How to be ‘Winsome” When Talking About Being Pro-Life
This election season means endless political ads and messages designed to scare you into voting one way or the other. Leftist organizations like Planned Parenthood are funneling hundreds of thousands of dollars into the Abortion Access Act, a ballot initiative that, if passed, would legalize abortion through all nine months and make Arizona one of the most progressive abortion states in the nation.
While the It Goes Too Far campaign is working endlessly to expose the dangerous truths of what this law would do to women and babies here in Arizona, other groups like Voices for the Voiceless are giving Arizonans a fresh perspective on how to think and talk about protecting the unborn. Both organizations are doing great work to save babies and we are grateful to have them as allies in this fight. We can do our part by talking with our friends, family and neighbors on what it means to be pro-life and to be a “messenger of goodness to a broken world,” as Riley Schneider writes below.
Take a moment to read Riley Schneider from Voices for the Voiceless’s strategy on how the pro-life message can actually change hearts and minds. In addition, consider donating your time or resources to Voices for the Voiceless to help stand up for life! - Kim
How to be ‘Winsome” When Talking About Being Pro-Life
If you’re like me, you’re probably watching all that’s happening in our world and shaking your head.
Every year, it seems as though we hit the ceiling on political division. It seems impossible that we’d become more divided as a nation. Impossible that we'd become less able to have civil disagreements. But with another election cycle before us, I wonder if that ceiling will continue to expand.
This hostile division, which tends to impact the political sphere most, has unfortunately left its mark on the Life movement too. More than ever, people (especially politicians) are afraid that the pro-life message isn’t winsome enough to change hearts.
While I understand their reasoning, I don't think their conclusion is right. Here's why.
First, I believe that to be pro-life is to be a messenger of goodness to a broken world.
Abortion is fundamentally a failure of community; the “glorification of separation” if you will. We live in a time where separating a mother from her child is considered good, sought-after, and even praised. It’s a “solution” that promises success, fulfillment, and a feeling of control that so many of us long for in this life.
But we know that the promises of abortion are an illusion. They are a counterfeit solution to the pains and hurts that will continue to fester underneath the surface for years and decades to come.
The pro-life message, no matter how convoluted it has become in today’s climate, is at its core, altogether lovely and rooted in the truth of God’s word. It’s a beautiful message that says that…
We’re most empowered when we make decisions out of love, not fear.
We’re valuable because God created each of us in His image.
To be a mother is to be highly favored.
There is complete forgiveness and restoration available for all who feel heavily burdened by the weight of unplanned pregnancy or a past abortion.
It’s a vision and message that moves us towards goals that must advance the thriving of mother and child and that must address root causes.
The pro-life message is one that seeks to make motherhood a path of success. A message that moves us towards making Arizona, or Colorado, or [fill in your state], the BEST place to have a baby. Our message and these goals are good—they are like cold water to a thirsty soul.
So YES, even in times like these where leaders and politicians are unsure that the pro-life message is winsome enough to change hearts, know that it has the power to do just that. There are ways you can speak more winsomely about this topic to friends, family, or strangers who may disagree and I’ve provided a few guiding principles below.
Remember, hearts change heads. Stories are the most persuasive form of communication. Most people make decisions on how they think about big issues based on their own personal experiences, the personal experiences of people close to them, or the most compelling personal experiences they’ve heard of. Testimony is far more effective than logic at shaping core beliefs about the world.
Always empower the hero. We’re not the savior, the hero, the right one vindicated by his rightness. We’re the guide.
Associate strategically. Understand that most people today have a somewhat eclectic worldview. To change someone’s mind on one issue, they don’t need to first adopt your whole view of the world.
Be real. Empathize with real struggles. Life isn’t sunshine and rainbows. Highlight the obstacles, and people will resonate with you for wrestling with & presenting the real instead of the ideal.
Trust the Truth. The truth will win out in the end. People will trust you if you trust the truth.
Yes, our current political climate is divisive. Yes, communicating the pro-life message has never been more tricky. BUT, the message we bring is desperately needed. Will you join me in bringing it to those who need it most?