Josh and Anna Duggar of the hit TLC show "19 Kids and Counting" recently denounced gay marriage and abortion in the public sphere, proving that the family will not be silenced regarding their Christian values despite media backlash.
In her latest Instagram post, Josh Duggar's wife Anna shared a photo of a tree with the image of a fetus inside of it with the pro-life caption, "Pretend I'm a tree and save me."
"We protect historic landmarks, endangered species, people groups, the list goes on and on...," wrote Anna.
"Yet we fail to protect the most vulnerable among us? We must stand together to protect our future Americans from the tragedy of abortion. Let's count their lives as more valuable than trees, and work to save them!"
Meanwhile, Josh Duggar, who is the executive director of the Family Research Council, led a rally at the Arkansas State Capitol supporting a 2004 ballot measure that defined marriage in the state as being between one man and one woman.
"There is an agenda to silence us, to silence those of us who believe in what is right, those of us who have these deeply held convictions," Duggar told the crowd, according to Arkansas Online. "Let me tell you, they're taking away your right to speak. And I call on the Arkansas Supreme Court to stand with the people and to honor their vote."
Prior to the November 4 election, the famous reality family also opted to join in on a statewide "Faith, Family, Freedom" bus tour to promote political candidates opposed to same-sex marriage, abortion and other anti-family policies.
However, the Duggar's adherence to Biblical principles regarding those issues has not come without a cost. Over 86,000 people have signed a petition urging TLC to remove the popular "19 Kids and Counting" show from the air and have accused the family of promoting anti-LGBT "fear-mongering."
"The Duggars have been using their fame to promote discrimination, hate, and fear-mongering against gays and transgendered people," Jim Wissick, who launched the petition, wrote on the page.
"You need to take a stand on the side of justice and cancel their show."
Jessa Duggar,22, has also come under fire for taking a stand against abortion: after visiting the holocaust museum in Washington, DC, she shared a photo accompanied a lengthy note in which she compared the systematic murder of 11 million people to abortion.
'The sanctity of human life varies not in sickness or health, poverty or wealth, elderly or pre-born, little or lots of melanin [making you darker or lighter skinned], or any other factor,' she wrote
Jessa's assertions instantly created a media frenzy, with many calling her "idiotic," "naive," and even "dangerous."
However, the Duggars seem unfazed by the criticism, simply stating that they hope to continue to be used by God.
"God created the world out of nothing, and as long as we are nothing, He can make something out of us--Martin Luther," the family wrote on their Facebook page.
'These words are such a good reminder to stay humble and never think too highly of oneself. We want to maintain a heart posture that allows God to use us any way He would like.'
