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In
any discussion, begin by looking for as many points as possible where you and
the anti-choice debater are in agreement. For an example of
this, see the page titled: A New Approach to Saving Innocent Lives.°
The
Goal here is twofold: first, to acknowledge your areas of agreement; and
second, to put the anti-choice people in a position where later you can
challenge their hypocrisy. Do this by
getting them to agree to as many basic fundamental principles as possible.
Each time they agree to a principle, that limits their options so their future
responses must fit within that to which they have already agreed.
Here
are some of the areas where you can usually get their agreement
We are here to discuss the question,
“Should
abortion be legal?”
Our mutual goal is
saving the lives of innocent children.
At
this early stage in the discussion, avoid getting into details, particularly
about this agreement because there's a significant difference in between the
innocent lives each of you is intending to save.
We’re both loving, caring people who
want
the best for all concerned.
A
few of the most militant may not want the best for all, but they’ll be hard
pressed to say anything else. If they do, that exposes their
hypocrisy.
We both believe in
freedom of religion.
We both believe honor the United States Constitution, and
believe in the
separation of church and state.
.
Encourage
them to make numerous statements about their beliefs.
You can later call on them to prove these beliefs.
You can also ask about the rights of the millions who
hold different beliefs. Here are a few
examples:
They believe the Christian Bible
is the word of God and the only word of God. To these people,
all other religious texts are not sacred texts, they are simply mythology.
If
you are willing to look at sacred books in a larger context,
you can easily agree with them that the Christian Bible is the
word of God. It's just not the only divinely
inspired book in the world.
They
believe they have exclusive access to God. They
believe that their Christian teachings are the only word of
God.
You
can later confront their limited view of reality by focusing of the freedom of
religion issue, so whenever possible encourage them to make as many religious
declarations as you can.
They believe in the
Bible and literally follow its teachings.
This
is one of your greatest tools. Why? Because
there are numerous contradiction in the Bible.
There are numerous activities condoned in ancient society that
just don't make sense in our present day.
There
are also numerous passages that they completely
ignore. Whenever possible get them to declare that
the bible is to be literally interpreted. You can later
them in knots with this one. We'll share
details of how to do this later in our discussion.
.
Their
Statement Limit Their Options:
If
they’ve agreed freedom of religion is everybody’s birthright, that limits
their legitimate responses to actions that honor religious freedom.
If
they’ve agreed that separation of church and state is appropriate in the
United States, then that limits their legitimate responses to actions that honor
separation of church and state.
If
they’ve agreed that the Christian Bible is the word of God and that they
believe in and follow the teaching of the Bible, that limits their legitimate
responses to actions that conform to Biblical teachings.
_____________
You’ll
find that the no-choice leaders are masters at saying one thing and doing
something else. Our goal is to make them either practice what they
preach or stop preaching.
.
Some
people believe that the technique of using emotional appeal (such as showing
audiences the pictures mentioned below) is inappropriate -- that it is
stooping to the level of the opposite side -- that it's cheap, and manipulative
-- that it's immoral and wrong -- that instead, we should stick to logic and reason which is overwhelmingly on
the pro-choice side. Perhaps they are correct; however, before you
pass judgment on what is right or wrong here, please read the section titled.
"The Ethics of Lying to a Liar"
on our sister website, http://www.truth101.org.°
The address is:
http://www.truth101.org/vs-violence.html#The-Ethics-of-Lying-to-a-Liar°
_____________
.
Rather
than speaking logic and reason, appeal to emotion. For example, in real
estate they say, "Sell the benefit not the feature." and use this
analogy: a fenced yard does not sell a house, but a safe place for the
children to play does.
The
Anti-abortionists are masters at eliciting emotion. They use emotion
for two reasons: First, when you pit logic and reason against emotion,
emotion wins almost every time. Second, they have nothing
else. When you look closely at what the anti-abortion leaders are
actually doing, logic and reason shows them to be highly destructive fantasy
peddlers.
In
the area of eliciting emotions, use the anti-abortionists as your role models,
but be sure to role model how they operate and not what they actually do.
Please stay away from anything unethical or illegal. Watch
them. Emulate them. Think up ways that pro-choice can increase its
emotional appeal. Here are a couple of examples of how to add emotion to
the pro-choice cause.
Animals Facing Extinction
Bring
to the discussion pictures of baby animals of species that are in danger of
becoming extinct, such as tigers and panda bears. Bring a large
picture of an orangutan and another of a gorilla in which the animals were
looking directly at the camera when the picture was taken. Hold the
pictures up and say, "Condemning these animals to extinction is
standard policy for the Anti-abortionists. They actually call this
behavior pro-life." Repeat the tag line: "They may
be pro-embryo, but they certainly are not
pro-life."
Starving and Dying Children
Bring
to the discussion pictures of abandoned, neglected, dying children - - children
where the parents simply can't care for still another child. Hold the
picture up and say, "Abandoning these children to misery, disease,
starvation and death is standard policy for the Anti-abortionists. They
call this behavior pro-life." Repeat the tag line:
"They may be pro-embryo, but they certainly are not
pro-life."
Follow
the above pattern with pictures of murdered doctor, burned down clinics, and
other pictures that clearly show the true nature of the anti-abortion
leaders. (Be sure to maintain the distinction between the anti-abortion leaders and their
followers.)
And
again, if you believe using this tactic is wrong, offensive, or immoral, do
not use it. Why? Because engaging in any activity
that violates your own personal beliefs is both counter-productive and self
destructive. Don't do it!
When
you think of some additional ways to increase the emotional appeal of the
pro-choice message, please contact
us°
so that we can share
your ideas with others.
.
Ask
questions where, no matter what they answer, you can point out either their
anti-social behavior or their hypocrisy.
An
Example:
Ask:
“Do you believe we should follow the laws even if we disagree with them?”
If they say yes you can later ask: If you believe in law and order, why do
you support encourage, condone or engage in violence, vandalism, arson, and
murder?
If
they say no, then say, “So you are telling us every person should have
the right to violate any laws they disagree with? That’s
anarchy. Is that what you are proposing?” Pause after
this type of question. Wait for their answer.
You
can also ask, “Which laws should be followed? Who makes that
determination?”
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