SPECIAL: 5 Tips For If Roe is Overturned

If and when that does happen – and it could happen any day – here are five tips for what to do (and what not to do) as a life champion.

Obviously, those of us who believe that the fetus is a person with serious moral status will be ecstatic at such an outcome. We believe that abortion is a violation of the basic right to life, and see it as a moral injustice that will finally be corrected.

But how we react to it is vitally important, because our work is not done.

While it would be easy to just say ‘gloating is rude,’ it goes much deeper than that. Most pro-choice people genuinely believe that women will be hurt by the overturning of Roe. Some pro-choice people even believe that millions of women will die if Roe is overturned. 

While we believe this fear is unfounded (you can learn about how to respond to it at this link, this link, and in the ‘Back Alley Abortion’ section on page 10 of this linked document), we must respect the fact that, if this was true, it would be a very valid reason for people to be angry and terrified. We have to be willing to acknowledge that fear and respond properly.

We know these stereotypes are false. The true reason we’re against abortion is because we think the fetus is an innocent person who is being killed, plain and simple. But the stereotype of us is different than this reality.

If we’re perceived as gloating, it will come across as being callous to the millions of women they think will die. We will, understandably, seem like the bad guys. A major step to overcoming that (and getting to a point where they’ll listen to our position) is to acknowledge these fears and establish common ground. (A good point of common ground is in section #2).

There are many things that overturning Roe won’t do. For a list of many of the myths and how to respond to them, check out this link as well as the linked resources mentioned above.

Remember, abortion will still be legal in much of the country even after Roe (including Washington).

A common accusation leveled against pro-lifers is the false claim that we hate women (or at least don’t care), and that we only care about children until they’re born (and then allegedly stop caring).

Nothing could be farther from the truth. In fact, there are several thousand FREE pregnancy resource clinics that pro-lifers have established all throughout the country that provide emotional, medical, and in many cases financial and housing support to pregnant women and their children.

These clinics are almost always networked with local charities to continue to support the mother and child after birth, or else they provide ongoing assistance in-house. Large non-profits like Care Net ensure high standards for their affiliates and pour countless resources into helping mother, child, and father throughout pregnancy and beyond. 

Pro-lifers do this because we care about all of them. The reason we’re pro-life is because we believe that all people have inherent dignity, value, and rights. These aren’t just slogans – they’re a full time career for thousands of nurses, clinicians, counselors, home-providers, mentors, and volunteers all across the country and the world. 

It’s one thing to share the truth. It’s another thing entirely to share the truth in a way that people will hear you. Part of being faithful is being wise, and wisdom tells us that some methods of sharing the truth are more effective than others.

After all, it might be true that 2+2 = 4, but wisdom tells us that a teacher who learns how to communicate this to a child in a way the child understands will be more effective than one who just shouts it and moves on.

To share the truth, we have to “speak the other person’s language” as the saying goes. That means learning what they believe and why, and then responding to their genuine concerns in a way that respects that they’re trying to do the right thing (as most are) while sharing the truth in a way that is cooperative rather than combative. 

Christians in our readership may recognize this as being similar to how Jesus spoke in parables – he conveyed truth in a way that people were more likely to hear him. Such methods have proven most effective in persuasion throughout all cultures and traditions.

There’s a lot to take in, and it can feel overwhelming, but we have a tool to help with that: Our Pro-Life Basic Training, found in this link, covers many of the most common arguments and provides links for further study. You can also check out Equal Rights Institute’s Quick Response Series on their Youtube channel or their Blog.

Admitting you’re pro-life can be, frankly, terrifying in today’s world. There’s a fear of being ostracized, and, sadly, that’s not an ungrounded fear. At the same time, it’s important for other pro-lifers to know they’re not alone and, further, it’s important for pro-choice people to know what pro-lifers aren’t. If you’re their friend, and they like you, realizing that you’re pro-life can put a human face on pro-life beliefs.

First, we again recommend brushing up on pro-life conversational techniques as listed above – and reading this article on pro-life conversation starters – so that you’re ready for the conversations.

Second, share that you’re pro-life in a way that is cooperative and not combative. What that might look like is this scenario:

A friend expresses fear about Roe being overturned, perhaps fearing that women will die in dangerous abortions. Affirm that you certainly don’t want people dying in back alley abortions and that you care about equal rights. However, you can offer some insight into the dangers of abortion – legal or illegal – using the resources in Section #1. Further, you don’t think abortion should remain legal because you think that the fetus is a person with serious moral status. Admit that this view may seem strange, but say that you have reasons for thinking it’s true.

Say something like, “I may be wrong about all this, but I think I’ve got some good reasons. Would you be willing to talk about it? I want to believe true things and do the right thing, so maybe we can work together on this.” Even if the other person still doesn’t agree with you after conversing, they’re likely to at least have a more humanized view of pro-lifers, and thus be more willing to hear from you about it in the future.

For years, women have been told that abortion is no big deal, that it’s not killing a person. Not only are they told that the fetus isn’t a person, but they’re also told that it can’t feel pain, that it would be just like withdrawing life support from a comatose person (even if it was a person), that it’s “more merciful” than bringing the fetus into a “cruel world,” and so on.

Women considering abortions are, for their part, often panicking, and are reacting, as one philosopher put it, “like an animal caught in a trap and gnawing off its own leg to escape,” a quote that’s so aptly descriptive that it’s used by both pro-life and pro-choice people to describe abortions. In such a frame of mind, the lies about abortion that have been fed to them for 50 years are a siren song of a supposedly merciful and guilt-free release. Only later do they learn differently, but by then it’s often too late.

Millions of these women – and, oftentimes, men – now suffer trauma from past abortions. As Roe is overturned, more and more of these folks are going to be forced to confront their past actions.

Healing after an abortion is possible and freely offered. Organizations like SaveOne and Support After Abortion are founded expressly to help women – and men – deal with the trauma of a past abortion in a loving, non-judgmental environment.

Another favorite partner organization of ours is SRT Services, which treats 5 types of sexually-related trauma, including unwanted pregnancy, rape and sexual assault, STDs, and abortion-related trauma, as well as miscarriage and stillbirth.

It’s vital we present a united front of love, compassion, and truth. That means helping fellow pro-lifers be more effective, even engaging in fraternal correction when necessary.

It also means helping them be unafraid to share the pro-life truth, especially in a church congregation where so many people can be reached.

Many pastors are afraid to talk about abortion because they don’t want to bring up trauma for congregants. While it is admirable that they don’t want to make things worse, the fact is that their congregants often need them to both A) tell pregnant women that the church will love and help them (and not judge them), and B) that the church will offer the same non-judgmental love, forgiveness, and aid to those who have had abortions. Learn how to make this case to your pastors at this link.

Ending Roe will be a great victory… and it will just be the beginning. Our work does not end with Roe. People will still get pregnant and need our help. People will still seek abortions and need our help. People will still struggle with the trauma of past abortions and need our help. In a post-Roe world, we will continue to help them all with love and compassion, and be champions for the lives of all our sisters and brothers, born and unborn.