By Liberty Pike,
Communications Director
This summer, the Oregon Right to Life Education Foundation will have a physical presence at over 30 fairs and festivals, thanks to the hard work of countless local advocates. At least two hundred thousand people will have access to ORTLEF booths at these events.
The question we have spent a lot of time on is this: How can we start the process of turning these fairgoers into advocates for the unborn? Many of them will pass by with just a glance. Some will stop and hold the fetal models and some will have brief conversations with volunteers staffing the booth. All of these interactions are relatively short but can be life-altering.
Our motto is “Because everyone deserves an advocate.” We believe that all human beings are inherently valuable. At one point or another, every human being will find themselves in a vulnerable place in their lives where they would benefit from another person stepping up to advocate for them. In Oregon especially, where abortion is legal until birth, every one of us starts our lives in such a place — with no protected right to life.
Almost every summer, we hear at least one story about a woman who chose life for her child after seeing one of our booths. Even more frequently, we hear about people, primarily young people, who see and touch the life-like fetal replicas at the booths and make comments such as “I had no idea” about the advanced development at different stages.
Oregon’s metropolitan areas are overwhelmingly in favor of legal abortion, but also overwhelmingly uneducated about what that means. To help change that, we have completely redesigned almost every printed handout we distribute. These new materials are more appealing to pick up, easier to understand, and focused on delivering key messages.
For example, we created a handout about abortion procedures. Very few know what a surgical abortion entails or how a life is ended through an RU 486 abortion. We also made a handout about Planned Parenthood. The Planned Parenthood spin machine is very effective. Many do not realize they are the nation’s largest provider of abortion.
These materials are not intended to answer every question, but they are effective tools to answer broad questions, spark curiosity, and aid the process of turning an apathetic person into an advocate.
Another word for “advocate” is “spokesperson.” The unborn have no voice. We must speak for them.
