Conversation Navigator 4 - Talk Created Equal

Your Conversation Navigator

This guide will help you navigate the conversation 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.

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

Establish Your Starting Point

To build an outreach team, talk to others who seem to share your concern for preborn babies and their parents.

Your first task will be to confirm you really do agree on abortion.

Start with three simple lines:

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

If you discover your friend does not truly oppose abortion in all circumstances,

go to this Conversation Navigator instead.

Discuss Your End Goal

If you agree abortion is wrong, next look for common goals of what to do about it.

Say, “We agree abortion is immoral. I want to help babies being killed by it. What about you?”

If they say, “Yes, I agree,”

Respond, “Great! Here’s my idea. We can use public outreach to change how people think and feel about abortion. We can make it unthinkable in the same way human slavery and other injustices are unthinkable. What do you think?”

If they say, “I’d rather focus on counseling women considering abortion,”

explain that these goals are not mutually exclusive. Tell them about the Created Equal team, which counsels women and men going into abortion facilities as part of our public outreach.

If they say, “I want to focus on making abortion illegal,”

explain that these goals are not mutually exclusive. As public opinion changes, so, too, will the makeup of elected leaders.

If they say, “I’m not comfortable trying to change others’ opinions,”

Make a comparison.

Say, “What if we lived during the eras of American human slavery or the Jewish Holocaust? Wouldn’t it be our responsibility to try to change people’s opinions on those injustices?”

Share Biblical passages commanding action.

Ephesians 5:11: “Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.” Abortion is a deed of darkness. Public outreach exposes it.

Proverbs 24:11-12: “Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, ‘But we knew nothing about this,’ does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?” If public outreach can rescue those being led to death, isn’t that a good thing?

If they cannot be persuaded,

encourage them to connect with groups specifically focused on the goals they want to achieve. Then ask them to commit to ongoing synergy and communication as you both defend babies in different venues.

Then survey other friends for their interest in changing public opinion.

If they say, “I’m not really interested right now.”

Say, “I understand you might have a lot going on. But think about it this way: Would you say the same thing if over 2,000 toddlers were being killed today? Probably not. You’d probably clear your plate to rescue them. Why, then, wouldn’t you do the same for younger humans being killed?”

Set a Route

Once you find someone who shares your interest in changing how people think and feel about abortion, next determine how to get to that goal. What will your outreach look like?

Go Public

Pro-life events where the audience comes to you are valuable, but they usually attract those either strongly pro-life or pro-choice. To change people’s opinion, you need to meet people who are open-minded. So, you must go to the public.

Work together to identify public places where you can meet a variety of people—such as college campuses and downtown squares.

Go Visual

You can have public conversations about abortion without showing pictures, but that is an incomplete presentation of the evidence.

Photos of injustice have long been used by human rights defenders because they stir the conscience and convey the true nature of injustice in one glance.

So your outreach should include pictures of both preborn babies growing in the womb and aborted babies. Go to the Created Equal store to get signs of both.

Remember: You and your friend(s) are whistleblowers. The task of a whistleblower is to put a spotlight on the victims of injustice, to give them a podium. The victims of abortion can’t speak, but when you let them be seen, they share their stories visually.

Create Conversation

When you display photos in public, your team’s goal should be to engage passersby in dialogue. As people see how bad abortion is and discuss their views with you, many will change their minds from supporting to opposing abortion.

To prepare, watch videos of Created Equal’s outreach. Also check out our Conversation Navigator focused on speaking with people who support abortion. And consider inviting a Created Equal team member to train your team, whether in person or remotely, so that you can confidently defend the humanity of preborn children and the equality of all human beings.

Watch Out for Pitfalls

When discussing public outreach, there are some common concerns you might hear. Whether these come from your friend or others who hear about your plans, you should be prepared to respond.

“Holding signs in public areas seems a little pushy. Isn’t there a less offensive way?”

Respond, “If people are upset by our outreach, we have to ask why that is.”

Continue, “If they’re upset because we were rude to them, that’s a problem. But if they’re upset because they see pictures of abortion, then it is not us but abortion itself which upsets them. We can control how we treat people, but we cannot make killing babies unoffensive.”

Share videos of Created Equal’s outreach as a model of sharing hard truths in a respectful manner.

“What if the outreach causes pain to those who have had abortions?”

Say, “I agree it could be hard for those who’ve had abortions to see our signs, but the signs aren’t the source of the pain. They’re reminders of the actual problem: the past abortion. We can help these people with our outreach.”

Continue, “People who’ve had abortions also sometimes feel pain when they see pregnant people or hear a sound similar to an abortion suction machine. What we need to do is help these people so that when they encounter these reminders of the pain, they can respond in a healthy way.”

Explain, “To do that, we will share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Abortion is wrong, but God’s grace is greater. We can also direct people to ministries helping parents after abortion.”

“What if children see the outreach?”

Say, “We won’t target areas with children, like daycares. Still, you’re right. Some children may be in the public areas we go to.”

Continue, “However, it is not certain that those kids will be upset by what they see. But I am sure that if we allow abortion to be covered up by not doing public outreach, preborn babies will die. It seems to me the certain death of preborn kids takes priority over the potentially hurt feelings of born kids.”

“Wouldn’t graphic signs just turn people off?”

Say, “We do want to turn people off—off of abortion. It would be great if people who met us joined our group and the pro-life movement, but what matters more is what they think and how they feel about abortion itself after they encounter our outreach.”

Continue, “If they leave with a more negative view of abortion than they had before they encountered our outreach, that is success.” Share with them Dr. Jacqueline Harvey’s statistical analysis demonstrating this is the case with pro-life outreach using abortion victim photography.