Tag Archives: anti abortion

NYC – Activism Training Ground? You bet!

Posted on by Kristan Hawkins

NYC - Activism Training Ground? You bet!

By: Lindsey Frechou, Students for Life of America’s 2012 Missionary for Life

What’s a trip to the Big Apple without any Pro-Life activism work?  Answer: Not a cool one! You can have all the Broadway shows and folded slices of pizza you want, but you haven’t seen authentic New York until you take to the streets and hand out flyers with everybody else and their mother’s entire extended family. True story.

Take it from your 2012 SFLA Missionaries! We are now seasoned New Yorker’s (even though we didn’t quite get the hang of the subway system) who know the ins-and-outs of Pro-Life activism in a big city.  We spent a few hours passing out I Vote Pro Life First flyers that explained President Obama’s voting record and the importance of keeping life sacred in the heart of New York.  I think I can speak on behalf of everyone and say that it was pretty darn cool.

Think about NYC and what comes to your mind? After bright lights, Home Alone and hotdogs, I know I thought about the articles I’ve read with headlines such as: “New York: Abortion Capital of the World” or “39 Percent of NYC Pregnancies end in Abortion”.  Yikes. And we’re going to pass out “I Vote Pro-Life” first flyers with Obama on one side and a slightly graphic image on the other? You must think we’re insane in the membrane.  But after a deep breath, some show tunes from Mary Poppins and a quick prayer… we. were. ready.  And you know what?  It went really well.

We had some positive feedback and some really negative feedback, but wasn’t that our goal?  As activists, we want to get people’s noggin’s working and make them truly reflect on the topic at hand.  Our goal for the day was to spread as many of our flyers as possible around New York City.  Our goal was to show people Obama’s voting record and how he supported the killing of innocent babies who survived a partial-birth abortion.  Our goal was to shock them and show that President Obama is not all that he’s cracked up to be.  And we rocked.  We left them in Subways, handed them to people eating at McDonald’s and flooded the sidewalks of New York.

One of my personal favorite moments was when I tried to hand a flyer to a man; he already had one…and was reading it!  Activism is a great and easy way to stand for life.  All you need is a few hundred flyers, a populated area and a few smiling friends. I’m serious. You don’t even have to be a part of a group or get a permit.  Literally just print off flyers (we’ll even give you the design!) and hand them out to anyone and everyone! Here are some tips:

-          At first, it can be intimidating.  But believe me, if we can do it, you definitely can! You’re a Pro-Life super star! Take it from Leslie, who was a little weary at first, but then put on her baby saving face and kicked some NYC butt! “New York City was an entirely new place for me. At first I was worried about inconveniencing strangers by handing them something. I learned that this does not need to be a hesitation. We were simply handing them a sheet of paper, and if they wanted to refuse it they could. Not even 2 seconds were taken out of their day. I stepped out of my comfort zone with the motivation of informing people on Obama’s disrespect for life. I had to keep my eye on the goal, which is to save lives and change hearts for the upcoming election.”

-           Go in small groups.  For example, we had 5 missionaries so we did a group of 2 and a group of 3.  If you’re brave enough to go by yourself, more power to you! But for safety reasons and because we value your life (we’re Pro-Life, duh!), please bring a personal body guard. Big groups don’t work either, because the area gets too cluttered and the citizens are not as receptive (believe us, we tried and failed).

-        Check the weather. Oops.

-         And last but certainly not least…Smile. It’s as simple as that. I tried many different approaches from hardly looking at the person to asking them how their day was going (maybe that would work in N’Awlins but certainly not in New York) and the best tactic was ALWAYS a nice smile and, “Here you go sir/ma’am”.  Also, hold it out so they can easily grab it.  This might even mean weaving all over the sidewalk so you can place it in their most convenient hand.  But it’s so worth it. The feeling of successfully handing out a flyer is close to the satisfactory feeling of the perfect high five with your best bud. And imagine that hundreds of times over and over again. Bam.

Here are some people you can expect:

-The “avoid eye contact and look at the ground at all times until I pass the crazy flyer girl even if it means running into another person on the sidewalk” people.  They are always funny.

- The “I’m not taking that flyer I hate Obama” people. Seriously. One woman yelled at me that she wouldn’t touch anything with that (insert expletive here) face on it. After I explained to her that it was not a campaign flyer but information on his oh, so terrible voting record I thought she was about to hug me.  Poor woman, she’s got to get out of that city for a little retreat.

- Then we have the “Oh my gosh I love Obama… (begins reading about Obama and abortion) oh, wait….” people.  One couple took a flyer and was so happy to have a picture with the “man they love” on it.  I walked away as fast as I could but they caught up.  Poor Chris was in the line of fire and they handed it back to him and suggested he should stick it up..um, well… where the sun just don’t shine. So pleasant.

- And finally we have every activist’s favorite. The “wow, y’all are great and I love you so much, here’s my card. I’d love to possibly be a donor or help support you” people. No dude, you’re great.  Thanks for valuing life and giving our rainy day a little sunshine.  It’s these people who give us hope for America. Isn’t activism the best?!

 

So go on! Get out there! Do your crazy, cool Pro-Life activism thing.  And feel free to share your stories with us; we’d love to hear them.  Good luck!

Learning to Run All Those Cylinders

Posted on by Kristan Hawkins

Learning to Run All Those Cylinders

By: Shara Guengerich, Students for Life’s 2012 Missionary for Life

There is a tendency for those involved in the pro-life movement to become so focused on the task at hand that it can be difficult to remember the bigger picture. I’ve done this myself at times, and while being focused can be an attribute, it can also be the downfall of both the individual pro-life advocate and the pro-life organization. It can lead to petty disputes about who is doing more or who is doing a better job, but beyond that, forgetting the larger picture can also lead to becoming blind to an advantage the pro-life movement has over Goliath organizations like Planned Parenthood: diversity.

Planned Parenthood is increasingly struggling to find people at the grassroots level to keep up support for the pro-abortion movement. Since their die-hard fans are aging, they must settle for clueless interns to do their bidding, who are certainly not as well versed as the PP, NARAL, and NOW advocates whose golden age was in the 60s. In contrast, the pro-life movement is seeing a growth in young people who are not only pro-life, but will put their time and effort into seeing an end to abortion. This is something I’ve observed in my personal life, in my time as a Students for Life club President, and during my time interning for SFLA. The diversity in ages in the pro-life movement is not only an advantage, it is an essential component of our path to victory.

The diversity advantage does not end there, however. We also have great diversity in national organizations, grassroots and regional organizations, and passionate individuals across the nation. The value in being able to specialize and to partner with each other makes us a stronger movement, a strength which Planned Parenthood does not possess. While they lose their support base, they must become increasingly reliant on the government for taxpayer support. What will you do, PP, if that support is suddenly taken away?

If abortion advocates continue to be a one trick pony, relying on the almighty dollar to keep them going, they are going to be in for a sad surprise when their money flow is cut off. They don’t have the mass support they once had, and the other side is becoming increasingly diversified. While they continue to run on fumes, the pro-life movement must continue to support diversity and growth within our movement, and remind ourselves that this is, indeed, a key advantage.

Fear is Easy, Love is Hard

Posted on by Kristan Hawkins

Fear is Easy, Love is Hard

By: Catherine Phillips, Students for Life of America’s 2012 Missionary for Lif

I’m standing here (well sitting, in reality), at the end of 9 weeks spent in DC working for the pro-life cause.

I’m wondering, how can I write a post that can justly put a concluding thought on this experience?

I’m realizing, that only a post about love will do it. So bear with me.

Martin Luther King Jr. once said during the fight for civil rights: “Whom you would change, you must first love. And they must know that you love them.”

By love here, I am not talking about the fleeting feeling. I’m talking the true, intense, know-it-when-you-experience type of love that desires the best for someone without expecting anything in return. As Aquinas defined it, love is “willing the good of the other.”

This conviction to “will the good of the other” is where being pro-life starts. We are against abortion because we will the good of all people. We will the good of pregnant women, knowing that abortion is never a choice that brings peace or solution to their crisis; we will the good of the unborn, recognizing their humanity and refusing to end their lives for the sake of our own; and we will the good of our friends both pro-life and pro-choice, wanting to spread the truth we have found in the message of life.

We know that abortion is not the answer to our society’s problems. What a woman in a crisis pregnancy needs is love and support; she needs to be empowered to continue living her life as she desires without submitting to an abortion, the killing of her child, as her best choice. The preborn that are not “wanted” children by their mothers do not need to be killed out of mercy; they need to be protected and cared for. And your compassionate friend concerned for social issues needs to keep probing the issues until she sees that supporting women and supporting abortion are inconsistent ideologies.

“Fear is easy, love is hard” is a lyric from a song by Jason Gray. I think this phrase applies perfectly to the pro-life movement. It’s arguably way easier to submit to an abortion out of fear than to courageously choose life in perhaps a situation more difficult than most of us could imagine. It’s easier to ignore the realities about abortion out of fear that we can’t make a difference, than to take action out of love and remain hopeful. It’s easier to shrink in fear than to defend being pro-life.

But being pro-life is rooted in love for the other, both the woman and the child. It is about reawakening our society to the rights of the preborn, and embracing, instead of rejecting, the sacredness of motherhood. And truly, our generation needs an awakening. We need to be convicted that the taking of over 3,000 lives every day is something to be concerned about.

A fellow Missionary, Anne, authored this statement: “I will not go back to coat hanger abortions. I will not stay here with no other choice but to abort my own child. I will go forward to a society where both I and my child receive full rights and respect.”

So what do I do from here, after a summer of pro-life activism?

I will go forward in love, despite any fear. I hope you will too.

Hats off to heroes!

Posted on by Kristan Hawkins

 

Hats off to heroes!

By: Leslie Bosslet, Students for Life of America’s 2012 Missionary for Life

We all love life, yes? Not necessarily “life” as in pro-life, but we all, or at least the great majority, value living. One reason we enjoy life is to feel good. And one way we do this is to hear about good things that happen to us or even to strangers. We smile when we get that warm and fuzzy feeling. We celebrate our successes and our feats.

Tina, a lovely SFLA staffer, commented recently that heroes are praised quite often for saving lives. You hear on the news that a young adult jumped into a pool to save a drowning child, and the community throws roses at them, figuratively (usually). And this is great! We have communities that rally around courageous people and good deeds. This brings me to my point.

I want to take a moment to congratulate the workers at any and all pregnancy resource centers. Many of these centers are run by majority volunteer peer counselors. People give up their time, unpaid, to counsel women and men who are facing unexpected pregnancies and relationship problems. They go through hours of training and practice sessions. At many of these centers, they pray for their clients regularly. Finally, lives are saved because pregnant women are lovingly given a listening ear and life-affirming choices. They are gently given information on the abortion procedure itself, so that they know the reality of the effect it can have on their bodies. Counselors are trained to be kind, factual, and completely non-judgmental. They tell the truth and they allow women to make their choices.

Incredible things have been done or chosen as a result of this counseling, and lives have been saved. I have been privileged to spend some time interning at a Care Net center. Not only are they truly some of the kindest people I have ever met (I don’t make statements like that often), but they do incredible work. According to Care Net’s numbers from September 2010, there are an estimated 2,300 pregnancy centers in the U.S. and Canada. At Care Net centers alone (there are 1,120 Care Net affiliates in the U.S. and Canada):

  • 429,000 clients served every year
  • 329,000 Pregnancy tests provided
  • 70,000 Ultrasounds conducted
  • 305,000 Clients received material resources such as maternity/baby clothes, layettes
  • 144,000 Parents received parenting education
  • 23,000 Women and men participated in post-abortion recovery programs
  • 1,000,000 Individuals were educated about the benefits of abstinence outside of marriage
  • 29,000 Volunteers helped in pregnancy centers
  • *95% of pregnant women who visit a Care Net pregnancy center decide to carry their pregnancy to term*

Source: https://www.care-net.org/public/file_server.php?id=1027

In case you missed my little stars, did you catch that last stat? 95% of pregnant clients of Care Net alone chose to give life to their children. Thousands of babies are in the world today in at least some part because of counseling they courageously received. Now if PRC counselors are not heroes, then I don’t know who are.

Let’s applaud them, and if you are inclined, pray for these PRC volunteers. They rescue the lives of babies and distressed women and men from long-term heartbreak every single day. Well done, counselors and volunteers, well done.

Memo to the Pro-Life Movement

Posted on by Kristan Hawkins

By: Kristan Hawkins, Executive Director, Students for Life of America

This June, Students for Life of America released the results of a nationwide study, in which we surveyed 805 18-24 year olds about the upcoming 2012 election, unconstitutional HHS Mandate, and abortion. We knew that a lot of folks tend to try to put young people in a neat little box when it comes to the issue of abortion, but, with this rising generation, we knew we had to shed some light into how they are really thinking and the changing of this debate.
The Good News…
Their whole lives this generation has been told that identifying themselves as “pro-life” is judgmental, extremist, and wrong. Yet, when asked questions about their beliefs on the legality of abortion: 44% were pro-life and 45% pro-choice, and they were more likely to view abortion as a “bad thing” (31%) rather than a “good thing” (17%).  In the addition, the plurality, 27%, selected “abortion should only be legal in the cases of rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother” as the position most similar to own position on abortion.
This generation is not radical in their support of abortion and takes much more of a common sense approach to the issue than President Obama and Planned Parenthood with an overwhelming majority favoring common sense abortion regulations:
  • 89% favored requiring abortionists to follow the same medical and safety protocols as other surgical clinics
  • 84% favored requiring abortion facilities to warn women of seeking abortions of potential health risks
  • 76% favored allowing pregnant women to view sonograms before undergoing an abortion
  • 74% support making sex-selection abortions illegal in United States
  • 70% agreed with offering a woman the opportunity to anesthetize her child before the abortion procedure
We are winning the HHS Mandate issue. When young Americans were asked whether the federal government should force institutions to pay for procedures that offend their religious beliefs, the plurality (44%) disagreed with the Obama’s administration’s move.
The Bad News…
We need to educate this generation more on what conscience protections are and who is permitted to have them. The youth surveyed were split on whether medical students should be permitted to object to procedures or drugs for conscience reasons, although this age group was 8 points more likely to agree (44%) than disagree (36%).
What they don’t know is literally killing this generation as 58% admitted that they didn’t know where resources were in their community or campus to support a woman facing an unplanned pregnancy who didn’t want to undergo an abortion.
Planned Parenthood still has the upper-hand when it comes to targeting and deceiving this generation. Our study found that young people supported Planned Parenthood by a ratio of six to one (66% “favorable” vs. 11% “unfavorable”), with two in five (40%) calling themselves “strongly favorable.” The plurality of even those who identify as Conservative (44%) and Pro-Life (46%) were even “favorable” towards Planned Parenthood. Even more shocking for those of in the pro-life movement is that fact that 48% said they did not know whether or not Planned Parenthood offered abortions.
The controversial “morning-after” pill appears to have been accepted by the majority of 18-24 year olds. Three in five (60% ) even believe that the medication should be available via vending machines, meaning no human interaction or counseling would be needed before obtaining it.  Support for Plan B in vending machines and the high percentage of Planned Parenthood supporters who are unaware of the organization’s abortion services suggest that this generation is “Pro-Contraception,” but not necessarily “Pro-Abortion.”
Where we Must Focus our Attention….
Expose
In the study, respondents’ favorability towards Planned Parenthood was a strong indicator of whether they believed the organization to be an abortion provider. Those who were unfavorable towards Planned Parenthood were much more likely than its supporters to know about their abortion services (69% to 40%). If we are going to succeed in putting the abortion Goliath out of business, defunding taxpayer money and reducing market demand, we must step up our efforts to educate Planned Parenthood’s clientele about their deceptive business model.

Only 9% of survey respondents selected President Obama’s and Planned Parenthood’s position on abortion as their own stating that “abortion should be allowed at any time during a woman’s pregnancy and for any reason.”  We must expose the President’s radical view on abortion, as simply that…before November.

Promote
When asked what resources would compel pregnant women to carry their unintended pregnancies to term, support from families, support from the child’s father, ability to continue to work or go to school, help with child care, information about adoption, and scholarships to help with financial demands were all chosen more than 50% of the time by study respondents. These figures along with the fact that 58% of young people admitted that they didn’t know where resources where in their community or campus to support a woman facing an unplanned pregnancy who didn’t want an abortion tells us we must do a better job of reaching out to the most vulnerable demographic, college-aged women, and telling them what resources and support structures exist for them and their children.


Educate
In order to abolish abortion in our lifetime, we need to make sure the trend towards becoming pro-life continues for this generation, making sure they understand current abortion laws, continue to see ultrasound images bringing the humanity of the pre-born front and center, and raising up the voices of those who regret their abortions.
The pro-abortion movement sees this generational shift away from tolerating surgical abortion and has increasingly been investing their time into promoting abortions earlier in pregnancy and pills to end the life of the pre-born child. We must step up our work talking about the abortion-causing mechanisms and serious health risks to women in drugs like Plan B and Ella that the FDA has falsely labeled as mere contraception.

The plurality (42%) of those interviewed, including every major demographic and geographic groups, said they would be less likely to vote for a candidate who supports forcing institutions to pay for procedures that violate their conscience or religious beliefs.  And when talking to young people about the HHS mandate, raising the unintended consequences of the mandate – such as religious organizations dropping healthcare entirely or being able to only hire only employees of a particular faith – were persuasive in changing the minds of young Americans on this constitutional issue. Hispanics and political moderates, groups that usually favor the political left, show real hesitation toward the HHS Mandate.  We must educate this generation about the Obama administration’s unconstitutional HHS Mandate and how it effects real Americans.
In 2010, NARAL/Pro-Choice America’s own poll of 700 youth found that 51% of pro-lifers under 30 called abortion a “very important” voting issue, compared with only 26% of those in the same age group who were pro-abortion. When announcing her retirement in 2012 as NARAL/Pro-Choice America’s President, Nancy Keenan cited this important study saying her departure from the pro-abortion organization will help foster a new generation of pro-abortion young leaders.
I’ve got news for Nancy Kennan, she can retire and so can Cecile Richards and every other pro-abortion leader, because that won’t raise a new generation of pro-abortion leaders. The humanity of the pre-born child has been brought to the forefront of the debate. And while we still have a long way to go to expose, promote, and educate in our movement,  the simple fact is that being pro-abortion is going out of style, being pro-life is in. And if Students for Life of America has anything to do it with it, Nancy’s organization and others like it won’t be around for too much longer.

SFLA’s 5th Annual Summer Social Shows the Tide is Turning!

Posted on by Kristan Hawkins

Tuesday evening, SFLA’s Summer Social in Washington D.C. gave pro-life advocates the chance to gather and connect with each other, demonstrating that D.C. is not devoid of an active and growing pro-life community. Pro-lifers of all ages and backgrounds attended and were able to hear speakers Congressman Trent Franks, Kellyanne Conway, Founder and President of the polling company™, inc./WomanTrend, and Kristan Hawkins, Executive Director of SFLA.

Congressman Franks, after receiving the 2012 William Wilberforce award,  made it clear that it is very possible to be a candidate who is staunchly pro-life and be electable. In fact, the tide has shifted so much that now it can be more favorable to be a pro-life candidate than one who chooses to remain on the fence.

Kellyanne Conway presented some highlights from the recent SFLA commissioned poll  on 18-24 year olds, saying that while a cursory glance of the poll could lead pro-life advocates to be discouraged, the results are actually very encouraging for our side. For example, only 9% of those polled said they believe abortion should be allowed for anyone, for any reason, any time – the same position that our current President holds. This shows that if young people are shown Obama’s position, they will be less likely to vote for a President who wants abortions to be legal 100% of the time.

Kristan Hawkins closed out the event, showing how vital the work of Students for Life of America is to our current culture. While many devalue the impact young people can have on the political or cultural fronts, it is SFLA’s mission to show exactly the kind of impact young people can have. SFLA has over 700 active campus groups across America, while Planned Parenthood boasts a measly 200 groups, many of which are not even active. This is just one fact that shows how the tide is turning, and should encourage the pro-life community that the momentum is on our side!

Voting Pro-Life: an issue, or a responsibility?

Posted on by Kristan Hawkins

Voting Pro-Life: an issue, or a responsibility?

By: Catherine Phillips, Students for Life of America’s 2012 Missionary for Life

I used to cringe at the accusation that I am a “one-issue voter,” and I still don’t like being called that. It carries such a negative connotation, and I make a deliberate effort to be an informed, tolerant, and concerned citizen. I would not say that I am a one-issue voter; instead, I vote my according to my conscience, and my conscience puts life first. I don’t think it is at all ignorant to put the issue of life first. In fact, I happen to believe (and think you should too) that if we are really pro-life, our first consideration in a candidate should be their stance on abortion. The following is a brief defense of that position, and why it matters in the 2012 election.

Here’s a scenario: Say there was a candidate who had made incredible strides for the nation, through improving the economy, reducing national debt dramatically, solving much of our education crisis, and more. He possessed a brilliant mind, compassionate presence, and tactful strategy that made him beloved and highly respected. But, what he had accomplished was all due in large part to hundreds of thousands of slaves who were unpaid and worked in factories across the nation under horrific conditions. Would you vote him into office?

I know this is a fictional and quite extreme scenario, but it begs the question: Is there really any amount of good that can justify an inherent evil? And can we really in good conscience vote for a candidate who supports an inherent evil, despite any amount of good that he has done or will do?

I don’t have space in this blog post to make anywhere near a complete case against abortion, and why it is inherently wrong. But if you are already even somewhat convinced that abortion is wrong, voting pro-life matters. And keep in mind that 92% of abortions in America are elective—that is, chosen by healthy women to end the lives of healthy children (and that is according to the Guttmacher Institute, the abortion industry’s own research arm).

Foreign policy, the economy, job creation, education, immigration, national security, healthcare etc. These issues definitely matter, and as voters, we should weigh our decisions around these issues very carefully. However, decisions around these issues are not black and white, that is, they’re not always right or always wrong. Good people can hold varying opinions on what is best for the country and the American people.

Abortion, on the other hand, comes down to the question: do you truly believe that abortion is wrong? Here’s the thing. If we really deeply believe that all human life has intrinsic value, and that abortion is always wrong, there is no way we can, in good conscience, vote for a candidate who supports abortion.

Again, the essential question is: is abortion an injustice or not? If the taking of 3,700 preborn lives every day is something we believe needs to be stopped, we cannot justify voting for a candidate who does not see it as an injustice, just as we could not vote for the fictional candidate who was a hero to the country and yet participated in modern-day slavery. Or suppose that in the scenario the candidate refused to prosecute rapists, or child abusers. We wouldn’t even think of voting for a person who tolerated such flawed policies! So why do we allow ourselves to justify the innately flawed worldview that abortion is tolerable? A pro-choice politician may have some seemingly genius ideas, but I just don’t think I can trust him or her to make decisions on behalf of all the American people when they will not even acknowledge that preborn people have the right not to be killed.

It truly is difficult to own the statement “I vote pro-life first.” But I hope that you will be able to courageously deflect whatever criticism you may receive from others with the conviction that protecting human life matters more than any other issue. Respecting life is not a political “issue”…it is a human responsibility.

Finally, this human responsibility to protect life will never be more important than in the 2012 election. Barack Obama is the most pro-abortion President we have ever had, and that is no secret. NARAL, an organization devoted to protecting and extending abortion rights nationwide, has given him a 100% rating every year on his pro-choice views, and he and Planned Parenthood (which does 27% of all U.S. abortions) are inextricably tied together. The last four years in this country he has taken actions to immensely expand the abortion industry’s reach. Additionally, passing of Obamacare is the largest expansion of abortion rights since Roe v. Wade. I encourage everyone to do some research on Obama’s radical support for abortion, and to really think about where you stand before this November. Because if you stand for life, your vote will matter.

www.ivoteprolifefirst.com

Eat. Sleep. Breathe. Be Pro-Life.

Posted on by Kristan Hawkins

Eat. Sleep. Breathe. Be Pro-Life.

By: Lindsey Frechou, Students for Life of America’s 2012 Missionary for Life

Raise your hand if you’re jealous of all those people who have careers in the Pro-Life movement.  I see those hands.  I’m one of them.  How cool would it be to work in a movement that allows you to spend all day saving babies? Yeah, it’d be a lot of hard work and could often be discouraging, but what job isn’t? As I’m beginning to think about my plans for after college and reflecting on this wonderfully Pro-Life summer, I can’t help but dream of a job where I am blessed enough to devote all of my time and strength to this passion.  Thankfully for our movement, we have SO many Pro-Life warriors who are ready and willing to devote their career and time to the movement.  They will find jobs at Students for Life of America, Live Action, Susan B. Anthony List, a Pregnancy Resource Center or one of the many other beautiful Pro-Life organizations.  However, this is a problem for the many people, like me, who hope to work full time in the Pro-Life Movement. We have so many abolitionists, it’s just not possible for each one to find a job in an actual Pro-Life organization.  And even if everyone could have a job directly in the movement, some people who wish they could might not be able to due to lack of funds (paying off Law School debt is hard!). Or maybe, (this is for my engineers, plumbers and astronauts out there!) your strengths and talents don’t always seem to line up with your passion for baby saving.

As I’ve been dreaming about working in the Pro-Life movement, I’ve also had this little annoying voice inside of my head constantly asking, “But what if you can’t find a Pro-Life job? Then what? You would be a failure!” At first this worried me. Little annoying voice was right…I would be devastated. I know I’m called to fight for the end to abortion. But the more and more I’ve been praying about it, the better I’ve been feeling about it.  So now I can say, “You know what little annoying voice? Even if I’m a lumberjack, I will be the best darn Pro-Life lumberjack you’ve ever seen!”

That’s right. No matter what major you are, where you live or what job you find, you can always be Pro-Life.  In fact, I bet you can find a way to be Pro-Life in every simple daily activity. I guarantee there is a way to be Pro-Life in every aspect of your life. Pinky Promise. Don’t believe me? I’ll give you some outrageous examples and if you still have doubts, message me and I’ll find a way for you.

My favorite example (and inspiration for this blog) is Student for Life’s newest fundraising effort. Get this. A man recently rescued 10 dogs and wants to find good homes for them. He said that for every dog SFLA helps get adopted, he will donate $600 to our organization. Now that’s getting creatively Pro-Life.  Don’t have 10 dogs to give away? That’s fine too. We will also work with goldfish, penguins and chinchillas.

Are you a Pro-Life Plumber and can’t seem to find the time to abolish abortion on the side? Have no fear, you can bring the Pro-Life movement into your work. What would happen if every single plumber in the world was Pro-Life and they all banned together, refusing to fix any plumbing problems at an abortion clinic?  Planned Parenthood would start to smell like a sewer. Yes, that would be gross, but totally awe to the some. What about restaurant owners?  There couldn’t possibly be a way for them to be Pro-Life in their business endeavors. You can’t turn away people just because they are Pro-Choice. I would like to see Expectant Mother parking in all business and restaurant parking lots. A woman who is eight months pregnant can only waddle so far. Or maybe restaurant owners could give expectant mothers a certain percentage off of their meal or a free dessert. If I were pregnant I know I’d be down for some free chocolate cake with strawberry drizzle! Not only would this be delicious, but it would also make people realize that motherhood and pregnancy is an honor, not a disease. Okay, last career one. Are you an artist or a musician or a writer? Create wonderful Pro-Life art!  Nick Cannon raps about how his mother chose life and you can too!

Not a business owner, a plumber or an artist?  In fact, are you not even ready to think about a career plan yet? There are still many things for you to do! Devote your Facebook status once a day to Abolish Abortion’s Status 365. Wear the baby feet pins and explain it to the gentleman sitting next to you on the bus. Only support businesses who won’t give monetary donations to Planned Parenthood (it’s tough, but I promise you can make it without Girl Scout cookies). Pull a Kristan Hawkins and name your Pinterest boards “Recipes to make while Abolishing Abortion” or “Cute outfits to wear at a Pro-Life Rally”.  Anything and everything we do can be done to promote the sanctity and preciousness of life.  Sometimes you just have to get a little creative. Through our daily actions (however random and quirky they might be) we can change this culture of death into a culture of life.  You don’t have to have a Pro-Life career to be a Pro-Life warrior. I challenge you. Eat. Sleep. Breathe. Be Pro-Life.e

 

Why Communications?

Posted on by Kristan Hawkins

Why Communications?

By: Shara Guengerich, Students for Life’s 2012 Missionary for Life

If you had asked me before high school what major I would pursue in college, I doubt you would have heard the word “communications” cross my lips. Once I became more fully involved in pro-life activities during high school, I began to see the importance of gaining an education in communications for the pro-life cause. It’s not just about being able to put together videos, press releases, and interesting articles and blog posts. While developing the skills to complete those communication tasks is certainly needed, there’s a more fundamental reason that communication in all its various forms is so important.

While I was encouraged by others to pursue a communications major for the more obvious reasons of how it could increase my usefulness in the pro-life movement, it was a history class called “American Radicalism” that I took my junior year which opened my eyes even further to how communications has been vital to every radical movement. As I learned in that class, there are certain traceable patterns in every radical movement, from the American Revolution, to the labor movement, to the Civil Rights movement that they all held in common. One of the pivotal aspects of each of these movements has been articulate communication in different forms that resonated with people in such a way that it moved people to action en masse. The writings of John Locke and David Hume spurred on the founding fathers; the graphic depictions of factory life in Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle helped spur labor reforms, such as banning child labor and giving us the 8 hour work day. And of course, it took a plethora of speeches, books, and even graphic pictures to move us from a culture of legalized race-based slavery to one that gives civil rights to those without white skin.

As we’ve repeatedly seen from Planned Parenthood, they have learned the importance of word choice in order to sway the masses. They made this perfectly clear in the leaked document SFLA attained last week, which you can read here. This is a lesson we must also take to heart. Without carefully laying out our message, taking time to sit back and contemplate what our strategy will be and how we can most effectively implement that strategy, chaos will ensue. This is the reason why every radical movement throughout history took time to gain momentum – rushed planning will simply fail, but taking the time to plan and implement will eventually create a dynamic movement that can gain momentum.

The careful and strategic planning that goes on at SFLA makes my communications heart giddy. It has been great to work in an environment where it is understood why communications is important and how it is essential to every aspect of the organization.

It has become increasingly apparent to myself that from the top of Planned Parenthood’s yearly event list down to the phrasing their spokesperson uses at the neighborhood Planned Parenthood, they keep their communications in check. We must do no less on our side of the battle. In fact, we must do more – we must find our own unique way in which we will leave our mark on history that will serve others in the future. As we strive to abolish abortion, we will leave in our wake a path of communication that inspired people to action, and I am certainly thrilled to be one of its crafters.

Planned Parenthood’s Manipulative Language Strategy Leaked

Posted on by Kristan Hawkins

Planned Parenthood's Manipulative Language Strategy Leaked

By: Kristan Hawkins, Executive Director, Students for Life of Americ

The power of words and formulating arguments is an extremely powerful and precise science. While pro-life advocates are careful to use words that accurately represent terms that surround abortion, Planned Parenthood is careful to craft their language and arguments in a way that will subtly manipulate the issue and cause confusion.

In addition to manipulating confusion, documents (http://studentsforlife.org/files/2012/07/Scanned-from-a-Xerox-multifunction-device0011.pdf) that SFLA has recently obtained from Planned Parenthood of NYC also proves that the abortion Goliath knows its losing in the court of public opinion.

In one section entitled, “Talking Points,” Planned Parenthood’s goal is clear: push feelings of empathy for the woman in order to diminish the sting of abortion. They want their representatives to “evoke empathy, emphasize personal decision making, and accept ambivalence” when speaking about abortion. The most shocking bullet point on this page is when Planned Parenthood suggests that in order to win a person over to the pro-choice side your job is to make the other person feel relief that they didn’t have to have an abortion. These talking points blatantly prove that they understand abortion is not liked; a fact SFLA recently documented in our nationwide poll, showing that the plurality of 18-24 year olds view abortion as a “bad thing.”

In another section entitled, “Tips for Fielding Tough Questions”, Planned Parenthood of NYC opens by stating, “The secret to fielding tough questions is to stick to your worldview! After all, questions are simply opportunities for you to get your message out.” Or more straight forwardly interpreted: “Don’t really answer questions, just give them enough so that you can tell them how wonderful Planned Parenthood is.” Their suggested response to the question, “Why are you a baby killer?” is “I’m proud to work for Planned Parenthood. We’re a nationwide healthcare provider…” In a basic high school philosophy class, Planned Parenthood would have learned that they have just committed a logical fallacy of answering a challenge with an irrelevant conclusion. But this guide is not concerned about logic, it’s about ensuring that Planned Parenthood advocates are emotional and argument manipulators.

The good news is that we know we are winning because Planned Parenthood blatantly admits it must use emotion over fact and logical fallacies to make their case. However, we know more must be done and as pro-life advocates we must work to make sure Planned Parenthood does not succeed in steering the public eye away from the issue of abortion.  And don’t be afraid to call Planned Parenthood what it really is: an abortion Goliath, manipulator of women, criminal (http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/former-planned-parenthood-employee-sues-abortion-giant-over-medicaid-fraud), and a baby killer.