Show, Don’t Tell
During street outreach in June, I spoke with Sadi in downtown London. He was pro-choice and said that abortion was up to people’s own decisions, and he supported it until at least 7 or 8 months into pregnancy. We talked through the Human Rights Argument, but I found that we were going in circles, and his stance didn’t change. At one point, he told me that early on in pregnancy, the embryo was “just a bit of blood” (a variation on other terms I’ve heard, like “clump of cells”). I had my pamphlet open to a photo of a 10-week abortion victim, and I clarified to him that the reason that child was bloody was because she’d been torn apart in the abortion process. As we looked at the photo together, I explained to him the surgical abortion that had suctioned that baby’s body into pieces. He was stunned. “How far along is that?” “10 weeks – 2 and a half months,” I replied. I then showed him the 7-week living embryo on the pamphlet’s cover, and pointed to our nearby sign with a photo of a 6-week living embryo. I shared with him that a 6-week embryo already has a heartbeat and detectable brain waves. He was again shocked at how developed the baby already was, so early on in pregnancy. He said over and over, “I didn’t know any of this.”
I then challenged him further and said, “At fertilization, that child obviously looks VERY different from us, not developed at all. But if we know that at fertilization, at conception, that there’s a new human life – even though she’s just one cell big – then shouldn’t it still be wrong to kill her? Shouldn’t she still get human rights?” He agreed with me that she should. I asked him then if he still thought abortion should be allowed in any circumstance. He told me it was wrong, but, what about if the mother’s life was in danger? I clarified for him that abortion isn’t medically necessary because if we need to deliver the baby to save the mom’s life, there’s no medical reason to intentionally kill the baby first. He agreed with me that that view made sense.
As we continued talking, I asked him what his opinion on abortion was now. He said to me, “I didn’t know ANY of this. Based on what you explained to me, I have to change my mind. We have to be against this. Thank you so much.” He shook my hand and left completely pro-life!
What about unwanted children?
In July in Woodstock, I spoke with a pro-choice man who was very much a moral relativist at the start, on all sorts of issues. The start of the conversation was…a bit of a wild time, as it was difficult to tell if he thought ANY actions were truly wrong. But after talking with him about moral relativism for a bit, we were able to clarify that we both agreed that our society should have some laws to protect people from violence.
He repeatedly brought up the concern that our society didn’t have the “infrastructure” to support the children who’d be born if they weren’t aborted. Wouldn’t all those children grow up unwanted? I talked with him in detail about the Turnaway Study, which studied the views and outcomes of women who initially wanted an abortion but were “turned away” and couldn’t get one. I explained that 5 years after being denied an abortion, 96% of those women said themselves that they no longer wished they’d gotten an abortion. And the vast majority of them raised their children themselves. He was VERY surprised and encouraged to learn that information, and his tone in the conversation suddenly became much more open and curious.
We continued talking about how, even in bad situations, we shouldn’t violently kill children as a solution. He questioned the humanity of the pre-born child, however, and asked me, “But is a fetus an individual?” I replied to him, “Well, looking at science, if 2 humans reproduce, what species is their offspring?” “Human,” he said. “Right,” I said to him, “And if that human offspring is growing, then…” He finished the sentence for me: “Then it’s a life.” Apparently eager to learn more, he asked me what I thought the top three “toughest” pro-choice arguments were, and how I would respond to them as a pro-lifer!
Our lengthy conversation got cut short, because the OAA activism team had to pack up for the night. The young man told me he still wanted to think more about the issue of abortion, and do more research. But before leaving, he thanked me for the conversation. And he said to me, “I think most people here [in Woodstock] would agree with your arguments. And I think a lot of people around the world would, too.”
Any time I attend outreach, I know that the time is “covered” not only by the prayers of myself and my teammates, but also by the prayers of my friends, my family, and countless Christians I’ll never meet. Abortion is ultimately a spiritual battle. We know that when we see hearts and minds change, the Holy Spirit is always at work, softening their hearts to the plight of aborted children. To all those who pray for an end to abortion, thank you.
To get involved with either teams mentioned, reach out to London Against Abortion or Oxford Against Abortion!
Want to learn how to have effective dialogue about abortion, to defend pre-born children? If you would like a Pro-life Conversation Training brought to your community, reach out to me here.
Maria McCann 