Kristine Hunerwadel
"Cast Down Your Cares"
"Cast Down Your Cares"
Steve Wagner
They Stop and Think (Then We Pray)
They Stop and Think (Then We Pray)
Kaitlyn Donihue
Connecting the Dots
Connecting the Dots
Justice For All
Team Be Nimble

In this Impact Report, we feature highlights from Justice For All (JFA) events that took place from March to September. Each highlighted event illustrates the way smaller training teams can help us make a bigger impact. We’ve found that empowering our trainers to do events on their own helps our team to be nimble and ready to meet the great need all over the country for good dialogue training—training that includes outreach whenever possible.

Team Be Nimble
Tammy Cook
Passing the Baton

Tammy Cook reflects on 28 years with JFA.

Passing the Baton

"Cast Down Your Cares"

Note: We are reposting this reflection from Dec. 11 with an introduction from JFA's Executive Director. For Kristine's original post for her readers, click here.

 

Introduction

I’m so thankful for our outstanding trainers. During our college campus outreach events, they both mentor volunteers and personally help passersby “stop and think” (see jfaweb.org/nov-2024). In this Outreach Reflection, one of our newest staff members, Kristine, discusses a challenge we regularly face: so many people share such heavy stories. Kristine helps us think more deeply about the true solution we can offer to others and also utilize to stay healthy ourselves.

Don’t forget to visit jfaweb.org/blog for recent stories of changed hearts and minds, including “Connecting the Dots,” “Joseph Changes His Mind,” and “Never Underestimate a Picture.”

There’s still time to give a year-end gift! To receive a tax-deductible receipt for 2024, give your gift today at jfaweb.org/donate or postmark it by December 31.

-Steve Wagner, Executive Director

 

Outreach Reflection

by Kristine Hunerwadel, Regional Training Intern (Denver, CO)

While conducting workshops and outreach events with the JFA team over five days in September (at Colorado State University and University of Northern Colorado), I heard all of the following statements:

  • “If I got pregnant tomorrow, I would get an abortion.” 

  • “My mom was in an abusive situation, and she should have been able to have an abortion.”

  • “My dad was adopted, and his biological mom struggled with the reality that she placed him for adoption all her life. She should have been able to have an abortion.”

  • “My friend was raped, and her parents wanted her to keep the baby, but she didn’t want to, so I drove her to the abortion clinic.”

  • “I had an abortion when I was 17, and I don’t regret it. I think about it a lot, but I don’t regret it.”

  • “I went in to have an abortion, but then I changed my mind about it and asked them to stop, but they didn’t. They said it was too late.”

  • “One of my family members didn’t find out she was pregnant until she was seven months along, and she had a third-trimester abortion then, here in a Colorado hospital.”

  • “It would have been okay with me if I had been aborted.”

A comment left on JFA’s free speech board at a MiraCosta College outreach event in October

The amount of pain and need reflected in these statements felt enormous to me, and I’m thinking now of the many human beings who were willing to share their thoughts and stories with me, a stranger. Each of these human beings was made in God’s image, and God cares about each one deeply. As I listened, all of their stories felt heavy, and they each seemed to express an underlying question: Doesn’t anyone care?

Feedback submitted on a response card after a workshop Kristine conducted in November

One was in tears wanting to experience healing from a sexual assault she experienced at 14. Doesn’t anyone care about women who are raped? One told me about his partner who spent years in foster care. Don’t you care about kids who are suffering? Another dealt with mental illness that required significant treatment, which led him to empathize with the need for women to have affordable healthcare. Don’t you care about women who might die if they can’t get adequate medical care? Another had recently lost her mom, and she was concerned that she might become suicidal if anything were to be added to her plate. I’m struggling so hard to just get by right now, and I’m close to being suicidal myself. How can you expect someone like me to care for a child right now? Several appeared to feel like they were a burden to the people who had raised them, too, instead of a blessing. Don’t you care about me?

As I was processing a conversation I had just had with a particularly hurting student, a JFA team member noted that the Christian worldview includes “the freedom of being able to not think about ourselves.” I was struck by his comment, because in it he alluded to something that is available in Jesus that so many people we talk to haven’t been able to experience yet, and that I take for granted far too often: the freedom to not be shackled by my concerns. It made me stop and think. The staff member was not inferring that people should deny that they have concerns, or that they should stop wanting to have their needs met. He wasn’t saying the cares of the people we meet at our outreach events aren’t real, or heart-felt, or that they haven’t gone through the difficult experiences they have gone through. He also was not suggesting that we shouldn’t care in the same way that Jesus does about their experiences, or that we shouldn’t step in to meet their needs as we are able. He was simply describing the gift it is to be able to lay our burdens down and take a break from them – the gift of being able to “cast down our cares.”

As Christians, we have a worldview that tells us that we are seen, known, and loved by the God who made us, and that we can see, know, and love others freely in His name. This is true even if we weren’t told it as children, even if we didn’t experience it firsthand until we met Him, and even when we have been hurt by others in devastating ways, as many of us have been. We get to bring our cares and concerns to Him (see I Peter 5:7), set them down before Him, trust Him with them, and then experience His love, care, and healing deeply, fully, and personally. We also then get to freely focus away from our cares (which can be so liberating!) and care for others around us in a self-forgetful way. This time of year gives us a special reminder that God saw our enormous need, and humbly gave of Himself freely and fully to meet that need. It reminds us, too, of people like Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, and the wise men, who humbly gave of themselves to honor Jesus and care for those around them. The following lyrics from “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” put it this way:

Hail the Heaven-born Prince of Peace!

Hail the Sun of Righteousness!

Light and life to all He brings,

Risen with healing in His wings;

Mild He lays His glory by,

Born that man no more may die

Born to raise the sons of earth,

Born to give them second birth

Hark! The herald angels sing,

“Glory to the newborn King”

This Christmas season I hope you are encouraged by this reminder of the God who took on human flesh and cares for you, heals you, and frees you to care for others in a world that so desperately needs it.

I’ve been so encouraged and impacted, too, by those of you who have come alongside me in this new season of my life to care for me and sacrificially provide for the work that God has given me to do. Thank you! Through your prayers, housing, meals, and financial support this fall, you’ve helped my JFA colleagues and me to:

  • offer comfort to hurting people, while pointing them to the God who cares deeply for them,

  • train Christians to have conversations that can build bridges and provide hope and healing to a hurting world, and

  • advocate on behalf of babies, mothers, and fathers who are impacted by abortion.

Thank you so much for your support and encouragement. Merry Christmas!

“Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.”
— I Peter 5:7

"Cast Down Your Cares"

While conducting workshops and outreach events with the JFA team over five days in September (at Colorado State University and University of Northern Colorado), I heard all of the following statements:

  • “If I got pregnant tomorrow, I would get an abortion.” 

  • “My mom was in an abusive situation, and she should have been able to have an abortion.”

  • “My dad was adopted, and his biological mom struggled with the reality that she placed him for adoption all her life. She should have been able to have an abortion.”

  • “My friend was raped, and her parents wanted her to keep the baby, but she didn’t want to, so I drove her to the abortion clinic.”

  • “I had an abortion when I was 17, and I don’t regret it. I think about it a lot, but I don’t regret it.”

  • “I went in to have an abortion, but then I changed my mind about it and asked them to stop, but they didn’t. They said it was too late.”

  • “One of my family members didn’t find out she was pregnant until she was seven months along, and she had a third-trimester abortion then, here in a Colorado hospital.”

  • “It would have been okay with me if I had been aborted.”

A comment left on JFA’s free speech board at a MiraCosta College outreach event in October

The amount of pain and need reflected in these statements felt enormous to me, and I’m thinking now of the many human beings who were willing to share their thoughts and stories with me, a stranger. Each of these human beings was made in God’s image, and God cares about each one deeply. As I listened, all of their stories felt heavy, and they each seemed to express an underlying question: Doesn’t anyone care?

Feedback submitted on a response card after a workshop I conducted in November

One was in tears wanting to experience healing from a sexual assault she experienced at 14. Doesn’t anyone care about women who are raped? One told me about his partner who spent years in foster care. Don’t you care about kids who are suffering? Another dealt with mental illness that required significant treatment, which led him to empathize with the need for women to have affordable healthcare. Don’t you care about women who might die if they can’t get adequate medical care? Another had recently lost her mom, and she was concerned that she might become suicidal if anything were to be added to her plate. I’m struggling so hard to just get by right now, and I’m close to being suicidal myself. How can you expect someone like me to care for a child right now? Several appeared to feel like they were a burden to the people who had raised them, too, instead of a blessing. Don’t you care about me?

As I was processing a conversation I had just had with a particularly hurting student, a JFA team member noted that the Christian worldview includes “the freedom of being able to not think about ourselves.” I was struck by his comment, because in it he alluded to something that is available in Jesus that so many people we talk to haven’t been able to experience yet, and that I take for granted far too often: the freedom to not be shackled by my concerns. It made me stop and think. The staff member was not inferring that people should deny that they have concerns, or that they should stop wanting to have their needs met. He wasn’t saying the cares of the people we meet at our outreach events aren’t real, or heart-felt, or that they haven’t gone through the difficult experiences they have gone through. He also was not suggesting that we shouldn’t care in the same way that Jesus does about their experiences, or that we shouldn’t step in to meet their needs as we are able. He was simply describing the gift it is to be able to lay our burdens down and take a break from them – the gift of being able to “cast down our cares.”

As Christians, we have a worldview that tells us that we are seen, known, and loved by the God who made us, and that we can see, know, and love others freely in His name. This is true even if we weren’t told it as children, even if we didn’t experience it firsthand until we met Him, and even when we have been hurt by others in devastating ways, as many of us have been. We get to bring our cares and concerns to Him (see I Peter 5:7), set them down before Him, trust Him with them, and then experience His love, care, and healing deeply, fully, and personally. We also then get to freely focus away from our cares (which can be so liberating!) and care for others around us in a self-forgetful way. This time of year gives us a special reminder that God saw our enormous need, and humbly gave of Himself freely and fully to meet that need. It reminds us, too, of people like Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, and the wise men, who humbly gave of themselves to honor Jesus and care for those around them. The following lyrics from “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” put it this way:

Hail the Heaven-born Prince of Peace!

Hail the Sun of Righteousness!

Light and life to all He brings,

Risen with healing in His wings;

Mild He lays His glory by,

Born that man no more may die

Born to raise the sons of earth,

Born to give them second birth

Hark! The herald angels sing,

“Glory to the newborn King”

This Christmas season I hope you are encouraged by this reminder of the God who took on human flesh and cares for you, heals you, and frees you to care for others in a world that so desperately needs it.

I’ve been so encouraged and impacted, too, by those of you who have come alongside me in this new season of my life to care for me and sacrificially provide for the work that God has given me to do. Thank you! Through your prayers, housing, meals, and financial support this fall, you’ve helped me:

  • offer comfort to hurting people, while pointing them to the God who cares deeply for them,

  • train Christians to have conversations that can build bridges and provide hope and healing to a hurting world, and

  • advocate on behalf of babies, mothers, and fathers who are impacted by abortion.

Thank you so much for your support and encouragement.

Merry Christmas!

“Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.”
— I Peter 5:7

They Stop and Think (Then We Pray)

While our culture is drowning every day in new content embraced through shiny devices, we have the privilege of mobilizing Christians to show up to encourage each individual to stop and think. We listen to understand, ask questions with an open heart, and find common ground throughout every interaction. Then we work to challenge each person to love all of the people touched by unplanned pregnancy, especially the unborn child who is forgotten by so many. Thank you for your support!

What many people we reach don’t realize is that our team of supporters prays with us to ask and trust God to follow up and specially care for each person we’ve met. In this Impact Report, we share names and pictures of a few of the people we met in 2024. (See more pictures and stories at www.jfaweb.org/blog.) Please give a generous year-end gift to help us reach thousands more in 2025.

Pray with us for…

Let’s Cause Thousands to Stop and Think in 2025

What does it take for the content of the truth to sink into a person’s mind and heart? Is hearing or seeing enough? Our culture is filled with more data, inputs, and content than ever before, but we are at risk of being one of the least thoughtful cultures ever. The antidote? Cause people to stop and think. They need to stop not just for a moment, but for long enough to allow them to interactively consider what’s true. This is why one of our passions is conversations. (See our October Update, “Connecting the Dots” for one example.)

When our trainers and volunteers step out and create conversations, we ask questions that cause the other person to stop and think. Imagine the impact of thousands of Christians who are trained to be skillful advocates who start conversations and make them productive encounters filled with listening, asking questions, and offering respectful challenges. We’re passionate about these advocates because they then take what they’ve learned and, long after our event is over, continue changing their world one person at a time. During each outreach event we see a different kind of advocate creating a different kind of conversation, and we see the beginnings of a different kind of world in which elective abortion is unthinkable. Our strategy is aimed at long-term systemic change that’s only possible when many thousands of individual minds and hearts change. If you share our passion for conversations and advocates that God can use to change the world, please consider supporting JFA’s work with a generous year-end gift or a pledge of regular support.

When you give a gift to JFA (jfaweb.org/donate), it creates moments to “stop and think” by…

  • … transporting our trainers to events in CA, CO, TX, OK, KS, MO, NE, MI, VA, and elsewhere through flights, rental cars, and mileage reimbursements.

  • … helping us be present in 10 metro areas including increased activity in Denver (Kristine), NW Arkansas (Alora), Kansas City (Kristina), and Grand Rapids (Kaitlyn). (See our August update: “New Team Members and New Cities.”)

  • … helping us reach more people through small-scale events. (See our September update: “Team Be Nimble.”)

  • … allowing us to create new copies of our smaller exhibits and to experiment with new content so we can find the tools that attract more people to stop and think.

  • … providing new dialogue brochures for our campus events.

  • … enabling us to provide Seat Work + Feet Work training to Christians in more places.

  • … providing computers, projectors, and other technologies that enable us to reach more people through workshops, presentations, emails, letters, and social media.

Thank you for partnering with JFA. If you send regular financial support or host our trainers in your home or provide meals or pray for us or volunteer at events or share our training with others, you are already doing so much to help JFA make a difference. Thank you.

Where Do You Draw the Line?

In a conversation with a student at MiraCosta College in October.

Where do you draw the line on human rights? It’s a common question I ask people on campus while we look at images of human beings, born and unborn, in all stages of their development. I’ll ask them at what point they think humans begin to have the basic right to be protected from violence. I was at MiraCosta College in Oceanside on October 8-9, and I spent time talking about this question with a student I’ll call “Jake.”

We were looking at pictures of embryology together and I pointed at a picture of an 18-week-old fetus and asked him if he thought the abortion of that unborn child is wrong and should be illegal. He said yes. I then pointed to the 12-week-fetus,and he agreed it was wrong and should be illegal to kill a human at that point as well. I pointed to a seven-week-fetus, and his answer was the same. Then I pointed to a four-week human embryo, and that’s where it got murky for him. He said abortion should be legal at that point. I asked him if it had anything to do with how the human looks at that stage of development. He said yes.

Like Jake, many people struggle to see the early human embryo as having the same right to not be killed as you and me. I presented the equal rights argument* to Jake and made the case that if we believe every human being should be protected from violence and harm, we all have to share something equally. I made the case that human nature makes the most sense of our equality. That answer doesn’t lead to counterintuitive implications that would end up including animals or excluding newborn infants. Our equality is not rooted in how we look or in what we can currently do. If I’m right about this, then it’s wrong to kill the unborn even if they don’t look like you and me yet— it’s wrong because they are human just like us.

After I shared this, I asked him if he thought the criterion he was using to determine which humans get equal rights was a good one since it was largely based on how the human embryo looks. Jake told me, “I’m doubting it now.”

Many people have views about human value that are misinformed and based on criteria that actually result in great inequality and injustice. That is why it is so important for us to have conversations about these important issues with those around us.

*Go to www.jfaweb.org/equal-rights or www.jfaweb.org/notes#4 for more stories and equipping.

Joseph Changes His Mind

Outreach at Wayne State College, September 2024

Our team had the opportunity to engage with students on the issue of abortion at California State University San Marcos last month. We were getting ready to take down for the day when two international students walked up to our poll table, and I engaged them in conversation. I will refer to the student who did most of the talking as “Joseph”.

Andrea: Do you think abortion should be legal for all nine months of pregnancy or only for a certain window of time?

Joseph: Oh, I don’t think it should be legal for all nine months.

Andrea: Ok. I have our brochure here with images of the unborn at different stages of development (shown right). Where would you draw the line?

Joseph: I think abortion should be legal until the first trimester.

After talking through the legality and the circumstances under which these students thought abortion should be legal, I asked them when they thought life begins biologically speaking.

Joseph: I am not sure. I am not a physician so it’s hard to say.

Andrea: No problem. Obviously I’m not a doctor either, but do you mind if I share with you my understanding of the basic biology?

Joseph: Yes, totally.

Andrea: If the unborn is growing, would you agree it is alive?

Joseph: Yes, I would agree with that.

Andrea: If the unborn has human parents, would you agree it is human?

Joseph: Yes.

Outreach at MiraCosta College, October 2024

Andrea: Right. Living things reproduce after their own kind. Dogs produce dogs and cats produce cats, so it would make sense to say that humans produce human offspring. At conception, the unborn has a complete set of DNA. It just needs time to grow and develop. Are you familiar with polaroid cameras?

Joseph: Yes.

Andrea: The development of the unborn is similar to a polaroid photo. After I take a picture, it takes time for the film to develop. However, as soon as I take a picture, that image has been captured. I just need to wait for it to develop in order to see it. From conception the unborn is a whole, living human organism. The unborn just needs time to grow and develop. Does that make sense? What are your thoughts on that?

The amazing Justice For All team (some members not pictured)

Joseph: Wow. Honestly that makes so much sense, and this is making me change my mind on abortion.

Our conversation continued, and we talked about the realities of abortion. The students agreed that the process of abortion is horrible.

Before Joseph and his friend left, I thanked them for taking the time to have a conversation. They thanked me and expressed again how our conversation had changed their mind. They now understand that the unborn is a living human being and that abortion is taking a life.

It was amazing to see God at work in these students’ lives. Students often do not think the unborn is a human being. Once they understand what science teaches about the beginning of human life, some students are more likely to realize the tragedy of abortion. I am thankful that Joseph and his friend were willing to have a conversation and that they were open to the truth.

As we near the end of the year, I want to thank you for your prayers and support as they have been such a huge blessing in making it possible to reach people like Joseph. If you are not part of my support team, please prayerfully consider joining by giving an end-of-year gift or by making a monthly pledge.

Never Underestimate a Picture

The poll asked, “Should abortion remain legal?” Students could vote yes or no.

My teammate Andrea and I recently conducted outreach at a college campus in Minnesota, setting up our table across from the campus cafeteria to engage with students between classes and meals. From the moment we were ready, it felt like there was no downtime—student after student approached us, curious, skeptical, and eager to talk.

At one point, I placed two JFA brochures on the table—one visible to those on the "Yes" side of our poll and the other to those on the "No" side. Shortly after, three students approached, chatting in French. They were international students from West Africa, each holding a different view on the topic: one woman was pro-life, her friend was pro-choice, and the man remained silent, observing their exchange.

The pro-life woman leaned over the poll, reading some of the responses on the "No" side. She picked up one of the brochures, noticing the bolded red warning printed on the bottom of the page: “Warning: Graphic images of abortion inside.” Without a second thought, she opened the flap and, to my surprise, nearly shoved it into her friend’s face (not exactly something we recommend doing!).

This is how I placed the brochures on both sides of the poll table.

Her friend flinched, startled, her eyes locking onto the graphic images. She stared in silence, processing what she saw. Then she slowly turned toward the poll table, glancing back and forth between the "Yes" and "No" sides. You could see the hesitation as her previous certainty began to waver.

After some thought, she picked up the pen on the "No" side, leaned in, and carefully wrote her reason:

"Because life is precious, and everyone should be given a chance to live."

Curious, I asked her, “Did you change your mind about abortion?”

"Yes," she said. "After I saw those images, I can’t support it."

Thanks be to God! While seeing the reality of abortion doesn’t change every pro-choice person’s mind, it can certainly aid many conversations, bringing clarity to what abortion truly is. Never underestimate the power of a picture.

Connecting the Dots

Impact Report, October 2024

As we watch results come in from the various election races and ballot initiatives over the next few weeks, let’s remember one essential activity that must continue behind the scenes, no matter who is in office or which state laws protect unborn children: connecting the dots. Let me explain. Regarding abortion, many people have an assortment of facts (or lack thereof) and viewpoints which they’ve never considered systematically. As Kaitlyn illustrates in this Impact Report, the work God has given us to do is to come alongside each person and help her spend the time necessary to reflect on the facts and arguments, put them in order, and see the truth clearly. Through the interaction, Kaitlyn saw “Alice” change opinions about the legality of abortion. What’s more, every Christian can be trained to be that person who comes alongside to help someone “connect the dots.” Thank you for helping us to train more Christians through your generous giving, and if you haven’t sent a gift recently, please consider supporting our work today.

Stephen Wagner, Executive Director


Kaitlyn (center) helps MiraCosta College students connect the dots at a recent JFA outreach event while Kristine (left) listens.

I was standing next to our free speech board at Colorado State University. A young woman I’ll call Alice walked up and began reading the comments other students had left on the board. I asked her, “Do you have thoughts on this issue?” She nodded. I said, “What are your thoughts? Do you think abortion should be legal or illegal or somewhere in the middle?” We talked for quite a while and our conversation went something like this:

Alice: I don’t like abortion, but I really don’t know what we should do about the law.

Kaitlyn: I’m hearing you. I’m curious: why would you say you don’t like abortion?

Kristina helps a student connect the dots at Mankato State University.

Alice: Because the unborn is a human being.

Kaitlyn: I’m with you. I agree that the unborn is a human being, and science is on your side, too. It is clear that the unborn is a human being when we look at biology.

Alice: [nodding]

Kaitlyn: You mentioned that you aren’t sure what we should do when it comes to making laws. Is that because choice is important to you?

Fall 2024 intern Alora Tunstill (right) helps a student to connect the dots at MiraCosta College.

Alice: Yes. We live in a free country, and people have the right to make the choices they want.

Kaitlyn: I definitely agree with you that choice is really important and that we should generally have the choice to do whatever we want. When I think about choices, there are two categories that come to mind. One is choices that don’t harm anyone. Choices like where we go to school, or how we cut our hair, or what to eat. The second category is choices that harm someone. Choices like rape and murder. It seems like, even though we think most choices should be legal, we don’t think those choices should be legal because they harm someone.

Rebekah Dyer helps a student at California State University San Marcos to connect the dots.

Alice: Yes, that’s true.

Kaitlyn: If the unborn is a human being who is killed through abortion, do you think we should make the choice of abortion illegal because it harms someone?

Alice: That’s a really good point. I think we should.

Alice and I talked a little more. She shared with me that she is a Christian and that she really wants to help protect unborn children from abortion. She listened in to some other staff members as they talked to pro-choice students. Afterwards she came back to me and asked me to help her think through some questions those conversations had raised in her mind.

There are many people around us like Alice who are pro-life for themselves but don’t know if it is right for them to tell someone else not to have an abortion or to outlaw it. These people need help to think through this issue. Often a few simple questions will help them rethink their position and take a more solid stance against abortion.

– Kaitlyn Donihue, for the JFA Team

—

Go Deeper: In this story, Kaitlyn put Tammy Cook’s “Two Buckets” dialogue tool in her own words when she discussed “two categories” of choices. You can find more stories utilizing this tool on our website.

More Pictures: See more recent events (Colorado, etc.) at the online version of this letter (jfaweb.org/oct-2024) and on Instagram (@picturejusticeforall).

But What Is It?

But what is it? That’s the question that very rarely gets asked or answered.

I watched the portion of the debate between the vice presidential candidates that focused on abortion (pictured). That question kept ringing in my head, but it didn’t really get any time in the segment. True, JD Vance tried to get clarification on one “what is it?” question, related to the Minnesota abortion law: “What specifically does the Minnesota abortion law allow and not allow?” Indeed, it would have been nice to get a clear answer to that question. If we had, we’d have also gotten close to the edge of the question, “What is it?” related to abortion itself.

If the segment had led to the question, “What is abortion?” it would have been illuminating. Indeed, if we spent more time considering what abortion is itself, it would inevitably lead to the most important “What is it?” question: “What is the unborn?”

That question, “What is the unborn?” is the one that rings in my head throughout any exchange on abortion rights or women’s rights or bodily rights. It’s the first question we have to resolve in order to get any clarity about the others. True, the questions of a woman’s bodily rights or life-threatening pregnancy complications or what a just law would be on abortion are all important questions. But we can’t answer them without addressing this first central question: “But what is it?” Meaning, “What is the unborn?”

So, let’s say I’ve convinced you, and this question is now ringing in your head. Perhaps for you it’s even like a knee-jerk reaction every time the topic of abortion is discussed, as it is for me. But what do we do with this knee-jerk reaction? Do we insert that question robotically, as if it’s the first and only item on a meeting agenda? That won’t do. To win the right to bring clarity to the importance of this one question, our team has found that saying two other words many times and early in a conversation can sometimes make all the difference. What two words? “I agree.”

Find common ground about difficult circumstances confronting pregnant women. Find common ground about serious injustices violating a woman’s right to be free of sexual assault and other abuse. Find common ground about the difficulty confronting women who find themselves in a high-risk pregnancy situation.

We don’t only find common ground, though, and neglect to shed light on what is right and wrong about abortion. And that’s where our central question comes in: “But what is it? What is the unborn?”

So, here’s my suggestion: Remember the sentence, “I agree, but what is it?” Then use that as a structure for the conversation to remind you of these two important things to emphasize in the conversation. I’d spend a lot of time and energy on the first part, “I agree,” but I’d also work hard to not let the “but what is it?” question get lost.

So, when someone says, “women will die of pregnancy complications if abortion is illegal,” I’ll spend three to five minutes showing concern for those situations and agreeing that each woman is important in herself and not just as a talking point in a conversation. I’ll ask the other person if she agrees with what I’m saying. I’ll take time to discuss this. But then I’ll say, “It’s difficult to know which options to offer the woman, though, if I don’t even know how many people are in the hospital room with her. If the unborn is a human being, then that’s going to affect how we proceed in any life-threatening circumstance. Should she be able to get an abortion? Well, if the unborn is a human being, and abortion causes the death of that human being, then we would avoid abortion if at all possible in seeking to save her life.”

That’s the clarity that “but what is it?” brings to the conversation. I admit that it doesn’t answer all the questions about life-threatening circumstances. But it answers the first question, the central question that must be answered in order to make any progress on a solution.

So, the “what is the unborn?” question is like a gate on a roadway. You have to open the gate to pass.

Or, to put it in philosophical terms, it’s a necessary condition for getting to a practical solution. It’s not a sufficient condition - it’s not “all you need.” But it is a necessary condition - it’s “got to be there.”

Here’s another example: Walz emphasized in the debate that women need to control their bodies and make their own decisions.

I’m going to follow my strategy reminder I laid out in the sentence above: “I agree, but what is it?”

I’ll begin with three to five minutes of emphasizing how a woman’s right to be free from assault and other abuse is still important and still under grave attack all over the world. (I’m not talking here about how much time someone should spend on this in a debate, of course…I’m talking about the more common situation in which all of us find ourselves regularly, where the topic comes up and we have a choice of how to engage and for how long. In a formal debate, one could use the same strategy, but we would have to settle for putting it in soundbites.) I’ll emphasize my concern for safety of women and respect of women. At some point early in the conversation, though, I want to also make sure the unborn is not forgotten or invisible. I’ll ask some form of, “but what is it?” Is the unborn a human?

If we’re talking about whether a woman’s bodily rights entail killing the unborn through elective abortion, we’d better get an answer to the question, “What is the unborn?” I’m going to aim to spend an equal amount of time on this question, too: three to five minutes. (Again, in a formal debate we’d have to put these same ideas into soundbites.) I’ll aim to help the person with whom I’m speaking to see the unborn human with new clarity through images and arguments. (See the notes from session two and session three of our Love3 course for help on this.)

If the unborn is a real human being, as we can demonstrate that she is, then it doesn’t immediately tell us what to think about the right to abortion, but rather, it just clarifies that there are, in fact, two human beings in the picture, and each of these human beings, the woman and the unborn child, has an equal right to his or her body. Then we can move forward to consider whether the right to the body that the woman has means she can kill another human being located inside of her body, another human being who has a right to his body. In our work on bodily rights over many years, we’ve gone to great lengths to show that her right to her body does not entail the right to kill her unborn child. See our “It’s Her Body” series, which includes a 20-page response to the strongest version of the bodily rights argument for abortion.

So, remember this simple sentence to remind you of the strategy that will shed the most light in the least amount of time: “I agree, but what is it?” We find common ground because it’s true that the person is making good points, and it helps the person to want to hear the rest of our perspective. Then we move the conversation forward with some form of the question, “What is the unborn?” because that question is a necessary condition for answering the question, “Can I kill this?”

I’d like to mention that I owe this strategy to two of my mentors, Scott Klusendorf and Greg Koukl. I’ve probably heard both of these men say something very similar (or exactly similar) to the sentence, “I agree, but what is it?” many times in the past. I’ve been emphasizing it for the past 23 years. They’ve been emphasizing it even longer, since the late 1990s. For my part, I’ve been open to re-evaluating it or changing the emphasis or abandoning it. But it has stood the test of time and experience. Our team has tested this question, and the strategy I outline above, combining it with common ground, in thousands and thousands of conversations. It isn’t failsafe or foolproof. But it does bring the important first step of clarity to very complicated issues.

Without the question, “But what is it?” the conversation is mostly just slogans and noise. That’s not only a sad waste of time. It’s deadly, because the unborn child continues to be the last thing on everyone’s mind. Let’s change that. Let’s say, “I agree, but what is it?” and put the unborn back where they belong, right in the middle of the conversation about women’s rights and just laws.

Team Be Nimble

Team Be Nimble

In this Impact Report, we feature highlights from Justice For All (JFA) events that took place from March to September. Each highlighted event illustrates the way smaller training teams can help us make a bigger impact. We’ve found that empowering our trainers to do events on their own helps our team to be nimble and ready to meet the great need all over the country for good dialogue training—training that includes outreach whenever possible.

Responding to Pro-Choice Dishonesty

Pro-life laws have recently been blamed for the death of Amber Thurman. Our friends at the Equal Rights Institute wrote two helpful articles responding to the pro-choice dishonesty that is in much of the media regarding this story and others like them. We encourage you to read both of them and share them!

No, Georgia’s Abortion Law Did Not Cause Amber Thurman’s Death

How to Respond to Pro-Choice Dishonesty

New Team Members and New Cities

(1) Kristine (right) talks to a student at Cal State San Marcos at JFA's outreach event in Oct. 2023

(2) Alora (center) interacts with a student at Wayne State College earlier this week (during the first week of her internship!).

Rejoice with us!

Kristine Hunerwadel (1) just joined our team as a trainer working from Denver, Colorado. Alora Tunstill (2) just began a fall internship, based in Northwest Arkansas. JFA trainer Kristina Massa (3) recently relocated to Kansas City. Kristine, Alora, and Kristina will help greatly expand JFA’s training efforts in these areas. Denver and Kansas City are established metro areas, and Northwest Arkansas is the 13th most rapidly growing metro area in the country.

(3) Kristina (center) at University of Nebraska at Kearney in May 2024.

We’re excited about these new team members and new cities, but we’re also excited about the ongoing local efforts of our trainers in other regions (see Metro Area list below). Look for us to do more in all of these areas in the coming year. Look for us also to continue our work in regions where we have dedicated volunteers and church connections even if we don’t have full-time trainers based there...yet (Arizona, Minnesota, Oklahoma, and others).

Our team is working across the country to train Christians through workshops and outreach events to change hearts and minds. Please pray that God will use these efforts to save unborn children and their parents from abortion. Would you give a special gift this month or commit to become a monthly partner to support the excellent work of these trainers?

  Steve Wagner, Executive Director

10 Metro Areas Where JFA Trainers Live

3,200,000 CA San Diego Rebekah

3,000,000 CO Denver Kristine

2,400,000 TX Austin Jeremy

8,100,000 TX Dallas Jon

590,000 AR Fayetteville Andrea, Alora

653,000 KS Wichita Paul, Tammy, Susanna

2,200,000 MO Kansas City Kristina

344,000 NE Lincoln Mary, Rebecca

2,100,000 OH Cleveland Kaitlyn

6,300,000 DC Washington Steve

(Population Numbers Refer to Metropolitan Statistical Area, per Wikipedia)

Upcoming Outreach Events

8/26-28 Wayne State College (Wayne, NE)

9/9-10 Colorado State Univ. (Fort Collins)

9/11 Univ. of Northern Colorado (Greeley)

9/30-10/1 Minnesota TBD

10/8-9 Mira Costa College (Oceanside, CA)

10/28-29 Univ. of Central Oklahoma (Edmond)

11/18-20 UTSA (San Antonio)

11/18-20 Johnson County CC (Kansas City Area)

See JFA’s Newly Redesigned Calendar Page for More Events, All Event Details, and to Register.

Is What I do Hateful?

I had a conversation with one of the protestors at Adams State University.

A university-led protest by the Equity Board set up a booth across the street from our display at Adams State University in April. I crossed the street to engage the protestors and talked to a young woman as she was making a very vulgar sign to protest our display. Surprisingly, I had a good conversation with her.

Shortly after I went back to our display, I saw a sign someone else made that said something like “Jesus was about love, not hate.”

I enjoyed talking to one of the ministry leader's children in Alamosa, Colorado.

A few minutes later, I struck up a conversation with a young woman I’ll call “Anna” at our poll-table. I believe she may have created the sign because she told me that she is a Christian and thought abortion was generally murder in a lot of cases. She then proceeded to tell me that the Justice For All display was “hateful” and “made people feel bad.” She told me Jesus was about love and our display didn’t help the discussion on abortion.

Instead of getting defensive about her comments, I knew it was important to ask her some questions. What about our display is hateful? How do you think we should go about talking to students? I also asked her if someone gets upset with her, does she think that automatically means she did something wrong?

I clarified to Anna that our goal is not to make people “feel bad.” Given that abortion is killing a vulnerable human being in the womb, though, it’s reasonable and healthy for people to “feel bad” if they have taken part in purposefully ending their unborn child’s life. Those feelings mean their conscience is functioning correctly. Part of the healing process is recognizing the wrong committed. Pretending that abortion isn’t that bad or that it’s not really killing a human being is not loving to anyone. It’s lying to them. We need to face what abortion really is and do so under the cross where Jesus bled and died so that our sins could be forgiven.

I talked to “Anna” and some of her friends who were with her.

I found out by asking other questions that some of her animus had to do with seeing some people interact harshly with condemnation towards others about these types of issues. Anna told me at one point that her Jesus just talked about love. I agreed with Anna that Jesus did talk about love, and we went on to talk about what love means and looks like. I clarified that we cannot understand love apart from God who is love. Jesus says in John 14:15, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” Jesus summarized the commandments by telling us to love God and love our neighbor. Loving our neighbors includes not killing them.

Many people claim to know what Jesus was about, but they don’t get their understanding of who Jesus is and what he taught from reading His words in their entirety and in context. It's absolutely true that Jesus was loving, but I pointed out to Anna that when you read the gospels, Jesus also made a lot of people angry because he confronted them about their sins and some of the injustices happening around them. As Christians we are supposed to speak up for the vulnerable and those who cannot speak for themselves. We are called to confront injustice precisely because we love people. When we do this, some people will get angry.

There is a lot of work to do in convincing pro-choice advocates that abortion is violating the immense dignity of another human being. There is also much work to do in helping some Christians think clearly about this issue. It’s not safe to assume that because someone claims to know Jesus they think clearly about abortion. A significant number do not.

1 John 2:4-6 says, “Whoever says ‘I know him’ but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” Many things go along with keeping God’s commandments. A basic one is not killing another human being. Abortion is a grave injustice taking place around us every day. Far too many people in our culture ignore the unborn’s humanity and the basic right for unborn children to live free from violence and harm. We are supposed to be the hands and feet of Jesus to people on this earth. One of the ways we should do this is to hold back those who are staggering to the slaughter. (Proverbs 24:10-12)

Injustice made Jesus angry. It should make us angry too. “Be angry and do not sin.” (Psalm 4:4) This is part of loving God and loving others. Let that anger move us to act faithfully and justly because we love God and love the people he created —including the ones in the womb. Let us not forget them.

An Eye-Opening Conversation

Outreach at Adams State University in Colorado, April 2024

When our team went to Adams State University last spring, we had the opportunity to partner with two amazing local Christian ministries on campus. On the second day of outreach, Kalen, one of the ministry leaders, and I had a providential interaction with a student. “Thomas” was walking by our exhibit, and this is how our conversation went.

Andrea: Hi, do you have time to share your thoughts on the issue of abortion?

Thomas: Yeah, I am not completely sure what my thoughts are on this issue.

Andrea: That is totally fine. Do you think abortion should be legal for all nine months of pregnancy or just for a certain period of time?

Thomas: I am not sure.

Kalen showed him images of the unborn at different developmental stages (shown right).

Thomas: Okay, I would say abortion should be legal somewhere until four to twelve weeks of pregnancy.

Andrea: Do you think abortion should be legal for all circumstances or just certain circumstances?

Thomas: I think abortion should be legal for circumstances like rape. I have a friend who was raped, got pregnant, and had an abortion. My sister was raped as well.

Andrea: That is awful. I am so sorry. That must have been so difficult on your friend and sister.

After spending time acknowledging how terrible rape is, I paused for a second. I was trying to decide where to take the conversation next.

Kalen opened the brochure again to the images of the unborn at different stages of development.

Kalen: Did you say you think abortion should be legal until this time frame (pointing to about four to twelve weeks)?

Thomas: Yes.

Andrea: When do you think life begins scientifically speaking?

Thomas: I would say around four to twelve weeks.

Kalen and I were able to discuss the biology in depth and explain how we can determine that life starts at conception.

Kalen: If the unborn is growing, it must be alive. If it has human parents, it must be human. And living humans, or human beings like you and me, are valuable, aren’t they? *

Thomas: Yes, that makes sense.

With Thomas’s permission, Kalen showed him images of a first trimester abortion. I could tell that Thomas was greatly affected as he looked at the reality of abortion. Kalen did a beautiful job explaining how many women think abortion should be legal because they mistakenly believe it empowers them.

At one point Thomas said, “Thank you for having this conversation with me. This has really opened my eyes on this issue.”

Kalen took a minute to explain that he is with Christian Challenge, a Christian club on campus. This gave us an open door to ask Thomas about his spiritual background.

Thomas didn’t have much of a spiritual background, but Kalen had the opportunity to share the gospel in great detail with him. As the conversation progressed, it was incredible to watch him begin to realize his need for a Savior.

““I appreciate you having
this conversation with
me. No one has ever
talked to me about these
things before”

Before Thomas left, he said, “I appreciate you having this conversation with me. No one has ever talked to me about these things before.”

As I reflect on this conversation, it is a reminder that God is still at work. Exodus 4:12 says, “Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.” In interactions like the one I had with Thomas, it can be challenging to know how to steer the conversation. It’s comforting to rest in the fact that God calls us to be willing, obedient, and sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading. He does the rest.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support that make these conversations possible. Our team is gearingup for another semester of engaging students on universities and training pro-life advocates to engage others onthe issue of abortion. I would appreciate your continued prayers.

* Kalen used the Ten Second pro-life apologist developed by Steve Wagner.

A Better Conversation About Abortion

The controversial and sometimes personal nature of the abortion issue understandably makes it a topic that many people avoid discussing. Even though Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, the number of abortions in the United States has been increasing for the last couple years to around one million annually, according to the latest reports. The need for continued civil engagement with our fellow citizens is paramount. 

We rub shoulders every day with people who believe preborn children are different from us and therefore can be killed in the womb. Their deaths are shrugged off as a “woman’s choice” and we are told to believe that abortion is “healthcare.” 

One reason the injustice of abortion is incredibly difficult to combat is because we don’t have to physically see the dead bodies of these preborn children in our day-to-day lives. Their deaths are hidden from public view and their dead bodies discarded under the cover of “medical waste.” Whenever we do see images of the aftermath of abortion, we quickly push the images out of our minds or we criticize those who have the boldness to show abortion for what it is. When bad ideas and worldviews are not challenged and corrected vigorously and regularly by people, they lead to humans being dehumanized and killed. 

Conversations are an important place where minds begin to change. They are the place where citizens exchange ideas, and those ideas make their way into legislatures. Our world becomes a safer place for the vulnerable when human beings are valued from their conception. For some, starting a conversation about the preborn and abortion may seem terrifying, while for others, maybe it’s not challenging at all. Maybe for others it’s something in the middle. Regardless of where you find yourself in this mix, here are some tips I have learned from my own experiences that can make your conversations productive. 

Listen to understand and ask questions for clarification 

One of the reasons good conversations about abortion and other controversial issues are rare is because many people don’t take time to carefully listen to others. It is easy to enter discussions in debate mode ready to counter any incorrect idea the other person shares. When both people go in with their defenses up, each person plans what their next response will be instead of trying to understand what the person is saying and why she is saying it. People don’t respond well when it feels like a constant game of who can one-up the other person with a response that will show her how “dumb” or how “wrong” she is.  

If we take the time to sit down with someone else, side by side, and hear her story and her reasons for the beliefs she holds, we will have a better chance of making a more persuasive case for our beliefs when that time comes. We shouldn’t merely listen well though just because it can open up better opportunities to change her mind in the future. We should take the time to listen well to others because it shows the other person you see her, that what she is saying matters, and what she experiences matters. It shows her we care about her life. 

Asking good questions is also a crucial part of good conversations. Good dialogue will not happen unless you understand where this person is coming from. Asking questions shows we want to understand the other person better and shows we are being attentive and sensitive to important details about her background and beliefs. Here are some of the questions I find really helpful to ask in my own conversations: 

  • What makes this issue important to you?

  • What do you think about abortion?

  • Where do you find yourself in the abortion debate? 

  • What do you mean when you say pro-choice or pro-life? 

  • How did you come to be pro-choice or pro-life?  

  • Do you think abortion should be legal for all nine months of pregnancy or only a portion of that time? 

  • How have conversations about abortion gone for you in the past?

  • Have you always had this view or has it changed for you over time? If it’s changed, how did that change of view happen? 

  • Do you know anyone that has had an abortion? 

Find common ground whenever possible

Despite our many differences, human beings have a lot in common. Finding common ground means taking the time to highlight agreement, and it creates a better place to discuss difficult things. Human beings by nature deeply desire community and love. We want to be respected, accepted, listened to, and protected. 

When we talk to a pro-choice person, the stakes for her changing her mind are high. She has to come to terms with the fact that she has been supporting the killing of innocent children in the womb. Maybe she has to face the fact that she killed their own child. Or maybe she helped someone else end the life of their child. It’s like she has to slide down a cliff with jagged rocks waiting for her at the bottom. We can help ease her fall and mitigate the pain and injury. We would want someone else to help us down that same cliff as gently as possible, so let’s do that for others by how we communicate with them. 

There are a tremendous amount of painful, weighty things people have to work through when faced with the opportunity to change their mind about abortion. Having to acknowledge that you have been wrong about something so important feels crushing for some. Remembering that we all have been mistaken about things in the past will help us humbly and patiently stand alongside another person as they make these shifts in their view.

I recommend reading Common Ground Without Compromise by Stephen Wagner to get practical ideas on how you can find common ground in conversations with those who disagree with you.

Generally use the labels the other side prefers

It’s helpful to use the preferred labels each side uses to describe their view. This might sound more controversial up front. Here’s what I mean. Some pro-lifers in conversation with a pro-choice person insist that she is “pro-abortion” even if the person has just said she is “pro-choice.” When she says she is not “pro-abortion” the pro-life person asks her what choice she is for and when she says something like the “right of a woman to choose abortion,” the pro-life person says she is “pro-abortion.” This rhetorical move is not helpful if your goal is good conversation that can lead to a changed mind. Imagine how it feels for pro-lifers when people insist we are just “pro-birth.” We don’t like it when people reframe our position in a way that sounds foreign to us. People are not going to be as open as they would be otherwise if they feel like they are just being cornered and told by others what their view is. 

It’s not because I don’t think labels or ways people describe themselves are important. I agree the words we use to describe ourselves should be accurate, and I can understand the desire to attack the “choice” language since a preborn child’s death shouldn’t be reduced to such a positive-sounding sentiment. 

We have so many problems to deal with and so many bad ideas to dismantle in conversations about abortion. I look at it this way: there are primary and secondary issues. The primary issue is that abortion kills a human being, and I want to help people understand that. If that means I have to tolerate or ignore the “choice” language, I am willing to do that. The conversation should be focused on the humanity of the preborn child and how their rights are gravely violated by abortion. If we do this, the labels will fix themselves in the long run. 

We have a limited amount of time with the people in front of us, and it is important to use that time in the best way possible. I want them to get a little closer to understanding the violence and evil of abortion. I have found I have a much better chance of doing that when I ignore the inaccurate aspects of their labels and focus on the humanity of preborn children. If I helped the person have a more accurate label but did not help her have a more accurate view of the preborn, I don’t think I used my time very wisely.

Conclusion

Talking about abortion doesn’t have to be as difficult as it may seem. If you use these tips, I’m confident you will have good conversations. Some of my early conversations were not productive because I didn’t use these skills, and I said things I shouldn’t have. While I wish I could go back and do some of those conversations over again, I’m also thankful I didn’t just give up and walk away. 

It’s important that we are willing to make mistakes in conversations because the fact that we are making mistakes is a normal part of engaging others in important conversations in the pursuit of justice. Don’t let the fear of bad conversations keep you from saying anything at all. Let those conversations that didn’t go so well in the past propel you to study more, seek advice from mentors, and be willing to try again. The more you do that, the better advocate you will become. 

To get trained to utilize these skills in difficult conversations, consider attending a Justice For All pro-life apologetics seminar. If there is no in-person option that works for you, consider taking our online Love3 Workshops.