Trent Horn - Persuasive Pro Life: How to Talk about Our Culture’s Toughest Issue

Trent Horn

Persuasive Pro-Life

How to Talk About
Our Cultures Toughest Issue

2014 Trent Horn

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For John, Melanie, and Steve, my pro-life mentors

Contents

Foreword

Human life can never be a casualty on its own. Reason will always be a casualty right along with it. Thats why I am so grateful for this book. As you will soon discover, it is a resounding affirmation of both life and reason, which are so intimately related.

Since my high school days in the mid-1970s, I have been presenting, arguing, and defending the pro-life position. In my role as a national and international pro-life leader, as well as in my work with the media, I have always placed a high priority on helping people to speak intelligently about abortion. Although as a Catholic priest and as the leader of several clearly religious pro-life organizations, I would be expected by most to put a priority on the religious arguments against abortion, I have always pointed out that the most religious defenders of life need to be able to argue the pro-life position on the basis of human reason , and that in doing so they are being completely consistent with their faith. Why? Because the God of faith is the God of reason, too. He created it, he redeems it, and he expects us to use it. And this book does that brilliantly.

When I give talks on abortion to predominantly pro-choice or skeptical audiences, I will often start by holding up a pencil and asking the audience what I have in my hand. Of course, they will say, A pencil. And then I guarantee them, By the end of our time together, some of you will be denying that this is a pencil. What I mean is that the mental gymnastics necessary to deny that a baby in the womb is a baby are quite sufficient to deny that a pencil is a pencil.

Ultimately, when you examine the core meaning of the term pro-choice and try to determine what meaning it may have beyond the superficial level of a slogan, it means what the Supreme Court asserted in its 1992 Planned Parenthood v. Casey decision: At the heart of liberty is the right to define ones own concept of existence, of meaning, of the universe, and of the mystery of human life. In other words, I create my own truth and therefore my own moral code. Any value in things is there because I put it there . Ultimately, it is the original temptation, You will be like gods. Pro-choice, then, means self-validating choice. In other words, what I choose is right, not because the thing I choose is good but simply because I choose it .

While this appeals to many as the ultimate freedom, it really enslaves us, because it cuts us off from one another. If everyones truth is his or her own self-isolated creation, then reasoning and dialogue are no longer possible, because there is no common truth that we have to acknowledge outside ourselves and which then serves as a bridge between people. Conversation and authentic debate become impossible, because common truth cannot be grasped, and ultimately human solidarity disintegrates.

At the risk of generalizing, I often say that it only appears that we have been having a debate over abortion in our country for the last several decades. In reality, if human reason cannot find truth, and if people discussing abortion cannot begin by knowing that when they say the word abortion they are talking about the same thing, then we are simply talking past each other.

But far from concluding that we should therefore not debate or discuss abortion, all this means that we as a movement need a profound reaffirmation of the value of reason and the necessity of engaging the abortion debate. We as pro-life people who believe in life also believe in reason. We also know that the last thing abortion supporters want to talk about is abortion. It is in fact indefensible and has been so from the beginning. But all the promises of its supporters to create positive results for women, families, and society by legal abortion have turned up empty. Abortion supporters have run out of arguments, and their only remaining response to ours is Shut up!

Many of our fellow citizens, however, can and are being persuaded by reasoned arguments, which this book helps us to utilize. Building the culture of life requires much more than logic, and this book acknowledges that. But this is no time to lose faith in reason, to grow tired of making the case for life or to conclude, People dont want to hear about abortion, and reasoning wont persuade them anyway. In fact, it will persuade many, if it is done within the intellectual and emotional framework that this debate calls for.

A key to that framework is to take a positive and compassionate stance, in our own minds and hearts, to those we are seeking to persuade. Even the most ardent supporters of abortion are our brothers and sisters. They are not our enemies; rather, they are captive to the enemy , who specializes in destroying both truth and life. We are not better than those who disagree with us, for we are all subject to a truth that none of us created. And we all fall short in living it.

We realize, too, the pain that characterizes this debate. Pain keeps many from seeing the obvious truth of the pro-life positionpain over involvement in abortion, or pain over the fact that if they face up to abortion, they will not be able to live with themselves unless they do something to stop it, but that if they do something about it they will suffer persecution or loss of some kind.

When we acknowledge that pain, when we accompany our skills of reason with a heart of compassion and a hand of fraternity, and when we are willing to absorband help others absorbthe suffering necessary to bear witness to the truth, we will know the joy of using reason to advance the culture of life.

Fr. Frank Pavone
National Director, Priests for Life
President, National Pro-life Religious Council
www.priestsforlife.org

Acknowledgments

Most of the techniques and arguments I present here are not original, and I have tried to give credit where it is due. In particular, I am grateful for the work of Greg Koukl, Scott Klusendorf, Francis Beckwith, Patrick Lee, William May, Stephanie Gray, Christopher Kaczor, Robert George, Christopher Tollefsen, Peter Kreeft, Stephen Wagner, David Lee, Josh Brahm, and the many other knowledgeable pro-life advocates who have trained or influenced me. I am also grateful for Tim Rylands editing of this manuscript. Finally, I am indebted to Arizona Right to Life and to Justice for All for allowing me to use in this book material I created during my time with them.

Introduction

Many people who oppose abortion are hesitant to do so publicly.

The media has reframed the issue of abortion and made it one facet of a so-called war on women. Since no one wants to go to war against half of the electorate, politicians might choose to say nothing about abortion. Theyre also worried that if they speak about the issue they will make a gaffe that will haunt them every time their name is searched on the Internet.

Students are worried their friends or college professors will think they are some kind of fanatic who wants to impose their opposition to abortion on everyone else by making it illegal. And regular people are scared that if they mention the A-word in mixed company it will ignite a shouting match with coworkers, friends, and even their family members.