Abortion Secrets:
After the meeting
Therefore, what?
Step 1:
Talk to your children
Younger Children
Teach your children that…
1. Actions have consequences.
2. Our actions can and do affect others.
3. We have a responsibility to others, including our neighbors and community.
Older Teens and Young Adults
1. If you knew something was potentially going to harm a friend, would you let them know?
2. What are potential issues/risks of having an abortion?
3. How might you support a friend who is considering abortion?
4. Share information from the readings and discussion group as appropriate.
Step 2:
Talk to family members and friends
Starting the Conversation
1. The topic of abortion is kind of controversial; have you ever been involved in a conversation on the topic?
2. What would you say to someone considering an abortion?
3. Are you familiar with the ABC link (Abortion Breast Cancer link)?
4. Do you think it’s appropriate to to use fetal body parts (from abortions) for the advancement of science?
5. Are you familiar with the activities of Planned Parenthood and aware they receive large amounts of taxpayer funding ?
Step 3:
Engage the Broader Community
Speak Up
1. Be part of the effort to let women know that abortion is not without consequences to the woman. If given the public opportunity, don’t be shy about explaining what those consequences are. You might have the opportunity to speak at a public/legislative hearing. Do it.
2. If you have had an abortion (or know someone who has), your words have a particular impact. Be gracious and tactful, but share your experience. (Send us your story for possible posting in our HomeFront Personal Stories Resource. Also see: “Silent No More” ).
Be Aware
Learn about the pro-life laws that already exist in your community or state. Watch for new pro-life legislation and support those proposed laws.
Join with Other Like-Minded Groups
Get on the email list of pro-life groups. Competent groups that work solely on the “life” (abortion) issue exist in virtually every state and nation. They will keep you informed and provide specific ways to get involved.
Examples of national organizations: Live Action, Students for Life, Americans United for Life, National Right to Life, Campaign Life Coalition – Canadian.
Talking Points- Abortion Secrets
A woman is four times more likely to develop breast cancer if she has an abortion.
Each abortion increases a woman’s risk of premature death by 50 percent.
Within the first 180 days, the risk of death from any cause is over twice as high following abortion compared to that following delivery. The risk of early death remains elevated for at least ten years. D.C. Reardon and J.M. Thorp, “Pregnancy associated death in record linkage studies relative to delivery, termination of pregnancy, and natural losses: A systematic review with a narrative synthesis and meta-analysis,” Sage Open Medicine, Vol. 5, 2017: 51-17.
Overturning Roe v. Wade will not make abortion illegal throughout the U.S. It will simply return the question of whether or not abortion should be legal to each state.
In 1973, with the companion cases of Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, the U.S. Supreme Court gave abortion doctors the power to override any abortion restriction merely by claiming there are “emotional” reasons for the abortion. In short, the court created an unlimited “right” to abortion.
The United States has the highest abortion rate in the western world and the third-highest abortion rate of all developed nations worldwide.
Regarding the prospect of returning to “back alley” or “coat hanger” abortions: In the decade before Roe v. Wade, a former medical director for Planned Parenthood estimated that 9 out of 10 illegal abortions were done by licensed doctors. John Benditt, “Special Report: Second-Trimester Abortions in the United States,” Alan Guttmacher Institute, Family Planning Perspectives, November/December 1979: 358-361.
If abortion is a private choice, then it doesn’t need public funding.
For a detailed list of responses to common pro-choice arguments, go here.
Social Media Resources
Help Spread the Word
Building a Coalition
It’s no fun – nor is it as successful – to go it alone when you’re advocating for a cause. Finding other like-minded people to join you is an important, even critical, step. Joining with others will allow you to
divide the workload, bounce ideas off one another, utilize diverse networks, obtain critical mass, and have support when the going is difficult. Remember, you’re probably not the only person in your area
to feel passionate about an issue or cause. Find them and work together.
Start by looking for allies among your peers and circle of influence. Create an organizational structure as, or if, needed. Recognize that most involved are volunteers and be respectful of one another’s time. You might find an existing organization that is working toward the same goals as you; consider joining them rather than creating your own.
If you do form an official organization, understand boundaries when seeking out and working with other like-minded, already-existing organizations. A coalition of organizations, even if loosely structured, willhave much more clout when working with policy makers and legislators. It’s hard to ignore a mass of well-organized individuals. So let your voice be heard!