A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

June 2023 Impact Report

In this Impact Report, JFA trainer Kaitlyn Donihue illustrates the approach we train all pro-life advocates to take during one-to-one conversations about abortion: when possible, show images of abortion, and do this with a warning and the consent of the person with whom you’re speaking. We need to change a massive number of minds in order to cause the culture to become completely intolerant of elective abortion, but we don’t think a strategy that treats graphic abortion images as always necessary or always sufficient will accomplish this. Since our culture has trained all of us to be highly visual in our way of learning and thinking about the world, though, images are certainly sometimes necessary for changing certain minds. Indeed, sometimes seeing an image appears to be the key element helping a person to change. -Steve Wagner, Executive Director

There is a debate among pro-life advocates about the proper use of graphic abortion images. Some pro-life people find them persuasive and display them publicly. Other pro-life people avoid using them all together.

At Justice For All, we sometimes publicly display graphic abortion images at our outreach events, and sometimes we do not. Most importantly, though, we remind pro-life advocates of common ground we all share on this topic: Whatever your views might be about graphic images of abortion in public, can’t we all agree that in a one-on-one conversation, when you warn and get the consent of the person with whom you are speaking, showing an image of what abortion looks like can be helpful and appropriate?

The reality is that sometimes an image of what abortion looks like is the only thing that can cut through the rhetoric and clarify what abortion actually does. This was the case at Texas State University in November.

I was standing by the Free Speech Board greeting students and asking them if they had time to share their thoughts about abortion. A young man named “Ben” stopped to talk. I spent time getting to know his perspective and found common ground with his views. He was really concerned about people’s rights to make choices. After a few minutes, I began to gently challenge him. Here is how the rest of our conversation went:

Kaitlyn: I definitely agree with you that choice is really important. As a woman, I am thankful to live in a country where I have rights and the freedom to make choices. There are many countries where I, as a woman, would not have rights. This is going to sound strange, but I’m also glad that I don’t have some rights. For example, I don’t have the right to harm or kill someone on this campus and that is because my rights end where your rights begin. So with the issue of abortion, we have to ask, “Is the unborn a human being?” If the unborn isn’t a human being, then of course women should have the right to abortion; but if the unborn is a human being, then it seems like the woman’s rights should end where the unborn human being’s rights begin. What do you think about that question? Do you think the unborn is a human being?

Ben: I have never really thought about that before. I guess I don’t really know.

Kaitlyn: Do you mind if I share my understanding of what we know from the study of biology?

Ben: Sure.

Kaitlyn: If the unborn is growing, isn’t it alive?

Ben: Yeah, I guess it must be alive.

Kaitlyn: I agree with you there. If the unborn has human parents, do you think that means that the unborn are human?

Ben: Yes, I guess they would have to be.

Kaitlyn: If the unborn is living and human, then shouldn’t we protect them?

Ben: I just think choice is really important. Women should have the right to choose to do whatever they want.

Kaitlyn: I definitely agree that choice is really important, so we are on the same page there. Let’s imagine for a moment that we have two buckets. One bucket is for all of the choices that people should be allowed to make. We should all be allowed to decide what kind of ice cream we like, and what college we attend, etc. The other bucket is for the choices we shouldn’t be allowed to make. For example, we shouldn’t be allowed to choose to kill someone, or to rape someone, or to steal from someone. Which bucket do you think abortion belongs in? [See “Two Buckets” for more on this strategy.]

Ben: The first bucket.

Kaitlyn: Do you think the unborn are human beings?

Ben: Yes.

Kaitlyn: I agree with you. Do you think abortion kills those human beings?

Ben: Well, maybe abortion belongs in the second bucket, but I still think women should have the right to choose to do what they want.

Kaitlyn: Ben, have you ever seen pictures of what abortion looks like?

Ben: No.

Kaitlyn: Would you be willing to see some pictures of what abortion looks like? They are very graphic and hard to look at.

Ben: Sure.

Kaitlyn: These are pictures of what abortion looks like.

You can use JFA’s Invitation to Dialogue Brochure to show pictures with sensitivity just as Kaitlyn did. Click here to get a digital version for your phone (with hyperlinks) and to request the paper version of the brochure.

Ben got very quiet as he stared at the graphic images of abortion in our brochure (seven weeks to twelve weeks from fertilization). We stood together in silence for a minute. Finally I asked him,

Kaitlyn: Ben, do you think that a woman should be allowed to make a choice that looks like this?

Ben: No. This should not be legal.

Ben’s response surprised me. Students don’t often shift their perspective right in front of us this way. Many are not impacted by the images at all, but for others, the images help them process what abortion actually does to a human being. As Ben demonstrated, there is power in not just thinking abstractly about facts and arguments but also in seeing the truth about abortion.

Father, Please Give Me a Glimpse

March 2023 Impact Report

The Justice For All team is on a mission to train Christians to change hearts and minds about abortion, and along the way, we use the conversations we create to challenge people to take Jesus Christ and the Christian worldview more seriously. While our trainers report progress in some conversations, the progress of other conversations many times remains hidden.

When I read the reflection below from Kaitlyn Donihue, JFA’s trainer based in Ohio, I wanted to share it with you. It represents a sweet gift from God in giving her a glimpse of how He is using JFA’s work. May this spur us on to continue to be faithful in the work He has given us to do. And let us be thankful both when He does not allow us to see what He is doing and when He does. -Steve Wagner, Executive Director

Have you ever opened a novel to the middle, read a chapter, and put it down again? Neither have I, but that is what outreach often feels like. Through our conversations with students, we get a glimpse into their stories and hopefully have the opportunity to impact their lives, but it is a brief glimpse, and usually we don’t get to see how their stories play out. We don’t know whether our words made a difference or not. We don’t find out whether the story ends in joy or tragedy.

Not knowing the ending is hard. I often leave campus with a heavy heart because I care about the students with whom I talked but don’t know what will happen to them, and I can’t do anything more for them.

Last month as I got ready for our trip to Texas, I struggled with whether we are doing any good. I asked God to give me a glimpse of how He is using our work, and He graciously answered that prayer.

Halfway through our first day of outreach, our whole team was hot and tired. Several students were standing by the free speech board reading the comments. I walked over to one and asked him whether he had any thoughts about abortion. He barely gave me a glance as he said, “Not really.” “Okay,” I said. “Do you think it should be legal or illegal or somewhere in between?” “I don’t really care,” he said and walked away.

I stared after him for a minute feeling discouraged. Then I turned to another student who was standing nearby. “Do you have thoughts on the issue of abortion?” I asked him. I noted as I did that he was wearing a T-shirt that said, “Unashamed Follower of Jesus.”

“Yeah,” he said, “I think abortion is wrong. It kills a human being.”

“I agree with you. I’m Kaitlyn by the way.”

“I’m Sam,” he said. “I work with a campus student ministry, and I have been discipling a young man. Last semester he wasn’t following Christ, and he was pro-choice, but he talked to you guys when you were here before and that conversation was really significant to him. He has since become pro-life and made a full commitment to follow Christ because of that conversation. I wanted to come by and tell you that. God is using you guys. Thank you for what you are doing.”

“He has since become pro-life and made a full commitment to follow Christ because of that conversation.”

I was overwhelmed by the goodness of God. Because of His great love, He answered my prayer and gave me just a glimpse into what He is doing in the life of one student.

Hearing about this student was such a gift. It gives me courage to believe that God is at work in the lives of the other students with whom we talk even if we never get to see the ending of their stories.

As our outreach in Texas drew to a close, I began praying a new prayer that I have prayed many times since: “Thank you, Father, that though these students may now be out of my reach, they are not out of Yours.”

Jesus Came in Weakness

Have you ever noticed that God often values different things than we do? As humans we tend to value strength, but so often God chooses weakness.

In the Old Testament, God chose weakness when he asked Gideon to send most of his troops home and fight with only a tiny minority of his army.

He chose weakness when He sent Elijah to ask for food from a poor widow (she only had enough food for one last meal) rather than to a wealthier individual.

In the New Testament, God chose weakness when He called fishermen and tax-collectors – the lowest of the low in society – to follow Him instead of calling the best and the brightest.

But more astounding than all of these stories, God chose weakness when He sent Jesus into the world. Jesus came into the world, not as an independent adult, not as a child, and not even as a baby. Jesus came into the world as an embryo. An embryo is weak. He is dependent. The God who created the universe and holds it together chose to enter His creation in the weakest and most dependent state possible.

That encourages me.

Our God is not looking for the best and the brightest. He is not seeking credentials. He chooses weakness. He chooses us.

Many of us feel like we can’t really be used by God. We are not talented or powerful enough. We don’t have a big audience or a lot of money. We look around and see other people whom we think God could really use – people with power, influence, talent, etc.

When we think this way, we are missing the point. God is not looking for talented, powerful people. He is looking for people who will trust Him to use them in their weaknesses and their inadequacies. God chooses weakness because in weakness, His strength is most clearly seen.

That is what Christmas is all about.

God came to earth in weakness in order to rescue those who are weak, you and me.

This year, as you celebrate Christmas, take time to be amazed afresh at the incredible reality that God came into the world in weakness to rescue us.

Don't Follow the Leader

I hope that you had a wonderful Fourth of July celebration with your family!

This year, I went with a friend to watch fireworks. We had a lot of fun. When we got back to my car, I struggled a bit to figure out how to get out of the parking lot. There were tons of people and cars. Everything was a bit chaotic. All of the cars seemed to be going left, which seemed a little odd to me because I was sure there was no outlet in that direction. I am new to the area, and both my friend and I are directionally challenged, so we decided to just follow all of the other cars. Eventually we realized that there really wasn’t an outlet. Everyone had been going in the wrong direction. Finally, we got turned around and out of the parking lot. It is likely that one person thought there was an outlet and others just followed him. 

As I think about that experience, I am reminded of all the times throughout Scripture where Jesus refers to us as sheep. Sheep follow each other without really thinking. Human beings are much the same way. Whether it is something as silly as following a line of cars toward a non-existent exit, or something much more serious like following other’s belief systems about worldview questions, we are prone to follow without thinking.

I have a lot of sympathy for pro-choice people because I know that many of them are following the culture without questioning it. In fact, I am prone to the same mistake. If you think about it, this is actually encouraging because it means many pro-choice people are very persuadable. They are not pro-choice because they have thought about the issue and decided that being pro-choice makes the most sense. Instead, they are pro-choice because they are following the culture without stopping to question it. When we confront them with the truth, many of these people see their mistake and are willing to change their perspective.

The same is true of many non-Christians. They have not thought seriously about the claims of Christ. They have not taken time to study the various religions with an aim to discover the truth. Rather than thinking deeply about Christianity and then rejecting it, many people are simply going with the flow of our culture.

This is exciting. It means that our simple conversations can truly change people’s lives. When we engage people in conversations about abortion, worldviews, and the gospel, we may be helping them to think about these issues for the first time. They may not change their minds on the spot, but we have planted a seed that has the potential to one day bear fruit.

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Earlier this month, the JFA team had the joy of training the students at Ellerslie Mission Society. I always love training at Ellerslie because I was first introduced to Justice For All there. It is fun to see everything come full-circle in this way.

God Uses Weakness

Do you ever feel totally unqualified to advocate on behalf of unborn children or to share the gospel? I know I do.

JFA is new to Instagram! Follow us (@picturejusticeforall) to help us start transformative conversations about unintended pregnancy and abortion.

Recently I have been reading Amazing Grace by Eric Metaxas, a biography of William Wilberforce. William Wilberforce was instrumental in bringing about the end to the slave trade in England. Many people know him for his powerful and compelling speeches and his tireless fight for abolition. What most don't know is that William Wilberforce suffered from ill health most of his life. He was often bedridden. His doctor told him that his body wasn't prepared to handle the life he had chosen.

William Wilberforce was also short and gaunt. His appearance didn’t lend itself to a political career.

Yet despite his constant illness and unimpressive appearance, William Wilberforce fought ceaselessly for the end of the slave trade and eventually won.

His life reminds me of I Corinthians 1:27-29 which says,

“But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence.”

We often look to ourselves—our skills, our talents, our resources—to decide whether we are qualified. In reality none of us are qualified to serve our great God, but he chooses to use us and to work through our weakness for his glory.

Don't allow your weaknesses, whatever they are, to keep you from serving our Lord. Rather embrace your weakness as a chance to depend upon his strength as you faithfully serve him.

Banner Image by Gerrie van der Walt on Unsplash

Loving Pro-Choice People

Recently, I was scrolling through the comments on a pro-life Instagram post, and one comment caught my eye:

Commenter: Yes. Preach. Don’t let immoral, irresponsible, angry pro-choicers tell you otherwise. All they can do is get triggered and attack you.

Me: I have met pro-life people who are all those things and pro-choice people who are none of them. It doesn’t help this important discussion to stereotype either group. Let’s reach out in love to those who disagree rather than making assumptions about them.

Commenter: Never met one tolerant pro-choicer on Instagram. NEVER. Just go to pro-life pages and see pro-choicers’ comments.

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Rebecca Hotovy (left, sitting) talks to a KU student at JFA’s University of Kansas outreach in March 2018.

This commenter illustrates a mindset we can all fall into from time to time. It’s the “us versus them” mindset, the mindset that all pro-choice people act that way and believe those things. This mindset destroys our ability to have an openhearted dialogue with pro-choice people.

Are all pro-choice people angry? Are all pro-choice people immoral? Are all pro-choice people irresponsible?

No.

Every pro-choice person is an individual with a unique story. Many people are pro-choice out of a deep sense of compassion for women. Others are pro-choice because they have been hurt. Still others are simply misinformed. Lumping all of these individuals together and assuming that they are all angry, immoral, and irresponsible only destroys our ability to reach out to them.

We get angry with the pro-choice movement for the dehumanization of unborn children. But often we are guilty of the same dehumanization directed not at unborn children but at pro-choice people. We may not use derogatory terms such as “parasite” to refer to the unborn, but we use derogatory terms to refer to pro-choice people.

“We get angry with the pro-choice movement for the dehumanization of unborn children. But often we are guilty of the same dehumanization directed not at unborn children but at pro-choice people.”

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Former JFA staff member Cheryl Kaye Davis (right) talks to a UCLA student at a JFA outreach event in May 2016.

If we ever hope to see a change, if we ever hope to bring an end to abortion, we are going to have to reach out to pro-choice people, and that starts with seeing them as real, valuable, individual human beings.

That is why at Justice For All we so often talk about the Three Essential Skills. We believe that by listening to understand, asking questions with an open heart, and finding common ground when possible, we can have open, friendly dialogue with pro-choice people. It is this kind of dialogue that has the potential to change hearts and save lives. This is the kind of dialogue we have had on college campuses all over the country and are now having on Instagram, Facebook, and other social media platforms. (We’re still hoping we can return to college campuses this fall to engage students in dialogue in person. Please pray with me for this!)

I pray that you will join us in being an advocate of the gospel and of the value of every human life.

Nail Party Evangelism

Impact Report, July 2020

A Note From JFA’s Executive Director:  Over the past few months, our team has been exploring the value of using social media for conversations about abortion. We’ve gathered regularly to share stories, to pray, and to evaluate different ideas for starting conversations. When Kaitlyn shared the story featured in this Impact Report, we were all spellbound. While we all long to return to face-to-face conversations at outreach, it appears that there are ways in which social media can open doors for conversation not likely to come about in person.  - Steve Wagner, Executive Director

One of JFA’s Instagram posts, above, drew the comment below and led to a conversation. Follow JFA (@picturejusticeforall) to help us start more conversations.

From the very beginning, JFA has stretched my comfort zone. When COVID-19 forced us to cancel many of our spring outreach events and the leadership team announced that we were going to focus for the time being on using social media to have conversations about abortion, I knew that my comfort zone was going to be stretched yet again. Thankfully, our team has spent time praying together and encouraging each other as we have tackled this difficult project.

I have never used any form of social media. It intimidates me. Nevertheless, I started an Instagram account in the hope that I might be able to use it to start conversations with pro-choice people. I followed a couple of pro-life pages and began reading through the comments on their posts. I was intimidated by the many nasty comments from both pro-life and pro-choice people. I was determined to at least try to have a conversation, though, so I sent a direct message to every pro-choice person I saw regardless of whether their comments were nasty or not.

To my surprise, even the individuals who had left particularly offensive comments were generally open to dialogue when I engaged them in a respectful and friendly way. Within mere hours of starting an Instagram account, I was talking with a pro-choice girl. She shared with me her story and some of the difficult experiences that have shaped her views on this issue and other issues. We talked about the problem of pain, worldviews, and the gospel. Through this and other conversations, I was amazed and excited to discover that it is possible to have meaningful dialogue over Instagram.

I never would have thought that social media could become a platform for dialogue, much less that it might open doors for impact that in-person events never could.

I was having a conversation with another young woman on Instagram. She was very pro-choice. We talked about abortion for awhile and eventually began talking about faith. She shared her belief that the world is a simulation: We are characters in some more powerful being’s video game. We don’t have free will. Our every movement is determined by that other being.

I believe that different religious perspectives are worth discussing for their own sake, but I also believe that our religious perspective often becomes the foundation upon which all of our other beliefs are built. If someone believes that no one has free will, that we are just characters in a video game, it is likely that their pro-choice perspective flows from that belief and thus we must challenge that underlying belief system.

We talked for a while on Instagram direct message about her beliefs. After a while, she asked me what I believed, and I shared with her about my faith in Christ. But there are ways in which discussing these kinds of topics over direct message can be difficult, tedious, and frustrating. One has to type everything out, wait sometimes hours for a response only to be confused by the response, ask a question to clarify, then wait again.

Instagram has a video call option, so I asked her if she would be interested in doing a video call so that we could dive deeper into our discussion of our different worldviews. She said yes, and we picked a time that worked for both of us.

When I called, she answered and said that she had forgotten we were going to talk and that she and her friends were doing their nails. I said that we could definitely wait until a better time, but she insisted that we talk then. I expected a one-on-one conversation but what I got was a group conversation as her friends chimed in with their perspectives.

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Background Photo by John Schnobrich on Unsplash

I asked more questions about their worldviews, and they asked questions about mine. I shared about my journey of coming to faith in Christ and some of the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus that I find to be convincing.

We talked for about an hour. When the conversation was over, I felt deeply disappointed. It wasn’t what I had hoped for. I had planned to have a one-on-one conversation. I had planned to dive seriously into our worldviews. Instead, I ended up in a group conversation that was too casual, lighthearted, and chaotic to allow us to focus in a serious way on the important topics I had come to discuss.

As much as I was disappointed by it, I believe that God had a plan. I intended to share the gospel with just one person and ended up sharing it with six different people all at once.

It also amazes me to think that a total stranger with a very different worldview than mine would invite me to “join” a party with her friends, share my perspective, and have a conversation. I didn’t think social media had any potential for impact let alone that it might allow me to accomplish something I couldn’t have done in person. I want to invite you to join us and try to have conversations on social media. You might be surprised by what God does through you.

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Get Equipped to Create Conversations!

We’ve recently added new “7 Conversations in 7 Hours” interactive online workshops to our calendar. Get all of the details at www.jfaweb.org/7 and www.jfaweb.org/calendar.

Join Us for “Encouragement for Conversations”

We’ve just launched a brand-new program to support and encourage you as you seek to create conversations on social media and in everyday life. JFA’s experienced dialogue mentors host a video conference call every Thursday at 3 PM Central to allow you and other like-minded pro-life advocates to share stories, pray, and learn new ways to start conversations. Join us once, occasionally, or every week! Go to www.jfaweb.org/register and select “Encouragement for Conversations.”

I Didn't See This Coming (Instagram Link)

A Quote from Our Instagram (@picturejusticeforall):

"Through this conversation, I was reminded that I cannot really know another person or his beliefs until I take the time to ask questions and hear him out. I never know what God might do, even in the heart of a student that seems closed off." -Kaitlyn Donihue, JFA Trainer

Click here to read about Kaitlyn's surprising encounter at Fort Lewis College last year.

Outreach Over Instagram?

It seems like the only thing anyone is talking about these days is COVID-19. It has dramatically changed our lives, canceled our plans, and turned our world upside down. What are we, as Christians, to do?

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Trinity University, February 24 and 25, 2020

We are commanded throughout Scripture to go and make disciples of all nations, to proclaim the truth, to be salt and light to a lost and broken world. The Bible doesn’t list any exceptions. Nowhere does it say to make disciples unless there is a deadly pandemic sweeping the land.

The commands of Scripture still apply to us today. Our calling as Christians has not changed. So what can we do?

We have to get creative. Many of the normal routes for evangelism and discipleship are not available at the moment, so we must seek out other routes!

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University of Texas at Dallas, March 9 and 10, 2020: I am so thankful for the training and outreach events we were able to do before COVID-19 hit and forced us to change our plans.

I strongly dislike social media. Other people get great enjoyment out of it, and that is wonderful. But I would much rather have a conversation with someone face to face or at least over the phone. When our team decided to work together to leverage the internet to create conversations, I began to think through how I could contribute. Despite my dislike of social media, I started an Instagram account (@kaitlyndonihue). Why? Well, this is my creative route for trying to share the truth with others.

I have been following pro-life pages and reading the comments on their posts. Many pro-choice people comment. After reading a comment, I private message the commenter and say something like, “Hey, I saw your comment on Justice For All’s post about abortion, and I would love to hear more of your thoughts.”

Over the past three weeks, I have had some amazing conversations about abortion, worldviews, and the gospel this way.

I have been talking with one young lady who struggles to believe in God because she has been hurt and abused by a lot of people throughout her life.

Another young woman shared with me that she believes that animals and human beings are equal in value. When I asked where value comes from and whether she thinks there is a God who gives value, she shared that she doesn’t believe in God because she has been deeply hurt by some very hypocritical Christians.

Another young lady has been sharing with me her view on the issue of a woman’s bodily rights related to abortion.

I have been amazed at how open and honest these young women have been with me. They are hurting deeply and are excited just to have someone listen to them.

I said earlier that this is not my preference for outreach. I would much prefer to be on a university campus having face-to-face conversations. Yet I cannot deny that I am seeing God use this. And yes, even I am enjoying talking with these women over Instagram.

How about you? During this season, have you found any creative ways to talk about abortion, worldviews, and the gospel with those who disagree or to disciple other Christians? I would love to hear about them!

I am excited to see what God will do in and through this time to draw people to Himself. May we be faithful and creative messengers of truth.