International ProLife Youth Conference Day 2

Couldn't make it? No worries, you can still take the knowledge and tools that were given. . .
 
Warwick Pascoe – Making of a Masterpiece

If people understood how beautiful the masterpiece of human beings is, they would value life so much more. Warwick Pascoe opened his talk with this question, “Has anyone ever told you that you are a masterpiece?”

No one argues whether or not the baby in this picture is human and whether or not it should be protected. Warwick gives presentations in schools, colleges, prisons, and in business settings all over New Zealand where he shows the beautiful masterpieces of the child developing in utero. Warwick teaches about fetal development in the hope of creating better understand of the masterpiece of human beings -- even at the earliest stages of development in the womb.

There is no debate about what has been created in the womb. It is the value of what has been created which is debated. Therefore, respect the value of your own masterpiece and those of others. Help others to see the masterpiece of human development because every individual is a unique masterpiece.

Panel Forum: Advocating Life on Your Campus

Jeff White of Survivors (Moderator)
Panelists:
Kristina Garza of Survivors
Joe Langfeld of Human Life Alliance
Rebecca Roughneed of Youth Defence
Allison Aranda of Life Legal Defense Coalition

Kristina Garza, Survivors of the Abortion Holocaust

“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”

~ Mother Teresa ~

In 2006 Kristina ran into Survivors Campus Life Team, which does abortion education on college campuses, on her campus. She was handed a peice of literature that later led her to do something about abortion. Always pro-life, however apathetic, Kristina started to speak out against abortion because others were, and had reached out to her. Kristina said “You never know the seeds you’re planting.” No matter how much time you give, God will use you. It’s important that you at least do something!

Joe Langfeld, Human Life Alliance

“You’re prolife. So what? What are you going to do about it?” Joe Langfeld started his talk off with this challenge.

Human Life Alliance (HLA) reaches millions of high school and college students accross the country with their pro-life literature. HLA works hard to create materials that reach students where they’re at. Many students after reading the literature say “they would never have read it if they knew it was pro-life”. Thanks to fantastic marketing, HLA has created attention grabbing images which attract people to read their materials. With this in mind, Joe strongly reminded conference attendees to reach people where they’re at. Remember, what you’re marketing may not be appealing to you as a pro-lifer but it may be to someone who is not pro-life.

Joe reminded the young people present “Your beliefs will show up in your actions everywhere you go.” Joe shared that many years ago he quit a job when the political candidate he worked for decided to change his position on abortion to pro-abortion after formerly being pro-life… The politician acknowledged he knew abortion was wrong but for furthering his work he would change sides and support pro-abortion legislation.

Joe told an amazing story of a woman that contacted Joe after having received a piece of HLA literature two years prior. The young woman later used that literature to convince her own mother not to make her have an abortion, and her child is alive today because of it.

In closing Joe posed this challenge: “Think about doing something big and bold. What can reach the most people as possible?”

Rebecca Roughneen, Youth Defense

Rebecca, her comrades, and vigilant pro-lifers that came before her, have helped to maintain an Abortion Free Ireland! Rebecca considers the most important pro-life work to be that which is done on campuses reaching young women.

Rebecca recalls when a friend of hers in college became pregnant and traveled to Europe to obtain an abortion (in Ireland abortion is illegal). Rebecca regrets and feels bad for not speaking up to help her friend from aborting the child. After this experience Rebecca felt called to be active in the fight against abortion. Rebecca encourages everyone to at least give an hour a week to the pro-life movement because “every person here can end abortion!”

Several years ago, during a time of great political struggle to keep abortion illegal in Ireland, seven youth people took to the streets with images of aborted children and they coordinated constant prayer vigils and rallies. If those seven young people, 20 years ago in Ireland, had not stood up and fought against abortion, abortion would be legal today in Ireland. Ireland is abortion free to this day and it’s because people give whatever time they can to stand against the injustice of abortion of the babies.

Rebecca closed by saying, “It’s so easy to save babies. A lot of times, all it takes is you standing there in front of the abortion clinic praying.”

Allison Aranda, Attorney at Life Legal Defense Coalition

Life Legal Defense is willing to persevere in the long process to stand up for what is just and right and will work with pro-lifers who need help in legal cases. Allison shared her shock when years ago she heard of Survivors Campus Life Team and other people who were arrested for talking about abortion while standing on a public sidewalk. This made no sense to her and she was appalled! Soon there after, Allison went to checkout Survivors activism for the first time, only to be immediately surprised upon arrival, because the police were already at the clinic and were trying to arrest the group for holding signs on a public sidewalk and for writing with chalk “Choose Life” along with other pro-life messages. She was shocked because they weren’t doing anything wrong! She said, “Really, for using chalk that washes off?” Since then Allison has worked, with groups like Survivors, to educate pro-life activists and prayer warriors about their civil rights and how to defend those rights when erroneously challenged, even when the challenge comes from law enforcement.

Sometimes people will do whatever it takes just to keep your message from getting out into the community, and they are successful at times by just taking your signs or holding you in a police car for an hour. Don’t allow people of authority to bully you into not standing up for what you believe in! Unfortunately, there will always be an attempt to silence your pro-life work, just because of your message and not because you’re doing something wrong.

Jill Stanek, JillStanek.com – New Media and Social Media:

The next HUGE pro-life frontier

Jill began by sharing about demographics of the present generation -- Generation Y-- (those born between 1982-2002). Jill explained that my generation is one of “Digital Natives” because we are so in tune with technology from texting, Facebook, Twitter, smart phones, and more. Considering the saviness of Generation Y, Jill encouraged conference participants to blog, and went on to share a little bit about how her own personal blog reaches thousands of people every single day. That’s a lot of people who can be influenced simply through utilizing technology and writing about abortion. (See Jill’s blogging tips given during the social/new media session on day 1.)



Jill is just one blogger and she reaches tons of thousands of people each day through her blog and by promoting them on Twitter and Facebook. You, as one pro-lifer, potentially have the power to reach as many people and more on the Internet as Barack Obama did during his 2008 presidential campaign when he spoke to a crowd of 200,000 in Berlin!

Perhaps you don’t want to blog, or don’t feel called to blog or social network about abortion. But you can take a few minutes a day (or whenever you have time) to comment online on blogs, or in discussions about abortion. There is much inaccurate information going around that you can help to clarify. Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign hired 400 full time bloggers to comment on articles and blogs everywhere online to help build up or defend Obama’s character in an effort to promote Obama’s candidacy.

Wondering where to get blogging content?

Google Alerts on aboriton, prolife, prochoice
Prolife and proaboriton twitter accounts
TV shows
Magazines,

Also, it’s important that you blog and promote during times of the day that will reach your audience in the largest numbers.

Freedom Riders

Throughout the conference various video clips and quotes of the civil rights movement were shared. Here is one that really stood out:

“He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. 

He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it" 

~ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. ~

Walter Hoye, Issues for Life Foundation

Walter shared about the genocide of his people, and that they will become an endangered species if the killing does not stop. Walter looked into the audience during his talk and said, “Maybe starting today with you, the pro-life movement can come together in love and unity to attack abortion on every front possible.”

In closing Walter reminded the youth in attendance that what has been learned at the conference is vital to ending abortion today. Walter hopes and prays that everyone will utilize and listen to the resources of the International ProLife Youth Conference.

Panel Forum: Advocating Life Internationally

Dr. Eoghan De Faoite of Youth Defence (Moderator)
Panelists:
Tim Herrmann of C-FAM
Ide Nic Mhathuna of Youth Defense
Andy Moore of ProLife Planet

120,000 babies aborted daily around the world.

Did you know that over 160,000 million sex selection abortions on girls have taken place worldwide since 1978? We are fighting a global struggle!

Tim Herrmann, C-FAM

Bring students to join C-FAM for lobbying at the UN. International Youth Coalition (IYC)…
Tim said: “The real issue is the culture we live in. In order to turn the tide we have to show that our way of thinking is reasonable. In order for the pro-life movement to be successful it must be beyond an ideology.” Tim went on to share situations where, while working at the United Nations, those who disagreed with his position on abortion would challenge him or ask questions. Tim explained how a wide level of respect was earned through articulately sharing the pro-life position, and in doing so in a loving and respectful manner.

Abortion is called reproductive health mistakenly because people were taught that jargon. Just like if your dad taught you that a giraffe is called an elephant. When you grow up you know a giraffe is a giraffe but you call it an elephant because that’s what you were taught. In order to help change how people perceive abortion, we must change the conversation and language used to discuss the abortion issue. Abortion is more tolerable when we call it choice. He who controls the language controls the game.


Andy Moore, Pro-life Planet

Some of the first words that came from Andy moved the young people in the crowd to cheer with joy when he said, “This is not a conference, this is a war counsel!” “To be clear, I am not talking about violence.”

Prolife is not an adjective but a verb -- You never know if today is the day someone will see your pro-life shirt and choose life. As a former fetus I have a duty to speak up for my preborn brothers and sisters!

Biblical wisdom to end abortion -- It is vital in helping you preach the prolife message with patience, wisdom, humility and more. We will speak against this injustice when it’s hip and cool and when we are persecuted for it.

“When you have momentum going, play the momentum”

~ Donald Trump ~

Stopping abortion internationally:
1. Offer support to international pro-life groups.
2. Expose people and organizations around the world that support abortion.

“Each person has the power to do damage to the abortion industry.” Andy Moore

Ide Nic Mhathuna, Youth Defense

“I cannot stand before God when I die and say I was too busy to do anything (to stop abortion)” 

~ Ide Nid Mhathuna ~

Even with Ireland being abortion free, the Irish still have to continue to fight the media which tries to push abortion on their country. We benefit from working together as an international movement by sharing successes, stories, ideas, strategies, creativity, and more. It’s not about us or any other organization. It’s about ending abortion and keeping Ireland abortion free.


Questions for the Panel:

Q. Girl scout leader with a few young girl scouts: We are criticized for staying in the organization when we knowingly sell cookies and do other projects while funding and supporting Planned Parenthood? What should we do?

A. Don’t leave because it is vital that you influence culture while being inside the culture. Girl Scouts is a beautiful organization which has helped many. Planned Parenthood isn’t girl scouts, the members are Girl Scouts! Hold firm to what you believe in. No one can do a better job of affecting Girl Scouts than those girls who are involved.

Stay tuned in this week as I continue to write about the remaining talks given at the IPYC . . .

If you haven’t already, read about day 1!

Educate yourself and act. We are the global movement for life!

For the Dignity of the Born and Unborn,

Timmerie

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