(LifeSiteNews) — Ms. Magazine was co-founded in 1971 by one of America’s leading abortion activists, Gloria Steinem. From the very beginning, the legalization of abortion was a primary goal of the magazine, and in 1972 it famously ran an article titled “We Have Had Abortions.” Abortion was still illegal in most places across the United States, and thus many of the 53 signers were defiantly confessing to a crime – among them were Billie Jean King, Susan Sontag, Nora Ephron, Dorothy Pitman Hughes, and Steinem herself. The goal was to normalize the killing of babies and to “help eliminate the stigma.” The following year, the 1973 Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade made all their dreams come true.
Since Roe was overturned last year, Ms. Magazine has returned to its roots, publishing a stream of stories on how to procure illegal abortions; news about abortion fights; and post-Roe versions of their pre-Roe “We Have Had Abortions” article. For Thanksgiving – that day in which Americans gather around their dinner tables to give thanks to God just as the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock did with their native counterparts centuries ago – Ms. Magazine has provided an article: “How to Have Effective Conversations About Abortion at Family Gatherings.” The author, Andrea Schmidt, admits that she’s nervous because she has some “very outspoken anti-abortion relatives” and so she – and we all! – must be prepared to “change hearts, minds, and cultures.”
Her advice is worth looking at. Her first point is: “Assess whether it’s worth the conversation in your setting.” That is, it may not be smart to talk about abortion “in front of others around the dinner table.” Which is, I think, good advice. It may inhibit the thankfulness of some relatives to hear someone defending carving up children in the womb while they are trying to gratefully enjoy the meal. Schmidt says that if a discussion does come up, it is important to “arm yourself with facts,” which she says can be learned from a Planned Parenthood fact sheet. Pro-lifers, for that matter, should be ready to respond with information about Planned Parenthood, such as the fact that it sold baby body parts for profit and that it advocates for killing babies in the womb at any age.
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Schmidt then advises her readers not to “automatically write people off,” and instead seek to find common ground in discussion. This, too, is a good tactic for pro-life people to remember – in fact, in our pro-life apologetics trainings, we tell pro-lifers to remember three key tactics when discussing abortion: Find common ground, use analogies, and ask questions. Many people support abortion because they are unaware of basic facts about the child in the womb; many believe that abortion is the compassionate response to difficult circumstances that can be talked through. I have seen hundreds of people change their minds on abortion by using these tactics and simple human rights apologetics.
Fourthly, Schmidt says: “Remember: Abortion is healthcare, and reproductive freedom states like California have a moral responsibility to provide it.” This is a pernicious falsehood – abortion is not about a what, it is about a who. The debate about abortion is not merely a political debate about “reproductive healthcare” versus religious pro-life views, it is about the right of a human child developing in the womb not to be killed. We do, in fact, have a moral responsibility to protect these children rather than subject them to the barbaric procedures perpetrated on them by the abortion industry.
READ: Former abortionist describes horrific dismemberment abortions during Planned Parenthood hearing
Fifthly, says Schmidt, abortion-supporting Thanksgiving attendees can use the old tried and true Ms. Magazine tactic of helping to “destigmatize abortion by sharing your story.” Additionally, pro-abortion arguments should be possibly practiced with a “like-minded friend” ahead of time, and debaters should “keep in mind that this will likely take more than one conversation.” She concludes:
If it’s safe for you to do so, use your voice to speak up on behalf of people who are suffering right now because of laws needlessly restricting reproductive care access. Millions of people no longer have the freedom to make their own personal health decisions. Patients have been forced to bear financial hardship and travel thousands of miles for necessary healthcare, and those unable to travel have been forced to carry the pregnancy to term against their wishes.
Here, Schmidt is making the case for arguing against abortion – more than 65 million children have been killed under America’s abortion regime, often suffering horribly during the process. Abortion is not “healthcare” – it is killing. Don’t take it from me – take it from the abortionists who routinely admit that it is killing. Some of these quotes might be handy, as well.
READ: Google bans viral video showing former abortionist describing how abortions are done
The pro-life case is simple to make. Human beings have human rights. Human rights begin when the human being begins. Science tells us, incontrovertibly, when a new human life begins. Thus, abortion is a human rights violation. If your pro-abortion relatives decide to defend feticide during dinner, you may want to point this out.
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