By Angela Philpott
Reporting live from my second week on the frontlines as a Voices for Life programs intern. I participated in three canvassing shifts this week and want to share some snapshots of on-the-ground interactions with you all.
1st Shift– “It doesn’t affect us”
On Saturday, I had the opportunity to shadow Janell, a seasoned canvasser, who taught me her tips and tricks. I learned to use the literature to jump into a conversation, which on two occasions quickly revealed that staunch pro-lifers in the area had no idea that the abortion pill was so easily accessible in Indiana.
On this shift, the most pro-choice people we encountered were local landscapers hired by many in the neighborhood. Sadly, they pretended to be open to hearing about the dangers of the abortion pill, but, like many, dismissed it as an unrelated issue to them. Later, however, they saw us again, and screamed swear words at us.
Jesus tells us we should be “wise as serpents and innocent as doves”– it is vital to share our literature with someone whom we can tell is merely feigning interest, because often the most hostile people have a personal experience underlying their attitude.
2nd Shift –“I wouldn’t tell my neighbor what to do.”
This was certainly true of a woman we dialogued with on my second canvassing shift of the week (I will call her Tiffany). Towards the beginning of the conversation it became clear that Tiffany’s position was that it was not her place to tell anyone else what they could or could do.
We then compared her position to that of someone owning slaves and whether she would tell her neighbor that what he was doing was morally wrong. She acclaimed the analogy, but shockingly affirmed that she would NOT tell her neighbor what to do.
This response led us to employ the next level of analogy, “Trotting Out the Toddler”, where we take someone’s position on the expendability of babies in the womb and apply their logic to a two-year old. In this case, Tiffany remained consistent and claimed that she would not tell her neighbor that he could not take his child to a two-year-old extermination center down the street.
She eventually conceded that she would counsel her own sister against an abortion, but she “did not care” what strangers do, and it was none of her business to condemn people. We were able to explain that we have nothing but compassion for women in crisis and shared with her the abortion-healing hotline where we make sure women are still cared for even if they go through with an abortion.
She appreciated this and finally came the personal story: she knew many pro-lifers in her circle of close friends, but she became pro-choice when she witnessed their angry attitudes and callousness towards women. She did not change her mind, but I hope we were able to witness joy, peace, and charity through our respectful conversation.
2nd Shift – “That’s horrible!”
At first, Rose would not open her door and skeptically sized us up on her doorstep. I began, “Good afternoon, we are in your neighborhood today sharing about the dangers of the abortion pill running rampant in our community, harming both mothers and their babies…”
She looked suspicious, but opened her door a crack and questioned me about whether women could really have the pill shipped right to their house. I explained that yes, even though abortion is illegal in Indiana, women can order the pill online and have it show up on their doorstep overnight.
Jill then explained the mechanism of the two pills and I emphasized the trauma women experience and potential complications from taking these pills at home without a doctor’s supervision.
Rose’s countenance changed from suspicion to horror and, looking us right in the eye, she said, “That’s horrible! I can’t agree with doing that. That’s wrong!” She then took the literature and thanked us for having these conversations. Welcome to the team, Rose!
3rd Shift — “I am still hurting to this day”
Although we met with many closed doors on this last shift, the conversations we did have were quite moving.
Since there were three of us, we opted to split up in order to not intimidate our neighbors.
Derek and Brian had the chance to sit down with a post-abortive mom on her porch and share our resources with her.
She was deeply regretful and lamented her decisions, the first made for financial reasons and the second, encouraged by her doctor, due to medical defects.
She also shared that her son’s family could really benefit from our help, and she was worried that they might consider abortion, should they conceive in the near future. Her hurt and pain were tangible, and she did not want her child to experience that.
Another man we talked to told us that what made him pro-life was his experience of a miscarriage forty years ago. He said that he was still grieving and hurting to this day. According to him, this solidified his position that the unborn were most definitely humans with dignity and value.
Well that’s all folks! If you want to have these crucial conversations, get trained and get out there! Email melanie@voicesforlife.com for more information.
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