Sharing The Pro-Life Message

There are many tools out there to help us in our efforts to defend life. There are many good websites, books, videos etc with plenty of information. But if someone is new to the Pro-life movement it isn't always easy to know where to start, what to say or what to do.

Well, there is now a new tool out there that can help you. The people at the Pro-Life Action League have put together a small handbook that will give you a excellent place to start from. This handbook, Sharing the Pro-Life Message, is small, 3½" by 5½" and 96 pages, making it easy to take along wherever you go.

I received my copy last Saturday (31 Jan 2009) & was impressed with not only how much they had packed into such a small package, but also how well orginized it is.

It lives up to its promise that it is "packed with critical information that's easy to find right when you need it most". (Eric Scheidler, League Communications Director) In fact, they feel that this is so important a tool that they are giving a free copy to any pro-lifer in the U.S. or Canada. (They are making additional copies available for a very reasonable price as well.)

The book is organized into 7 sections. The 1st section, How to Share the Pro-Life Message, gives an overview of what the message is & the philosophy behind the approach they use. Part of that is explaining why it uses the term pro-choice rather than pro-abortion. It then goes on to give 10 guidlines to follow as you share the Pro-life message. They are common sense but sometimes things that we sometimes have a tendancy to forget in our enthusiasm & concern. This section ends with short guide on using the info in the rest of the book.

The heart of the book is the 6 sections that follow. Each section is packed full of information. Beyond that, it gives the sources used to supply that information. This will enable you to back up your claims much easier. Many of the sources are groups like Planned Parenthood & Alan Guttmacher Institute as well as various newspapers & other media that is either neutral or supportive of abortion.

After the How to section the book starts with the basic facts of Life in the Womb. It takes you from conception, which it makes clear is the point where the egg is fertilized by the sperm, through the whole 9 months that follow. It gives definitions of the basic terms used by science to describe the stages of development in the womb. It gives many of the milestones & uses pictures as well as words to do so.

The next section looks at Abortion Methods, Facts and Figures. This section uses Guttmacher as well as the Centers for Disease Control as the important sources for the statistics found in this section. Many of the statistics are heartbreaking. It also describes the 8 methods of abortion used in the USA. There are also 3 graphic pictures showing the results of some of the methods. (Note: From this section on there are handy cross references to info in the section as well as in other sections that ties into the subject being looked at.)

Next it looks at Answering Common Pro-Choice Arguments. I know there will be some people who don't like the term 'pro-choice" ever being used, but as they explain in the 1st section, it is basicly meeting them where they are at & avoiding things that would derail the conversation or put up walls that will keep you from getting through to them.

This section is the largest 1 in the book. It doesn't go into detail, but gives brief responses to the most common arguments. The responses sumarize they key points to raise when you respond. They also provide a list of resources at the end of the book with more detailed treatment of the issues.

After this, it goes on to look at Questions of Law. This section is a look at what the law has been in relation to abortion over the years. It looks at how it has been & is regulated in the US. It also looks at legal rights & responsibilities of Pro-Lifers.

Given the central place it holds, the book has a whole section About Planned Parenthood. Taking most the info from PP's own annual report, it looks at how PP operates. It also looks at how PP misrepresents certain statistics about how it operates as well as other claims about what they do & don't do. It also looks at such things as the history of PP & its founder Margaret Sanger, racism at PP & how it covers up rape as well as other things PP does to skirt or break the law.

The last section looks at Getting Help. This section deals with the resources available for women that provide alternatives to abortion. It also provides resources for both women & men to help them deal with the aftermath of an abortion. It also provides some resources for those parents that find out they have a special needs child.

As I said at the start, this book is an excellent tool for someone who is new to the Pro-Life movement. But it is also an excellent resource for those of us who have been involved for a long time as well. It provides a convenient way to have much needed information at your fingertips.

Explaining that the timing of the handbook release is no coincidence, Eric Scheidler said: "Now that most pro-abortion administration in U.S. history has taken office, it's more crucial than ever before that every pro-life American work to change American hearts and minds on abortion."

I agree wholeheartedly with that statment & highly recommend you go to their website to order your copy of the book.

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About the Pro-Life Action League: The Pro-Life Action League was founded by Joseph M. Scheidler in 1980 with the aim of saving unborn children through non-violent direct action. Some of their key activities are: Abortion Clinic Presence, Public Protest, Confronting the Abortionists, Promoting and Defending Activism, Broadcasting the Pro-Life Message & Youth Outreach.