Justice For All Outreach Reflection

            One of the last things I ever thought I would be doing was standing in front of a large display with pictures of aborted babies in the middle of a busy college campus talking to strangers about abortion.  Yet somehow, that is where I found myself. 

            While I was initially excited to participate in the Justice For All seminar and outreach, I really had no idea what I was getting myself into.  I was definitely nervous, but I think that my friends were more freaked out by the idea of participating in a Justice For All outreach than I was.  Most of the factual information presented in the seminar was not new to me because I have tried to stay educated about prolife movement.  I had seen similarly graphic pictures of abortion before, so the display was not as shocking as it could have been.  Still, seeing so many pictures of abortions at so many different points during the pregnancy made me tear up.  It was a good reminder of why I really do care about this topic.

            I have previously had opportunities to talk to people about abortion, but without a clear picture of where to take the dialogue and without a clear understanding of how much is common knowledge, those conversations were not as productive as they could have been.  While I have been able to share information, I lacked the tools to change the way that people viewed abortion.  That is one of the reasons I am so excited about what Justice For All is doing.  The seminar is really helpful because it gives people the tools to dialogue graciously about abortion in a way that addresses some of the underlying principles of a pro-choice worldview.  One of the things I found particularly helpful was the fact that the pro-life arguments were presented in an accessible way that, when combined with role-play, was easy to memorize.  I have a hard time thinking on my feet, particularly if I am in a stressful environment like talking to a random stranger about such an emotionally charged subject as abortion.  It is much less intimidating to talk to strangers about abortion when you have memorized these arguments and practiced using them in role-play. 

            Most of all, though, I think what I am excited about is the fact that unlike a lot of elements of the pro-life movement, Justice For All is addressing the disconnect that allows us to dehumanize the unborn and then murder them.  Justice For All is asking the fundamental questions that underlie the philosophy of abortion, and making the case for the humanity and value of the pre-born in such a way that in order to disagree you have to deny the basic morals that most of us live by.

            At the outreach, the one of the first conversations I had was with a young man whose girlfriend had had an abortion.  He said that even though it was a horrific experience, they would do it again.  He thought that we were more concerned with looking like good people than loving people.  That really drove home the fact that in order to make a difference we have to be more than just pro-baby.  We have to love all of the people around us, regardless of whether they are pre- or post-birth, because they are all made in the image of God, and Christ died to redeem all of them. 

            One of my favorite conversations during the outreach was with a young man who had somehow gone without really thinking about abortion.  He was truly horrified by what he saw, and he wanted more information.  I ended up giving him all the facts that I knew about abortion methods and risks, and then we talked about what sorts of cultural change are necessary to make abortion less attractive.  That one was really fun because he was actually eager to learn and to think new thoughts, and was engaged both intellectually and emotionally.

            What I learned from the seminar and outreach experience has been very helpful, not only as I seek to dialogue with people about abortion, but also as I interact with people on other topics in my day-to-day life.  When I got off work the morning of the outreach, I got into a conversation with my coworker about what I was going to do that day.  Because I had been studying some of the materials from the seminar the night before, I had a copy of the exhibit with me, and I was able to share it with her.  She talked about some of her friends who either have had abortions or who would be likely to, and how hard it can be to talk to them.  I shared what I had learned with her, and gave her my copy of the exhibit so she could share it with her friends.  I was also able to tell her about the assistance that our local crisis pregnancy center offers for post abortive women.  A few weeks after the outreach, a couple in my church told me that their granddaughter was probably not going to be able to get her kids back from foster care as they had hoped.  My immediate reaction was to ask how their granddaughter was dealing with the news, and then to ask how they were doing with the news and how this was going to affect their access to their great-grandchildren.  That was, in part, a direct result of the training from the seminar to express concern by asking how the person being discussed is doing, and how the person you are talking to is doing as well.

            I really appreciate the opportunity to participate in what Justice For All is doing, and I am looking forward to getting further involved.  I would highly recommend the seminar and outreach to anyone looking to make a difference in the culture, both in the pro-life field, and in the culture in general. 

 ~Sarah