"Dress for success! Once we learn to recognise the anti-life characteristics, we gain new insight into the world and culture we live in. At times, however, the anti-life forces around us (in the media, movies, schools, etc) can seem overwhelming. We have to be well prepared if we are to mount a successful opposition. Learning to refute the most common anti-life slogans is a terrific way to prepare yourself for pro-life activism. Even if you never participate in a formal debate, refutation is a key skill for recruiting since it allows you to answer any objections people may have to the pro-life position. Studying the topic will also greatly increase your self-confidence and allow you greater flexibility in activism. That's why we've dedicated the second half of this Pro-life Weekly Planner to helping you understand and refute the 25 most common pro-abortion slogans. It may be a good idea to study one slogan each week until you can easily and confidently clarify and refute the anti-life sentiments it contains. [Tony's note - I'll be sending more than one slogan a week but you can learn each one in whatever way you feel comfortable. Remember, I am archiving these notes, so you can email me if you want to get an earlier lesson. I also plan to put these notes on the net one day.] It may also be useful to get your hands on extra pro-life research materials like HLI's brilliant Pro-life Library CD, or Brian Clowes' authoritative guide to life and family issues, The Facts of Life (both available from Human Life International). The Anti-life Bumper Sticker mentality - Over the years, experienced pro-lifers have identified a fatal and recurring Achilles heel in pro-abortion debating tactics. No matter what their job or level of experience, pro-abortionists invariably base 95 percent of their argumentation upon a very few sloganistic points, each one of which is fundamentally flawed. Through the years, anti-lifers have distilled their ideas into catchy slogans. Every pro-lifer has heard the standard chants, including `Woman's body, woman's choice` and `Keep your laws off my body!` These phrases represent a prepackaged idea or set of ideas. The purpose of a slogan is to allow a person to summarise or 'buy into' a particular position without thinking about it. People unthinkingly accept slogans for two reasons: (1) because they do not want to think about the issue they are supporting or (2) because they do not want to be seen as backward or reactionary by questioning the slogans, even if they do not fully understand them. People also use slogans for two reasons: (1) to conceal their ignorance of the topic being discussed or (2) to divert attention away from the topic because they know their ethical and moral position is weak. The abortion debate is unique - On one side of the debate is the pro-life movement, which has all the facts that the public doesn't want to hear - not because the facts are false, but because accepting them would mean a difficult moral self-examination. On the other side is the pro-abortion movement, which has few facts, but soothing words that the public does want to hear. This means that the pro-life side has one great advantage and one great disadvantage. The advantage, of course, is that it has the truth. The disadvantage is that it must work hard to present this truth in a manner that will convert people. Patience, calmness and kindness are essential when refuting a person's objections to the pro-life position. We must always remember to be charitable when dealing with other people."