Justice For All

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

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Kaitlyn: Ben, have you ever seen pictures of what abortion looks like?

Ben: No.

Kaitlyn: Would you be willing to see some pictures of what abortion looks like? They are very graphic and hard to look at.

Ben: Sure.

Kaitlyn: These are pictures of what abortion looks like.

Ben got very quiet as he stared at the graphic images of abortion in our brochure (seven weeks to twelve weeks from fertilization). We stood together in silence for a minute. Finally I asked him,

Kaitlyn: Ben, do you think that a woman should be allowed to make a choice that looks like this?

Ben: No. This should not be legal.

Full story: https://www.jfaweb.org/jfa-blog/2023/6/15/picture-is-worth-a-thousand-words

“Don’t forget how abortions are performed. The human inside the womb is starved to death, poisoned, dismembered, and/or given a shot to induce a heart attack so her dead body can be delivered. We are supposed to believe that doing this to a disabled human is “compassion” and those who advocate against it are the “bad guys”? The laws that allow preborn humans to be killed like this are inhumane, not the people trying to protect them.

To clear away the political and linguistic fog that covers these situations, imagine the women who brought the case against Texas were asking that the law be clear that women have the right to kill their born children who have disabilities and may not live very long. What if they were asking for the right to take their born disabled baby into a clinic so a “doctor” could kill them?”

https://humandefense.com/the-hard-cases-they-are-going-to-die-anyways/

If you’re pro-life, we encourage you to memorize this tool developed by Steve Wagner.

How would you respond to someone who says abortion should be legal in cases where “the baby is going to die anyways.”?

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“Abortion is said to be a compassionate option for preborn children with fetal anomalies. Many women choose abortion because they don’t want their child to suffer. We should acknowledge and commend this desire. Even as we sympathize and support families whose children won’t live very long after birth, we must stand our ground in the midst of the tears, pain, emotional trauma, and heart-breaking stories. Violence towards another human is not the solution when a baby only has a short time to live.”

JFA Trainer Rebekah Dyer has a new article out with some dialogue tips on how to address this issue: “The Hard Cases: ‘They are going to die anyways.’

https://humandefense.com/the-hard-cases-they-are-going-to-die-anyways/

Every human being deserves to be equally protected from violence— including the smallest ones.

“A person’s a person no matter how small.”

-Life invites the potential to suffer & prosper.
-To not live is to not have this possibility.
-Life always results in more suffering than non-life.
-It is morally wrong to willingly inflict suffering on another living being.
-It is morally evil to procreate.

(Free Speech Board comment left at UT Austin in November 2023)

What do you think about this person’s argument? Is it morally evil to procreate? Is it better to not exist, (or to be killed) than to live and suffer?

A Better Conversation about Abortion Part 3

When we talk to a pro-choice person, the stakes for her changing her mind are high.

There are a tremendous amount of painful, weighty things people have to work through when faced with the opportunity to change their mind about abortion. Having to acknowledge that you have been wrong about something so important feels crushing for some. Remembering that we all have been mistaken about things in the past will help us humbly and patiently stand alongside another person as they make these shifts in their view.

I recommend reading Common Ground Without Compromise by Stephen Wagner to get practical ideas on how you can find common ground in conversations with those who disagree with you. https://humandefense.com/a-better-conversation-about-abortion/

“A Better Conversation About Abortion” Part 2

Asking good questions is also a crucial part of good conversations.

Here are some of the questions I find really helpful to ask in my own conversations:

What makes this issue important to you?
What do you think about abortion?
Where do you find yourself in the abortion debate?
What do you mean when you say pro-choice or pro-life?
How did you come to be pro-choice or pro-life?
Do you think abortion should be legal for all nine months of pregnancy or only a portion of that time?
How have conversations about abortion gone for you in the past?
Have you always had this view or has it changed for you over time? If it’s changed, how did that change of view happen?
Do you know anyone that has had an abortion?

�What other questions would you ask? Comment below! https://humandefense.com/a-better-conversation-about-abortion/

A Better Conversation about Abortion Part 1

Listen to understand the other person

One of the reasons good conversations about abortion and other controversial issues are rare is because many people don’t take time to carefully listen to others

If we take the time to sit down with someone else, side by side, and hear her story and her reasons for the beliefs she holds, we will have a better chance of making a more persuasive case for our beliefs when that time comes. We shouldn’t merely listen well though just because it can open up better opportunities to change her mind in the future. We should take the time to listen well to others because it shows the other person you see her, that what she is saying matters, and what she experiences matters.

-Rebekah Dyer

https://humandefense.com/a-better-conversation-about-abortion/

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New series: August 1, 8, & 15 (Three weeks) from 6:30-9:00 PM Central Time.

Register at jfaweb.org/love3 to learn how to have this different kind of conversation. Link in our bio!

Civilize the conversation. We can do that by listening to understand, asking questions with an open heart, and finding common ground when possible.

“We can’t have a real productive conversation about this until we acknowledge that most pro-choice people love children and most pro-life people love women. What we disagree on is definitions. Virtually no one thinks its okay to murder babies, but if a fetus is not defined as a baby or an individual then Pro-life people seem heartless. Virtually no one thinks it’s okay to force a woman to do something with/to her body against her will, but if a fetus is not defined as a part of the woman’s body, but a person, pro-choice people see heartless.

Now let’s talk! Recognizing that you and I can disagree about definitions + both be loving people. Let’s talk science!”

-Anonymous, Colorado State University, April 2017. (Original spelling and punctuation persevered)

What do you think about this person’s “way forward”?

Our favorite line here is, “Now let’s talk.” What do you think? Share your opinion in the comments below!

You can learn to love and defend women in distress, the smallest humans on earth, and people with a different worldview through Justice For All’s Love3 Workshops.

August 1, 8, & 15 (Three weeks) from 6:30-9:00 PM Central Time.

Link in our bio!

“It’s not a human being yet.” “It’s just a parasite.” “It’s not a person.” “What about a woman who’s really poor and can’t even care for herself?” “What about r**e?” “What about the foster care system?” “It’s her body, it’s her choice.”

There’s a lot that can come up in conversations about abortion. The topic can feel overwhelming, but it is possible to have productive conversations about abortion that make a defense for the lives of unborn children while also loving those who don’t agree with the pro-life position.

Our Love3 workshops can equip you to answer all of these questions and more with confidence and clarity as we engage a culture that is largely ignoring the equal rights of unborn children.

New series: August 1, 8, & 15 (Three weeks) from 6:30-9:00 PM Central Time.

Register at jfaweb.org/love3 to learn how to have this different kind of conversation. Link in our bio!

New Love3 Workshop dates have been posted to our website!

Get equipped to be confident and compassionate when you engage others on the issue of abortion.

“Last school year I had the opportunity of attending a JFA workshop... I cannot even begin to describe the ways we’ve seen hearts changed and fruitful convos had. I’m beyond grateful for all the skills because they truly have been transformative in the way we connect with our peers!”
-Ally, UC Berkeley, 2023

Jfaweb.org/register

If the unborn is growing, isn’t it alive?
And if it has human parents, isn’t it human?
And living humans, or human beings like you and me, are valuable, aren’t they?

(Ten Second Pro-life Apologist created by Steve Wagner)

When you have more time, you can make the biological case the unborn is a living, human organism in three phases:

1. The unborn is living.
* Growth through cellular reproduction
* Reacting to stimuli
* Metabolizing food for energy
2. The unborn is human.
* Has human parents (living things reproduce after their own kind)
* Has a DNA fingerprint unique to the human species
3. The unborn is a whole organism.
* Integrating its body parts for the good of the whole
* Actively developing itself through the stages of human development
* If adults are organisms, and all that was added to them from fertilization was a proper environment and adequate nutrition, then the unborn at fertilization must have been an organism as well.

http://jfaweb.org/what-is-the-unborn

Every human being deserves equal protection from violence, including the unborn.

(Free Speech Board comment left on a Justice For All Free Speech Board in Colorado)

In every conversation, there are a myriad of important things to balance.

The unborn child whose life is at risk: every human being deserves to be equally protected from violence. Vulnerable, defenseless unborn children should not be subjected to starvation, suffocation, induced heart attacks, and dismemberment. (abortionprocedures.com)

The woman experiencing an unplanned pregnancy: pregnancy is not simple or easy. We understand that. Being compassionate and sensitive to difficult life circumstances people are in is an important part of good conversations. Her life matters and has great significance.

The person with whom we are speaking: Every person has a story. Whether that’s the woman, the man involved, an individual who knows someone who’s had an abortion, or anyone else we speak with: their stories are worth listening to.

In order to save more unborn children from death, we need to reach the hearts of the people who currently have the legal power to kill them.

What do you think about this comment?

Over 900,000 human beings in the wombs are killed by abortion every year. The bodies of unborn children who are utterly defenseless are poisoned, starved, and/or dismembered every day.

While animals do matter and their humane treatment is important, it should concern us far more that so many people do not recognize the humanity and dignity of the human being in utero.

Our priorities are warped when we care more about animals than we do about vulnerable humans being killed in the womb.

(Free Speech Board comment at the University of Oklahoma, November 2017)

"A baby would dramatically change my life."
“I am not ready for a child."
"I can't afford a child."
“I don't want to be a single mom.
“I have enough children already.

“I was r**ed.”
“My father is the father of my child.”
“There’s a problem with my health.”
“There’s a problem with the health of the fetus.”

Abortion and unintended pregnancy is not simple or easy. We understand that. There are many other reasons why some women feel as though abortion is their best option. As we have conversations with those who disagree with us, it’s important that we are quick to listen and slow to speak. It’s important that we are sensitive to these concerns, find common ground, and listen to the stories of the people in front of us. From there, we will open up opportunities to speak for the lives of unborn children.

What about abortion in the case of r**e?

(Free Speech Board Comments at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, May 2024)

It’s a common question we hear a lot. Whenever we encounter these type of questions, we need to balance being relationally sensitive to this difficult question while also providing intellectually satisfying responses.

Read “Answering the Hard Cases” by JFA Trainer Kristina Massa for tips on how to respond to this difficult question.

https://www.jfaweb.org/jfa-blog/2023/8/3/answering-the-hard-cases

“Henry: I think it should be legal mainly for cases like r**e, health of the baby, and life of the mother.

Andrea: Those are all hard cases for sure. R**e is such a horrific thing. Even if the woman does not get pregnant, it is still a traumatic experience. Then if the woman gets pregnant, things get even more complicated.

Rather than jumping right into challenging Henry on his viewpoint, I was taking the time to slow down and show compassion for people who have been r**ed. Pro-choice and pro-life people all agree that r**e is horrific, and it is helpful to find that common ground in our conversations. After spending a few minutes meeting the relational challenge inherent in discussing the topic of r**e by acknowledging how difficult that situation is, I went on to intellectually respond to the questions he raised.”

Full story: https://www.jfaweb.org/jfa-blog/2024/5/28/aha-moments-for-henry

We finished the spring semester having conversations at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, UCLA, and the University of Houston.

We also led multiple training events helping local pro-life advocates learn to have a different kind of conversation about abortion — conversations marked by listening to understand, asking questions with an open heart, and finding common ground whenever possible.

Do you agree or disagree with this comment?: “Abortion is age-based discrimination.”

(Free Speech Board Comment at the University of North Texas, November 2023)

Innocent humans in the womb should be protected.

Listening well to others and approaching conversations with an attitude of humility transforms conversations about controversial issues. We have all been wrong about things in the past. We are all still learning. We all make mistakes, get things wrong sometimes, and need help from others. May the way we treat people in conversations show them a spirit of gentleness, patience, and humility even when we make arguments to defend what we believe.

(Free Speech Board comment at Adams State University, April 2024)

Asking good clarification questions when you hear (or see) statements like this is important.

What do you mean when you say “alive”?
What makes you believe this is a “Christian” belief?
How can this be a “Christian” belief when many atheists share the same view?
What scientific evidence do you have that shows the fetus is not alive?
If the fetus is not alive, then why does the woman need an abortion?

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The science is very clear. We have a new genetically distinct human organism that is alive and growing from the moment of conception. Consult any standard embryology textbook to confirm this.

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If the unborn is growing, isn’t it alive?
If it has human parents, isn’t it human?
And living humans like you and me are valuable aren’t they?
(10 Second Pro-life Apologist - Steve Wagner)

(📸 Free Speech Board comment at the University of North Texas, October 2023)

“Every time we arbitrarily divide human beings from human “persons” based on traits with no moral significance, the result is genocide, not an enlightened society. Our motive for splitting up humans this way has nothing to do with scientific evidence or philosophical inquiry. It has everything to do with who’s standing in the way of something we want.”
— Scott Klusendorf, “The Case For Life”

What do you think about this? Are there ever good reasons to exclude certain humans from being treated equally?

Listen to understand
Ask questions with an open heart
Find common ground without compromise.