CBR SE Director Fletcher Armstrong answers the questions of a growing crowd.

At W&M, there was plenty of good to counterbalance the plenty of bad. Many students spoke words of encouragement. Some maintained intellectual honesty even if they didn’t agree with us. Others shared personal testimonies which affirmed what we know to be true: God is the creator and sustainer of life. Here are a few flickers of hope:

Open minds see the truth. A young man spent time talking to us, and to the protesters across the green. “You guys have the arguments. The other side only has posters that say you are hateful. No information at all.”

Photographs promote understanding. CBR staffer Joshua Lindsey talked with a girl who understood exactly why we were on campus because she recently visited the Holocaust Museum. She told Joshua, “I always knew the Holocaust was wrong, but it didn’t become real to me until I saw the photographs of the victims.”

Watering a pro-life sapling. Nick spent almost an hour talking with CBR staffer Jane Bullington. Nick said he was Christian and pro-life but didn’t think our method was best. Jane calmly answered his many questions and listened to his thoughts. After a long while he said “I just realized how middle-of-the-road I really am on this issue. I need some time to think about this.” Jane agreed and encouraged him as he left. She told him, “Thank you for being a blessing to me, with your honesty and desire to be truly pro-life, in word and deed.” Sometimes we plant the seed, sometimes we water that seed, sometimes we bring in the harvest. But God always fills in the gaps.

Forcing people to care. CBR staffer Mik’aela talked to a group of girls for a long time, answering all their questions. They were particularly interested in why we use images to support our pro-life position. Finally, one of the girls said, “It sounds like your purpose in bringing these pictures here is to foster conversation, because people aren’t going to care about talking about abortion otherwise.” You got it!

CBR Staffer Maggie Ferrara answers the “rape” question.

Our first visit to The College of William & Mary (W&M) in historic Williamsburg, Virginia shook the campus.  Thousands of students and faculty saw the truth of abortion for the first time, and they could not stop talking about it.

Check out press coverage of our visit:

• Protests, while distressing, emphasize supportive, kind collegiate student body
• Upsetting protests offer poor reflection of pro-life movement, harm students
•  William and Mary students hold counter-protest during anti-abortion demonstration
• Wed April 24, 2019. Letter written by David Scheeveil of James City County.  Mr. Scheeveil writes a letter to the editor of the Virginia Gazette in response to SaraRose Martin’s article (see above).
  • “Why is it that the protest side of events and issues gets the headlines and becomes the focus of stories published and promoted by the news media? Isn’t it correct to say that the event of that day was a pro-life demonstration? Why couldn’t there have been a title to this article like ‘Pro-life group holds anti-abortion demonstration at W&M’? Then if you wanted to say something about the fact that protesters to the event also rallied to voice their concerns with the display, that’s fair game. I just get a little tired of always seeing the liberal perspective being the headlines.”
• W&M’s pro-life student organization, Tribe for Life, released a statement on Facebook in opposition to CBR’s demonstration:
  • “We have spoken directly with the Center, asking them to refrain from demonstrating at W&M. Please know that Tribe for Life is in no way associated with it.”

Mik’aela Raymond tells how abortion is a violent way to address a crisis pregnancy.

We returned to the University of Tennessee this past Spring to a mixture of callousness, indifference, curiosity, and blessing. God orchestrates dialogue around GAP, often in a miraculous fashion. Here are a few moments which stood out.

Be the hands and feet. Samuel approached the photos. He stopped in front of CBR staffer Jane Bullington, heartbroken, and asked, “What can I do?”  Showing photos not only changes hearts and minds, but it also prompts pro-lifers to do more. Many Americans
claim to be pro-life, but only in their heads; to end  the killing, we need their hands and feet to be pro-life as well.

Still needs healing. James, a 33-yr-old man, said, “I still regret what I did; my child would be 14. But everybody’s circumstances are different so I’m still pro-choice.” Jane urged him to share his story and seek healing. Please pray for James, that he realizes the full gravity of what he did, so that he can be forgiven and healed.

Does that really answer the question? CBR staff member Joanna asked a passerby “What do you think about abortion?” His response: “Long live Roe v. Wade.”

She wore her heart on her shirt. Jane saw a girl whose shirt said, “I would like to stop and talk to you, but I would be lying.” Jane laughed and told the girl her shirt was funny. The girl almost responded, but then realized that Jane was with GAP. She yelled “NO!” and flipped the bird. I guess she meant what her shirt said!

Making progress.  Sean expressed the unoriginal view that he is “personally against abortion, but wouldn’t stop someone else from having one.” How many times have we heard that?

CBR staffer Joanna Keilson asked him, “If I wanted to own a slave, would you be content with saying ‘that is your decision’ like you do with abortion?” He responded, “No, of course I wouldn’t!”

Joanna replied, “Slaves are human beings, despite the injustice done to them. The preborn are human beings, despite the injustice done to them. It’s not okay to own or kill someone else.”

He paused, then nodded, “I can see that.”   With GAP, the photos create interest and convey facts, and dialogue helps overcome obstacles to clear thinking.

Abortion pictures spark debate about the morality and legality of decapitating and dismembering tiny Americans.

Just two years after our first visit to Old Dominion U (ODU) in Norfolk, Va., we were back for another round.  This time, the abortion pictures had just as great an impact as Round 1.

Lightening the load.  A pro-life student has witnessed the power of pictures.  He said, “Thank you so much.  I love it when you guys come to campus.  I don’t know how to talk to people about this, so it’s great that you are here.”

Another student expressed similar sentiments, “Thank you.  I never know how to bring this issue up and your display starts conversations.”

It impacts everyone.  Olivia cried because her father strongly pressured her mother to abort her older sister.  (We wonder what he thinks now?)

Kill them all. “Just kill all the kids, I don’t care!!” she told Joanna.

Hard target.  CBR staffer Maggie overheard 2 guys and 1 girl having an interesting conversation.

Girl: Why don’t you go talk to her [Maggie]?
Guy 1: No. I don’t want to.
Guy 2: So you’re happy to argue with old white men but not a young white woman?
Guy 1: [Inaudible]
Guy 2: Maybe ‘cause you can’t use her age and gender against like you just did with that guy.

Homicide better than suicide?  Student: “Women must be given the choice to abort because we never know if that woman will kill herself without it.”  In other words, women are weak and can’t handle the problems they get themselves into.

Battling the negative vibes.  “For you to put up with these negative attitudes, thank you. It must be hard,” A professor told Jane.

Easy Results. Two adult African-American women asked Mik’aela about rape while a pro-abortion student stood nearby.

Mik’aela:  Should we kill the rapist?
Woman:  No!
Mik’aela:  Should the child get the death penalty instead?
Woman:  Oh! Oh! Oh! You got me! You got me! You’re right!

Her friend agreed and they both thanked Mik’aela and continued to discuss how Mik’aela’s answer was such a good point.  The pro-abortion girl just watched them, thinking.

CBR volunteer Laurice Baddour from Maine engages a group of students at UNC Greensboro.

Almost everyone prefers to ignore abortion.  But when we bring the truth of abortion into the light, it’s almost impossible for anyone to avoid it.

Government is God.  “I know it is human but if society says abortion is morally justifiable, so do I,” he told Mik’aela.  “If society changes its mind, would you change too?” Mik’aela asked.  “Yes. Where else can we get our morality from?”  If government can’t tell us what’s right, then who can?

Consistent to a fault.  A young woman told us that a woman has the right to kill because it is her body.  Even a moment before birth.  Even during the birth.  Even after birth if the umbilical cord is still attached.  She defended all three, though she was uncomfortable with the last one.  Perhaps her consistency can help her see the depravity of her position.

Backfired attempt.  A young woman called the police because she wanted them to remove us from campus.  However, the police ended up threatening to take her to jail because she was being so disrespectful.

Don’t be mean to abortionists!  A young man said we shouldn’t compare abortionists to death-camp doctors.  Meanwhile he argued for abortion to prevent children from having bad lives.

The voice of tolerance.  As she threw sandbags off our display she told Jane, “Don’t touch me, b****.  I hit women, too.”

So many hurting.  “Good morning,” he said as he took a pamphlet and then said very softly, “I wish I had been aborted.”  This young man needs our prayers.

Students often take photos of our signs to share with their friends.  That way, even more people will that abortion decapitates and dismembers children.

Our first visit to UNC Greensboro was met with hostility.  On this trip, GAP certainly stimulated a response, but it was less hostile and more thoughtful.

Not so sure anymore.  At our poll table, she voted for abortion to remain legal, but after speaking with Mik’aela, she took her name off!  “I am not sure anymore,” she said.

Bravery.  “Your bravery is so incredible.  Thank you so much,” Wyatt told CBR staffer Jane Bullington.

Let’s talk about abortion!  Phil approached Jane.  “I have to do a persuasive speech and the only forbidden topic was abortion.  Then you guys explode the topic on campus!”

More appealing than the other side.  A young man went up to some of the protesters and said, “Sometimes I think their logic is better than yours, and I’m even on your side!” he exclaimed.  Later he said to the same folks, “The only one who has yelled at me was over there [he pointed to a pro-abort] and she was in my grill so much it made me want to go to the other side.”

Freudian slip.  After a long conversation, pro-abortion Ben was about to leave, but said one more thing, “I think a woman has the right to do what she wants to do with her baby.”  Jane challenged that last word.  “Baby or body?” she asked.  “You know what I meant,” he insisted.  “Yes,” Jane replied, “You said baby.”

Students don’t take sex seriously.  A professor from Senegal approached one of our staff.  “I have a hard time with blood and gore, but I am glad you are here.  We need this. Students don’t take sex seriously.  I waited until marriage to have sex and I have Christian friends of the same mindset.  It can be done.  Thank you for being here.”

Conversations abound when GAP comes to town!

Based on previous experience, we were expecting hateful protests at our latest visit to the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG).  We certainly got those, but we also had countless positive comments and thoughtful conversations with logical students.

You’re doing what you set out to do.  A pro-abortion student was impressed.  He said, “I don’t agree with your position but you are doing exactly what you set out to do, and doing it very well.  I applaud you for standing up for something you believe in.”

Thank you!  “I know this is hard and students are rude but thank you.”

Impromptu GAPers!  “May I volunteer?” a young man offered.  On Day 1, a young woman came to talk.  On Day 2, she came to hand out our pamphlets and engage students!

An easy switch.  She signed pro-abortion at the poll table, then asked Mik’aela, “If the mom is poor, why bring the child into the world?” Mik’aela replied, “The child is already in this world.”  Then the student said, “OK, you sold me.” And with that, she signed the pro-life side of the poll table.

Realistic.  James approached one of our staff, “What organization is this?  I have heard of organizations that use graphics and how horrible they are.  These aren’t so graphic.  They are realistic.  Abortion takes a life.  I wouldn’t kill my 1-year-old.  I wouldn’t kill a human in the womb either.”

Amen to that!

I have been surprised at how often the MAGA hat has sparked serious discussions about important moral and political issues.

by Fletcher Armstrong

Not wanting to talk about decapitating and dismembering little human beings, pro-aborts often change the subject.  For example, they will ask if we support every social welfare program, because if we don’t, it means we hate moms and children.  Or they might ask our position on same-sex marriage, because if we don’t accept their enlightened view, we don’t really believe in equality.

To prevent them from changing the subject, we point to the abortion photo and ask, “What does your question have to do with decapitating and dismembering little human beings?”  Other than proclaim the Gospel — we are commanded to do that — many pro-lifers believe we should abstain from hot-button issues that might create barriers to dialogue and just focus on abortion.

After all, people who disagree with us on a wide range of issues can still agree with us that killing is wrong, that killing 6 million Jews is wrong, and that killing pre-born children is wrong.

On the other hand, abortion attitudes often reflect an unwillingness to accept personal responsibility.  Whether it is taking care of their own children, paying off their own college loans, or paying for their own contraceptives, many students consider even the mere notion of personal responsibility to be something akin to a human rights violation.  And this entitlement extends not only to themselves; everyone on the planet is entitled to come to the USA and have their expenses paid as well.  That is idiotic at a number of levels, but many believe it.  There is a political component to all of this that cannot be ignored, and our society cannot long survive if too many people believe that personal responsibility is a human rights violation.

Leftist kookery not only puts our nation at risk, as if that were a small thing, its advocacy of sexual perversion also puts students at risk of great personal harm — spiritually, emotionally, and physically.  God designed love, marriage, sex, and child-rearing to operate as one package.  He designed us to enjoy sex and raise children within the context of a lifelong, monogamous, committed partnership (i.e., marriage) between one man and one woman.

In rejecting this model, man (a) separates himself from God, (b) destroys the healthy formation of relationships between men and women, (c) denies children both male and female role models in the home, (d) exposes himself to dozens of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and (e) invites serious physical injury.  At Middle Tennessee State, a young man enslaved by the homosexual lifestyle told us that he must get tested for STDs every two months.  The god of this world tells him this is “freedom.”

People like this desperately need somebody to tell them the truth.  For some, we might be the only ones who can.  We can’t be so focused on abortion that we forget to love the person in front of us, and the best way to love this person is often to tell him the truth he needs to hear.

To invite discussions of lifestyle and personal responsibility, I have been wearing my Make America Great Again hat when on the campus.  It has stimulated important dialogue on a wide range of important issues, way beyond my expectations.

At Evergreen State College, a young man walked up to me and said, “I wanted to speak with the one person furthest away from me politically, and when I saw your hat, I knew you must be the one!”

We both laughed.  I told him that I wear the hat, not so much to support our President, although I do, but because I wanted to speak with him about three things that make America great.  He was open to that.  I told him this:

1. “Our founding belief ‘that all men are created’ has made us the freest people on the planet.
2. “Our system of capitalism and free enterprise has made us the most prosperous people on the planet.
3. “Our respect for the Constitution and the rule of law has made us the most stable society on the planet.

“Yet we have a political party that wants to set all of that aside and hunt around for something that ‘works.’”

He agreed with my first point, he said, because he is a Christian.  I further explained that because we are created, we are equal before the Creator and bound to respect the dignity of every human person.  We owe that responsibility not to the magistrate, but to God Himself.

He agreed with all of that, but then he then went on to say that he was a practicing homosexual, and he wondered what I had to say about that.  Here was a person in desperate need of hearing the truth.

I told him that I was bound to treat him with respect, just as I would anyone else, but as a Christian, I could not endorse his self-destructive behavior.  I told him,

1. “The Centers for Disease Control reports that men having sex with men are 2% of the population, but are nearly 70% of the new AIDS cases every year.  My best friend in childhood was killed by AIDS that he contracted from same-sex relationships.
2. “The tissues that God designed for waste management purposes will not stand up to the punishment that this kind of activity inflicts.
3. “As a Christian, he should know that God’s Word strictly forbids homosexuality.”

We talked for about 20 or 30 minutes.  Another student stood and listened, without comment.  After I answered all of his questions, we shook hands and he left.

I don’t know how God will use the encounter.  I don’t know if this young man will repent and let God put him on a better path.  But at least I loved him enough to tell him the truth.  And nobody was harmed in the process.

Pictures and peaceful Christian pro-lifers open the eyes of misinformed students.

Deceitful men want to keep their options, weak pro-lifers refuse to evangelize, but strong women keep their children and excel in their careers.

Ignoring the Great Commission.  “I believe abortion is wrong but also it is wrong for me to tell anyone what they should do.” Good thing the Apostles didn’t feel that way.

Legislating morality.  “We shouldn’t legislate morality,” she told CBR volunteer Anne.  Anne replied, “All legislation, even traffic laws are legislating morality.”  “Well you have a point!” the young woman admitted.

Jesus was right.  Again.  A female police officer had a 12 year old girl.  She had her daughter when was 16.  The father of the baby and her own father thought she should abort.  But she did what she had to do to make it happen.  Now she has a beautiful daughter.  And a career.  Reminds us of Matthew 6:33:  But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

It’s all about feewings!  “The fetus is only a baby when the mom feels like it is,” she said.

Honest presumptions.  “It’s part of her body.  And you believe it has a soul, but the rest of us don’t,” the older man said.  Maggie replied, “I didn’t say anything about a soul.”  He put his hand out and said, “I’m just going to make presumptions about what you believe, and I’m not interested in having a longer conversation.” At least he was honest.

HIS options.  “Yes it should be legal.  Because I like having the option!” the young man said.  Ladies take note.  If he gets you pregnant he will want to exercise his options.  You and your baby won’t stand a chance.

Kind words and pictures make the difference.  “The only reason I support abortion is because I don’t believe they are human yet.”  After a discussion with CBR staffer Mik’aela Raymond and a peek at the fetal development sign, she softened. “I did not expect you to be nice and informative.  Seeing the pictures make me think abortion is more wrong than I thought.”

Students began to try to block our signs, put the University forced them to relocate.  The University has learned from experience that we will defend our speech rights and those of pro-life students.

From our Spring 2018 GAP at the University of Tennessee.

Conclusions before evidence.  “I think abortion should be legal up until 6 weeks but not until 9 months. I really don’t know when I would say it’s wrong because I have not studied the development of the baby.”

Killed by “careful” parents.  A parent said, “It’s really sad.  That is why I tell my girls to be careful and not get pregnant in the first place.”  The logic is flawed, because there are many children killed every day that were created by parents who were being “careful.”

Pregnant “men” and favorite races.  Like Forest Gump (or somebody) said, “GAP is like a box of chock-lits.  Ya neva know watt you’re gonna gay-ette.”

Male student: “If I were a female on the way to becoming a male and was pregnant, would abortion be OK?”  CBR staffer Jane replied: “No.”  Student: “If I want to raise the child, once I’m a man, is that OK?” Jane: “YES!”  (The ideal would be a father and a mother, but most of us would choose any living arrangement over being decapitated and dismembered.)

Student: “One other question.  What is your favorite race?”   Jane: “The Human Race.”  Student: “I like your answer!”

Gaining consistency.  A young man tried the bodily autonomy argument except he didn’t support third trimester abortion. Mik’aela convinced him that wasn’t consistent, but unfortunately, he switched to supporting abortion through all 9 months to maintain consistency.  That may seem like a negative, but historians agree that Martin Luther King was effective because he pushed people out of the middle and forced them to take a side.  Ultimately, muddle-headed thinking is detrimental to our cause.

It’s all relative.  One young man wouldn’t consider abortion or anything wrong because morality is relative without a god, universe or higher power.  And according to him there isn’t one.  Of course, he would change his a-moral position very quickly if you stole his smartphone.

Abortion photos spark reactions at Tennessee Tech.  Without pictures, abortion is easy to ignore.

There were some weird reactions to the abortion pictures at Tennessee Tech, but there were also some good ones.

Not much of an evangelist.  Dillon said, “I’m a Christian and I believe child killing is wrong, but I believe it is wrong for me to tell anyone what they should believe.”  (Dillon must have forgotten that part in the Bible where it says to stand against child sacrifice.)

Rephrasing the question.  “I’m a Christian and I believe abortion is wrong, but if we outlawed this option what options would we have to offer?” Trevor asked.  Tony told him, “The option you are talking about keeping in place is child killing, so do you believe we should keep child killing legal?”  Answer: “Well if you say it that way, ‘No.’”  (We do say it that way.)

What kind of Bible study if he running?  “I’m a Christian and I do Bible studies but I believe abortion should be legal.”  (We wonder what Bible he is studying.)

Understanding the gravity.  Andrew said, “I was raised pro-life and have never wavered.  But I never understood the gravity of the act until I saw your pictures.  I cannot let this go.  These pictures make my beliefs more real and more heart-breaking.”

International support.  “Thanks for what you are doing,” Truedor from Napal said.

Evil begets more evil.  “I was sexually abused since the time I was 4, and if it weren’t for abortion, I would not be here.”

Can we undo what God has done?  Bassom from Egypt said, “I agree with you; abortion is wrong.  But what if the child is severely ill?”   CBR volunteer Tony replied, “Do you believe in God?”  Bassom: “Yes.”  Tony: “Well if God is the giver of life and He is the one that opens and closes the womb, then should we kill what he gives?”  Bassom: “No.”

A rather peculiar girl.  “The UN doesn’t specifically say that abortion is genocide so it cannot be genocide…  It is OK to kill babies up to 4 months if the mother cannot handle the baby or if the baby has become a financial burden. … ALL babies should be aborted to reduce the world population to nothing.”

Bill Boyer asked her if she was will to sign up for the depopulation suicide squad.  To that she had to pause and think.  She finally mused, “I’d rather be dead than in school.”  But then she said, “I’m studying medicine so that I can work for Planned Parenthood one day. I enjoy killing babies.”

She might need a psych evaluation before she starts her medical career.  More than that, she needs our prayers.

Perspectives of the abused.  An older man came to the child abuse picture and just stopped to look.  He told Mik’aela that he had been abused by 3 different people. “But to abuse a child who can’t even run away or anything is the worst.  Thank you for being here.”

We get a lot of great support at the University of Tennessee.

There were some beautiful gems at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville during our Spring 2018 visit.

Planting the seeds, reaping the harvest.  “Last year I was mad at you,” Nola said.  “But I did some studying and realized abortion is wrong.  Preborn children should have a chance to live.”

Future pro-life lawyer.  “I’m studying to be a lawyer so I can fight against abortion.  Thanks for display.  May I have some pro-life buttons?”

We’ll take your baby.  A young woman asked if one of us would adopt her baby.  She said she had an abortion scheduled, but seeing the pictures she was hoping for another option.  CBR volunteer Tony replied, “YES!  Bring your baby here and we will keep her until you should want to come back and get your child,” he said.  We’re all praying for this young woman and her baby.

Experience reveals the truth.  “You guys are doing a great job,” Eric said.  He and his wife had two little girls who were born weighing one pound.  They were perfect.  That changed his whole perspective and even influenced his friends.  “They were people,” he said.

Campus pilgrimage.  Kaiya walked out of her way to find GAP after she heard about a pro-life group being on campus.  She was a freshman and wanted to be a neo-natal nurse.  She was pro-life and she made sure to let her pro-abortion roommates know where she stood.

Shocked by [Perverted] Sex Week.  We often schedule our trip to the University of Tennessee to coincide with [Perverted] Sex Week, an annual event.  “We are so glad you are here!” a visiting mother with her daughter said.  “My daughter is looking at UT to come here.  Did you see all the signs for “Sex Week?”  We can’t believe it!”

Glad his mom chose life!  A young male student asked, “How can anyone see this and think it is good?  I am glad my mother didn’t do this to me!  I am so glad you are here.”

Thanks from the other side.  “Thank you for being here with real information,” the pro-abortion young woman.  She was glad that people were being informed about what choice actually meant.  Forest Gump was absolutely right when he said, “GAP is like a box of chock-lits.  Ya neva know watt your gonna gay-ette.”

Exceeding expectations.  “I want to shake your hand.  My sister was suspected to have autism before she was born.  My mother chose not to abort.  Now my sister is in med school.”

Mik’aela Raymond was not breathing when she was born.  Does that mean she wasn’t alive?

There were varying reactions to the abortion pictures at Appalachian State University. Seeds are planted and lives are saved even if we can’t see it initially.

Talking to a living, breathing example.  “The baby is alive when it takes its first breath,” said the student.  CBR staffer Mik’aela Raymond described her own birth, “When I was born I wasn’t breathing.”

“OK, that is a little tricky,” the young woman admitted.  “I do have to think about that.”

Excuses, Excuses.  Samuel had tons of excuses for child killing.

• “I’m pro-abortion, but not after 4 months.”
• “Abortion is child killing but I’m still pro-abortion because the world is over populated and there is not enough food.”
• “My wife had to have an abortion.”
• “We do not want children, not right now.”
• “Adoption is so expensive.”

Shifting the death line.  “I am pro-choice and would never try to convince someone against their choice.  It is not a person until after 6 weeks when the heart starts beating.”  Upon looking up when the heart beat is detected, he slightly changed his tune.  “Well abortion is wrong after 4 weeks but I would not tell anyone what they should think.”

Pictures important.  “Thanks for what you are doing, these pictures are so important.”

Rape exception.  “I was raped last year, at gun point.  I didn’t get pregnant but if I had, I could not have carried that child, even to adopt.  Otherwise, I know it is a life and innocent and deserves protection.  I have friends who have had convenience abortions and I worry about them.”  Pray for this young woman and her friends.  Pray for healing.

Invisible pro-lifers.  A pro-life student told us, “I’m glad you guys are here.  I didn’t even know about any pro-life groups.  The only group I know concerning abortion is Planned Parenthood.”

In fact, there was a Students for Life student organization at Appalachian State, but they have routinely refused to help us expose abortion, preferring instead to remain hidden and ineffective.

“You of all people should know!” was his greeting.

by Jacqueline Hawkins

Something that was rather bothersome about the Pacific Northwest tour was the common occurrence of white people telling me how bad I had it as a black person.  It was a mixture of white guilt, virtue signaling, and racism.

“Oh, the poor stupid black animals can’t take care of themselves so we’ll sit in our little classes and talk about how bad off they are and how vital killing their children is and pat ourselves on the back for having such righteous thoughts.”

Little did they know, when it came to me, they were talking to a victor, not a victim.  That left them scrambling to save face again and again.  Check out this conversation had at Salt Lake Community College that epitomizes the conversations I ran into time and time again.

Student:  “I’m sure you know how hard it is to vote as a black person.  African Americans live in such a way and I’m sure you’ve been through this in your life.  There is a level of discrimination in how the voting process works.”

Me:  “I’ve never had issues with voting.”

Student:  “Oh, I mean as a woman or as a person. We all go through it.  African Americans and Latinos go through it the worst because they on average live in higher crime or lower income areas.  “Right now, they are the least voting people because of systemic racism.  The system puts them down so they can’t vote.”

Me:  “So, they can’t vote at all?”

Student:  “It’s harder to vote. If you don’t have the money to buy ID then how can you go vote?”

Me:  “See all my family is black and we don’t have issues with voting.  O r buying IDs.  IDs are cheap.”

Student (dismissively):  “Oh, Utah’s better than some places.”

Me:  “I’m from Virginia. And my family in Georgia, Florida and DC have not had issues either.  A lot of the time white people think black people are a certain way and can’t take care of themselves but then you ask a bunch of black people and they say they have no issues.”

Student:  “That’s not what I meant.”

Me:  “You said that black people are just so bad off.”

Student:  “That’s not what I said. That’s out of context.”

At The Evergreen State College, a student told Joanna that she had never taken anyone white to have an abortion, but she did take three black friends to have abortions.  According to her, they had no hope because they were black.  White people had lots of hope and therefore didn’t need abortions unless there was something wrong with the baby.  But black people?  Well they had no hope of a decent future so it was best to cull them.

While the young woman had the best intentions at heart, like the young woman in Utah, the mentality that black people are stupid, down-trodden, animals in need of the great white hope is the same in both cases.

Even more tragically, their “help” often takes the form of the grim reaper.

Joanna discusses abortion and rape at Lane Community College.

Despite a cadre of vocal pro-abortion protesters, we met many thoughtful students at Lane Community College in Eugene, Oregon.

Sharing the Gospel.  “F*** you,” Bryan told Joanna.  For a visual aid, he held up his middle finger.  Joanna responded calmly.  By the end of the conversation he said he was sorry for how he acted.  He brought up rape and the woman’s body in their calmer conversation.  He was an atheist but agreed that selfishness is not good.  Joanna shared the Gospel and why we love and care, and should be self-sacrificial because God loved us first and sacrificed for us.

A changing mind.  This same Bryan came back the next day.  He had thought long and hard about his first conversation with Joanna. “Two months is long enough for a woman to decide, and after that she shouldn’t kill her baby,” he declared.  Progress!!!  Joanna thanked him for thinking about what she said and coming back and encouraged him to consider the implications of his view.  If abortion is not OK after 8 weeks, then why not?  And what does that mean in a country and state where abortion after that point is allowed?

Young moms understand.  Skyann and McKenzie were both teen moms in high school.  Motherhood made them serious so they were already taking college classes.  Skyann kept her baby despite the lack of support she had initially.  “Yeah you’re giving up your freedom, but it’s so worth it.  All you do in high school is drink and party anyway so that’s all you’re giving up.  It’s amazing to watch your child grow,” Skyann said.  “This is so great.  I mean, it’s sad to see; the truth hurts,”  McKenzie chimed in.  Skyann told Joanna about a friend who had been raped.  She went through with her pregnancy despite it all.  She loved her baby no matter what.

Supporting remarks.  We got lots of encouragement at Lane CC:

• “It’s refreshing to see an opposing point of view!”  The young man said he was tired of always being silenced.
• “Good for you.  Hang in there.  It’s the right thing to do.”
• “I’m glad you’re here.  It needs to be in their face.  Stay strong.”
• “Thank you for being here,” said a woman whose grandchild was killed at the local Planned Parenthood.