2017 Maryland Pro-Life Conference - Panel Discussion and Q&A (3 of 3)

In November of 2017 the Holy Family Respect Life Committee, in conjunction with Charles County Right to Life, invited Josh Brahm and David Bereit to speak at their annual pro-life conference in Southern Maryland.

After the keynote sessions, Josh and David did a panel discussion and Q&A, joined by Michele Hendrickson, Capital Area Regional Director for Students for Life of America and Heather Sells, CEO of the Catherine Foundation, a local Pregnancy Resource Center. The panel discussion was hosted by Ali Rak from the Southern Maryland Pro-Life Symposium.

Apologies for occasional audio issues in the panel discussion. They used tabletop panel discussion mics and when Heather would turn her head away from the mic sometimes her mic sort of cuts out. We've made some edits where possible, and you can always get the gist of what she's saying.

Questions:

• 0:01:29 - From your standpoint, what does the pro-life movement need to do to become more effective?
• 0:16:00 - What should pro-life advocates avoid and what hurts our cause the most?
• 0:31:00 - What is access to abortion like in Southern Maryland? Where does a woman who is abortion-minded go to terminate a pregnancy? How many of them tend to go to the local Pregnancy Resource Centers? Paint a picture of what it's like to be in crisis in Southern Maryland.
• 0:35:49 - What does counseling an abortion-minded woman look like in your Pregnancy Resource Center as opposed to sidewalk counseling where you often only have a moment to start that conversation?
• 0:43:39 - How are college and high school students shaping the pro-life movement? How do we get more youth involved, and why should there be a Students for Life club at every school in the country?
• 0:51:26 - Josh, as a "connoisseur of good arguments and gracious conversation," how can pro-lifers use Facebook and social media as a force for good?
• 0:56:06 - How do we build the pro-life community locally, one that is engaged and motivated toward action, rather than just being pro-life?
• 1:04:53 - Can we learn anything from the effectiveness of the gay marriage movement that we can apply to our movement?
• 1:09:55 - It seems like there is so much emphasis these days on individual rights, where for some people, even if they personally feel like abortion is wrong, they don't feel like it's their place to speak out against abortion because they don't want to offend someone. How do you get beyond that?
• 1:13:10 - You said that you don't approach this issue from a religious standpoint, and I'm struggling with the idea of stopping at the concept of equal rights because I think equal rights come from a religious standpoint. I'm assuming you talk to lots of college students who don't believe in equal rights. How do you deal with that without getting into the religious aspect that we're created in God's image and not a product of evolution?
• 1:19:32 - Josh, you mentioned utilitarianism. Can you explain what that is and how it might come up in abortion conversations?
• 1:21:33 - I was really struck by a statistic that was shared about one in four women in church having had an abortion. How can we effectively express that graphic imagery and very strongly worded signs almost create a PTSD kind of moment for a lot of women who have made a very difficult decision in their lives, and would like to be involved in the pro-life movement, but can't abide by being in that presence? How do we overcome that obstacle?

Related Links:

Timothy Brahm for the ERI Blog: Abortion Images: A Case for Disagreement without Division: