I love to turn the page on a calendar to a new year. With nothing written on it, there are so many possibilities to consider. For me, it will be a year of “firsts” as I embark on my first full year as executive director. In fact, as I am writing this, I am in Washington, D.C. for my first March for Life and National Right to Life Board meeting.
Oregon Right to Life has three paths we pursue in our advocacy to secure protection for all innocent human life from conception to natural death.
Inform and inspire: We develop persuasive and engaging ways to communicate with those who still see abortion as necessary. We also work to motivate those who are apathetic to the injustice around them. We have developed new materials for event displays, updated our website and social media platforms, and will continue to create new messages and images. We work to change minds by informing, but we also hope to stimulate Oregonians to become advocates themselves.
Educate and equip: Once a person decides to do more, they need to know the facts. They also need to learn how to communicate in a way that will change minds, not just win arguments. ORTL’s annual conference and Camp Joshua meet this need. We also have speaker and volunteer training available year-round. Our social media platforms work to build on those efforts with daily communication.
Amplify to advocate: The vulnerable and voiceless need us to speak out on public policy and during elections. This edition of Life in Oregon offers ways to make your voice heard during the “short” session of the Oregon Legislature.
I hope you join me in trying out a “first” for yourself. There are many ways you can join us as we strive to use the best research, technology and practices to fulfill our mission to save lives. When lives are at stake, only our best will do.
