, Clancy said he is buoyed by hundreds of notes in support of his work. He cited several e-mails grateful for his photograph because it prevented a loved-one from going through with abortion. Clancy read excerpts from a woman who wrote to him because she became a grandmother after her daughter saw the photo and couldn't get an abortion.
Clancy described himself as blessed to have been able to take the photograph that altered lives. But he credits the entire experience to God. "I deserve actually no credit for this picture," Clancy said.
But before becoming a photographer, Clancy said he was angry at God. While growing up, Clancy said he suffered abuse from his step-father and even blamed God for his horrible life. Eventually Clancy ran away from home. For many years he wandered around doing odd jobs in construction, until he finally thought he would like to become a photographer. After putting himself through night school, he began getting jobs for various newspapers.
Over 10 years of assignments later - when Clancy was 43 years old - he received an assignment to cover a pastor at a Pentecostal Church in the mountains of North Carolina. After meeting this pastor, the course of his life changed again as Clancy found a way to forgive himself and profess his faith. "I started to cry," Clancy said.
Three months later, Clancy was given the assignment to cover the experimental surgery and captured the photo of Baby Samuel. And although Clancy said he remains a shy and introverted person, he felt called to present his story in public. "I've seen conversion from pro-choice to pro-life," Clancy said. By showing this picture, "we will win one heart a day."
Sacred Heart parishioners Bill and Linda Quinn were already opposed to abortion, but they attended the presentation because they wanted to hear Clancy. "It's a compelling story," Bill Quinn noted.
"What I've done is listen and become educated," Linda Quinn added. "He's inspired me to come out of my comfort zone."
Gael Swick, who helps organize the pro-life activities at the parish, said she was "touched by Clancy's personal and professional story. If you can just change one life, it will be worth it."
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