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We’ve chronicled in this space before how campaigners aligned with anti-development groups often use women and children as rhetorical props, citing without substantiating how development, if allowed to proceed, will have deleterious impacts on the health of these categories of folks in particular. It’s all part of an increasingly popular strategy among activists to encourage their spokespeople to “[not] worry about highly technical information,” and just use emotional appeals instead.  For example, children are frequently used as a prop by anti-fracking activists, as noted by a member Northern Wayne Property Owners Alliance:

“The use of children in a propaganda war against fracking is scary.  It was used in an attempt to build the case in Dimock.  If the anti natural gas folks were so sure the air was polluted and causing all kinds of ill effects, why did they take children there to act as poster fodder?”

This tactic hit home in Youngstown, Ohio, where Susie Biersdorfer of Frack Free Mahoning Valley rehashed debunked talking points on birth defects to me (I am 9 months pregnant). Here’s the video of what happened:

Frack Free Mahoning Valley, Susie Biersdorfer:  So Jackie I hope you’ve read some of the scientific literature about birth defects…and I see that you are , you know, pregnant, so I hope you’re not going out and visiting frack wells right now. Do you know about the scientific studies out in Utah and Colorado?

Energy In Depth, Director, Jackie Stewart: Wow. You are seriously attacking me, as a pregnant woman?

Frack Free Mahoning Valley, Susie Biersdorfer:  I’m not attacking you; I’m just letting you know that.

Energy In Depth, Director, Jackie Stewart: You’re warning me?

Frack Free Mahoning Valley, Susie Biersdorfer:  I am.

Frack Free Mahoning Valley, Susie Biersdorfer: “You know what, that’s what she gets”

This is certainly not t...