{"id":23294,"date":"2012-11-09T20:59:59","date_gmt":"2012-11-10T01:59:59","guid":{"rendered":"\/news\/?p=23294"},"modified":"2012-11-10T09:19:49","modified_gmt":"2012-11-10T14:19:49","slug":"the-election-is-over-the-pro-life-movement-is-not","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/the-election-is-over-the-pro-life-movement-is-not\/","title":{"rendered":"The election is over – the pro-life movement is not"},"content":{"rendered":"
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If you’re anything like me and my coworkers at Right to Life of Central California, you’re still processing what was a very disheartening election. For countless millions of unborn babies, this election was very important. From the nomination of new Supreme Court justices to government funding for Planned Parenthood, our situation was already grave, and it is now worse.<\/p>\n

Against all odds, America reelected the most pro-abortion president in history – one who aggressively attacks religious freedom under the banner of “choice.” Undoubtedly, the pro-life movement has been dealt a serious blow.\u00a0But pro-lifers should ask themselves: has our central goal changed?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Delays are almost inevitable, and they occur in all great causes. William Wilberforce,\u00a0the heroic member of parliament\u00a0who worked tirelessly to abolish the British slave trade, faced many obstacles. Year after year he would sponsor bills for abolition. Year after year he failed.\u00a0But justice eventually triumphed.<\/em> Not primarily through politics, or due to Britain’s great moral integrity.\u00a0Rather, abolition succeeded because slavery became <\/em>unthinkable\u00a0to the people of England.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Our hope does not rest primarily upon politics. Politics is downstream from culture.\u00a0If you and I hope to abolish abortion,<\/em>\u00a0we must make abortion unthinkable to the average American.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Votes matter. The political process is important. And the prospect of four more years under President Obama looks dire. But for abortion to be\u00a0abolished<\/em>\u00a0with the same finality of the slave trade,\u00a0you and I must make it<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>unthinkable\u00a0<\/em>to the culture at large.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

This is where you and I must take part.<\/strong>\u00a0Have we asked our friends, neighbors, and family\u00a0what they think about abortion? Do we listen to understand and offer reasonable and gracious responses? Will we gently encourage our pro-life clergy and friends to take action?<\/p>\n

All of us –\u00a0each and every\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/em>one\u00a0of us<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0– can make a difference. Consider what happened to my fellow RLCC staff member Gabi Vehrs on Election Day:<\/p>\n

A sales guy came up to our door right as I was about to leave to vote. He asked if he could know who I voted for, then asked why. I got to share the 10 second pro-life tool that we teach advocates at our Justice For All trainings: that we know the unborn is alive because it’s growing, we know the unborn is human because she has human parents, and human beings like you and me are valuable. I then explained President Obama’s record on abortion, and described what the\u00a0Born Alive Infants Protection Act<\/a>\u00a0prohibited. (The bill that President Obama repeatedly voted against.)<\/p>\n

The young man was stunned. “I had no idea…” The conversation was short, about three minutes. Please pray that he will begin to take this issue seriously.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What an impact<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>one<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>person can have in three minutes!<\/strong>\u00a0The pro-life movement should diligently work to train people to do what Gabi did: start productive dialogue about abortion that\u00a0is neither\u00a0awkward nor uncomfortable, but rather effective.<\/em><\/p>\n

Despite the results from Tuesday’s election,\u00a0<\/em>our mission as pro-life advocates doesn’t change.<\/em>\u00a0To borrow the mission statement of my organization, pro-lifers everyone must redouble our efforts to:<\/p>\n