Conversation Navigator 5 - Talk Created Equal

Your Conversation Navigator

This guide will help you navigate conversation in public outreach with pointers of what to say and how to say it. But it is up to you to work it into a natural dialogue.

Conversations require at least two people. That means you have two different stories, possibly two different worldviews, and plenty of opportunities for confusion. But meaningful dialogue is still possible. Our team creates it every day, and so can you.

Click through the navigator below. Then hit “continue” to start the conversation.

Know the Case

To be effective, dialogue must be well-informed. Start with these three lines clarifying why abortion is wrong:

It is wrong to intentionally kill innocent human beings.
Elective abortion intentionally kills innocent human beings.
Therefore, elective abortion is wrong.

When you meet pro-choice people in outreach, often they want to talk about everything except abortion. They prefer to talk about the mother’s circumstances or other related topics. But while those matter, it’s not too much to ask that a conversation about abortion be about abortion.

To make that happen, you must have clarity on why abortion is wrong. That way when the conversation veers off course, you can identify it right away and get back on track.

Bring Photos

Good navigation requires good tools. The easiest way to keep dialogue on track is keeping visual evidence of abortion central. When the conversation veers off course, you can point back to these pictures.

Ask your outreach leader if they will have images of aborted babies at the outreach.

If they say, “No,”

Find Common Ground

During the outreach, to find out where to take a conversation with passersby, start with where you agree.

Ask, “Is it moral to purposefully kill an innocent toddler?”

They will probably say, “No.” If so, then ask: “How is killing a toddler different from abortion?” Their response will show where you agree and disagree.

If they say, “The toddler’s a human, but the embryo isn’t,”

If they say, “The toddler’s a person like us. He can communicate, is self-aware, etc. The embryo isn’t,”

If they say, “The toddler isn’t using the mother’s body like the embryo,”

Point to Truth

Now that you know where you disagree, you can chart a course pointing toward truth.

If you disagree on whether the embryo is a human,

If you disagree on whether the toddler counts as one of us (is a person),

If you disagree on whether the baby has the right to use her mother’s body,

Follow Their Ideas

Sometimes you will have to take a detour. That’s because many people won’t change their minds on something until they understand how bad their current thinking is.

So, follow their thinking for a bit to show where it would lead. As they present arguments or slogans supporting abortion, discuss the logical conclusions of their ideas. Here are some examples:

“My body, my choice.”

“Every child born should be wanted.”

“Abortion is the more compassionate choice.”

Watch Out for Pitfalls

There are some common obstacles on the path of abortion conversations. Watch out for these.

“What if the mother was raped?”

“What if the mother’s life is in danger?”

Attacks on Pro-Life People