John,

Have you seen this powerful video?

One of our Live Action correspondents conducted a street interview with a young man named Joe. Their conversation illustrates an important point about how simple it can be to change someone’s mind on abortion.

Watch the video here: liveaction.org/he-was-pro-choice-until-he-saw-this

As you can see from the video, Joe starts off as a self-described pro-choice individual who, although he does not see abortion as something good, nevertheless believes that it should be available up to the moment of birth.

Like so many other people, Joe believed that “bodily autonomy” was the ultimate determining factor in matters like abortion, and he felt that he didn’t have the right or the power to tell someone else what they could or couldn’t do — even after witnessing the horror of what an abortion entails.

But then something interesting happened. Our correspondent began asking Joe questions that forced him to examine his position more closely.

First, she asked him about laws and why we have them. All laws on some level limit our bodily autonomy, but none of us thinks twice about laws making murder, theft, or sexual assault illegal. Why should laws banning abortion be any different?

Next, she pressed him to consider what separates a baby moments before birth from that same baby moments after birth. Joe had to admit that there was no difference and that, if we view infanticide as a crime, it is hypocritical for abortion not to be one as well.

Finally, our correspondent presented Joe with a fetal development chart, and after seeing images of preborn babies from the moment of fertilization through 13 weeks gestation, he concluded that he would only support abortion through week 4.

While this is not a perfect conclusion because we know that life begins at the moment of fertilization and deserves to be protected from that point on, this was still a huge shift for a young man who just minutes earlier was saying that he supported abortion until birth!

What do you think made the difference, John?

Our Abortion Procedures video wasn’t enough to change Joe’s mind on its own. Something more was needed: human conversation, specifically asking questions.

Most people who call themselves pro-choice have likely never had their worldview questioned before. They’ve never had to think through why they believe what they believe. 

When Joe was confronted with some very basic questions about the inconsistencies of his pro-choice position, he was forced to re-examine his assumptions.

Asking questions is a powerful tool for our pro-life witnessing. Not only does it help us understand the person we are speaking with and remember that they are human beings deserving of love and respect just as we are, but it also helps them engage in honest self-reflection and hopefully leads them to change their mind once they recognize the flaws in their thinking.

The next time you have an opportunity to speak to someone who disagrees with you on the issue of abortion, I would challenge you to ask them at least three questions about their position before you try to change their mind.

I can’t wait to hear about how the conversation goes. Please reply to this email and let me know.

Thank you for all you do to change hearts and minds and defend the most vulnerable among us!

For Life,

Sami Parker
Social Media Associate