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trtl:education:team:presentations:abortion [2023/01/04 01:17] – old revision restored (2022/07/18 15:22) 167.114.159.99trtl:education:team:presentations:abortion [2024/02/08 14:12] (current) – fixed syntax error balleyne
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   - //(introduce yourself)// "Hi, I'm NAME. I'm a member of the Education Team at Toronto Right to Life."   - //(introduce yourself)// "Hi, I'm NAME. I'm a member of the Education Team at Toronto Right to Life."
     * //(introduce yourself beyond TRTL)// "When I'm not doing this, I'm..." (share something about what you do outside of TRTL)     * //(introduce yourself beyond TRTL)// "When I'm not doing this, I'm..." (share something about what you do outside of TRTL)
-  - <del>//(introduce TRTL)// "Toronto Right to Life is a local pro-life organization that works to end abortion. We work with students, teachers, churches and pro-lifers across the GTA to end the killing."</del> FIXME scrap this, put it in the handout? +  - //(frame the topic)// "Today, we're going to look at the abortion issue from science and human rights perspective. I believe this is an important issue to discuss. Many people in our society today are directly or indirectly affected by abortion. I have friends who have faced unplanned pregnancies and have had abortions. I’m here to present to you the facts behind abortion based on science and human rights, but also to share a message of love and hope to anyone wounded by abortion."
-  - //(frame the topic)// "Today, I'm going to present the pro-life position against abortion, grounded in science and human rights"+
       * //(if in religion class or place of worship)// "Even though this is religion class, we're not going to approach this from a religious perspective, but using science and human rights. Everything that I'm going to say is compatible with the faith, but if I were in a mosque or at a covention of atheists, I wouldn't say anything differently." [religion class is just where ethics gets covered in the curriculum]       * //(if in religion class or place of worship)// "Even though this is religion class, we're not going to approach this from a religious perspective, but using science and human rights. Everything that I'm going to say is compatible with the faith, but if I were in a mosque or at a covention of atheists, I wouldn't say anything differently." [religion class is just where ethics gets covered in the curriculum]
-      * FIXME message of hope and healing up front? e.g. "I'm not here to judge or condemn" ((Debbie: "I was astounded when I found out how many kids knew about a student's abortion at a high school a couple years ago.The girls in turn feel judged and hated when the other kids 'see what they did'. We've talked about their feelings of being "exposed and vulnerable and even hated". When a speaker is post-abortive, they implicitly can diffuse feelings of judgement or accusation. But when someone who hasn't had an abortion is speaking, we need to take explicit steps to frame the issue //upfront// in such a way as to distinguish actions from people)) +  - //(set an AMA tone)// "Feel free to ask me anything. I'll try to answer your questions during the presentation. If not, I'll address them at the end wherein we have time for discussion. I also encourage you to write down your questions so that you'll remember to ask them at the end.
-    * FIXME inspire action, e.g. "encourage you to join us and get active in defending human rights, to end the killing" +
-  - //(set an AMA tone)// "I'm here because I think this is an important issue to discuss, so you can ask me anything about abortion. We'll try to get through presentation earlier so there's lots of time for discussion at the end. Feel free to write your questions down so that you'll remember them at the end." [up to you if you want to take some questions along the way, may make sense in some situations]+
   - //(introduce the survey)// "You all should have a copy of the survey. They're anonymous. We really want to know what you think. Start now by filling out the first question, what do you think about abortion before hearing the presentation. The rest you can fill out at the end."   - //(introduce the survey)// "You all should have a copy of the survey. They're anonymous. We really want to know what you think. Start now by filling out the first question, what do you think about abortion before hearing the presentation. The rest you can fill out at the end."
  
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     - //(last, make sure to address the hard case of rape, as it will be on the minds of those in the audience)//     - //(last, make sure to address the hard case of rape, as it will be on the minds of those in the audience)//
       * "Or how about the horrible case of rape" //(make sure to briefly express your horror, e.g. "I can't imagine what it would be like to be in that situation, to be the victim of such a terrible and evil act")//       * "Or how about the horrible case of rape" //(make sure to briefly express your horror, e.g. "I can't imagine what it would be like to be in that situation, to be the victim of such a terrible and evil act")//
-        * "Let's say you've got a married woman who has consensual sex with her husband on Monday, and on Tuesday, she's raped. One month later, she discovers that she's pregnant. She doesn't know who the father of her child is. So let's say she hopes its her husbands child and she carries on with the pregnancy. After the baby is born, the doctors do a paternity test and find out that the father of the child is not her husband, it's the rapist. Would we allow that woman or anyone to kill that newborn baby because of the father's crime?((http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/06/health/06abor.html?_r=0)) If no, then why kill the pre-born baby because of the father's crime?"+        * "Let's say you've got a married woman who has consensual sex with her husband on Monday, and on Tuesday, she's raped by another man. One month later, she discovers that she's pregnant. She doesn't know who the father of her child is. So let's say she hopes its her husbands child and she carries on with the pregnancy. After the baby is born, the doctors do a paternity test and find out that the father of the child is not her husband, it's the rapist. Would we allow that woman or anyone to kill that newborn baby because of the father's crime?((http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/06/health/06abor.html?_r=0)) If no, then why kill the pre-born baby because of the father's crime?"
         * **//(the key point to make at this stage)//**: "The point is: it's not money or age of the mother or disability or rape that makes it okay to kill somebody."         * **//(the key point to make at this stage)//**: "The point is: it's not money or age of the mother or disability or rape that makes it okay to kill somebody."
         * "We know the circumstances are hard. Really hard. But if we don't think the circumstances make it okay to kill a newborn baby, then why would it be okay to kill a pre-born baby for the same reason?"         * "We know the circumstances are hard. Really hard. But if we don't think the circumstances make it okay to kill a newborn baby, then why would it be okay to kill a pre-born baby for the same reason?"
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 <note>**Objective [13:00-15:00]:** //(frame the key moral question that we need to answer about abortion, and foreshadow how we're going to deal with it in the rest of the presentation)//</note> <note>**Objective [13:00-15:00]:** //(frame the key moral question that we need to answer about abortion, and foreshadow how we're going to deal with it in the rest of the presentation)//</note>
  
-  * **Next step: Who are the pre-born?** "The key question then, is: //who are the pre-born?// This is the question that we need to answer to understand whether abortion is right or wrong." +  * **Next step: Who are the pre-born?** FIXME Make changes on the slide  
-    * //(maybe)// "If the pre-born aren't human, then we don't really need a reason why abortion is okay. But if the pre-born //are// human, then there's no reason that could make abortion okay."+"The key question then, is: //who are the pre-born?// This is the question that we need to answer to understand whether abortion is right or wrong." 
 +    * //(maybe)// "If the pre-born aren't human, then we don't really need a reason why abortion is okay. Abortion would be like getting a haircut or having a tooth pulled. But if the pre-born //are// human, then there's no reason that could make abortion okay, there's no reason that could make it okay to kill an innocent human being."
       * "We know abortion can be very complex socially, emotionally, psychologically, practically -- but it's not //morally// complex. Even when circumstances are really, really hard, intentionally killing an innocent human being is never okay."       * "We know abortion can be very complex socially, emotionally, psychologically, practically -- but it's not //morally// complex. Even when circumstances are really, really hard, intentionally killing an innocent human being is never okay."
   * //(introduce three question apologetic as a foreshadowing of the rest of the presentation, to use the questions to get people thinking -- read questions slowly, rhetorically -- no commentary at this point)//   * //(introduce three question apologetic as a foreshadowing of the rest of the presentation, to use the questions to get people thinking -- read questions slowly, rhetorically -- no commentary at this point)//
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       * **Next step** "And lastly: Do you believe in **human rights**? //Who// gets them?" //(pause)//       * **Next step** "And lastly: Do you believe in **human rights**? //Who// gets them?" //(pause)//
  
-**Transition:** //(outline the rest of the presentation)// "This morning/afternoon/evening, we're going to dive into these questions in detail to equip you to defend the pro-life view and end the killing: +**Transition:** //(outline the rest of the presentation)// "This morning/afternoon/evening, we're going to dive into these questions in detail by looking at 3 key concepts: 
-  - We'll go through the //science// of how pre-born children are alive, and **human** +  - We'll go through the //science// of human development to figure out whether or not the pre-born are human and alive. 
-  - We'll talk about the //ethics//, how all human beings have **human rights** +  - We'll talk about the //ethics// to understand why all human beings should have human rights. 
-  - And we'll talk about the reality of what abortion does to pre-born children, and what we must do to end the killing +  - Lastly, we'll look at the reality of what abortion does to pre-born children.
- +
 ===== Science: When does life begin? ===== ===== Science: When does life begin? =====
 ==== Looking for the beginning ==== ==== Looking for the beginning ====
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 <note tip>You can swap these photos out with photos of yourself, or photos of someone you know. (You can keep the ultrasound video/photos, and just say something like, "what about a child at this age?")</note> <note tip>You can swap these photos out with photos of yourself, or photos of someone you know. (You can keep the ultrasound video/photos, and just say something like, "what about a child at this age?")</note>
  
-  * **Next step: science** "First, we need to look at science and ask the question: when does life begin?" +But just before we look at science, let's consider for ourselves the "options" for when human life begins. Does human life begin before fertilization, at fertilization, or some time after? FIXME would need to edit the slides 
-  * **Next step: kindergarten** + 
-    * //(introduce kid, e.g. "This is Noah on his first day of kindergarten.")//  +**Before Fertilization**? 
-    * "Some people say that everything you need to know in life you learned in kindergarten. But would you say that kindergarten is when life begins?" //(move on immediately)// + 
-  * **Next step: preschool** "Okay, how about a bit earlier, in preschool?" +  * Before fertilization, we have sperm and eggs, i.e. gametes. Are sperm and egg equivalent to the embryo? Here's one way to think about it: 
-    * //(briefly)// "This is when Noah is old enough to have a conversation, to use full sentences, to do some things on his own. Is this when life begins?" //(move on immediately)// +    * If you take a sperm cell, and give it what it needs to live – nutrition, a safe environment – and wait 1 year, or 15 years, what will happen? You will still have a sperm cell. 
-  * **Next step: toddler** "How about when he was a toddler? When he was first using words and communicating, walking on his own? How about then?" //(move on immediately)// +    * If you take an egg cell, and give it what it needs to live – nutrition, a safe environment – and wait 1 year, or 15 years, what will happen? Again, you will still have an egg cell. 
-  * **Next step: infant** "Or maybe when he was an infant? Bright-eyed, smiling, making sounds and reacting to faces, starting to recognize people and be aware of his surroundings. Is this the start of his life?" //(move on immediately)// +    * In contrast, if you take a zygote, and give her what she needs to live – nutrition, a safe environment – and wait 1 year, or 15 years, what will happen? You will have an infant, or a teenager. 
-  * **Next step: newborn** "Maybe we need to go earlier to birth. Maybe his life begins when he was born. Who thinks life begins at birth?" //(quick show of hands, quick acknowledgement, then move on immediately to challenge with the next step)// +    * A gamete has 23 chromosomes, while a zygote has a complete set of DNA. A gamete stays a gamete until the transformation of fertilization. A zygote, in contrast, continues to grow older, into a blastocyst, an embryo, a fetus, a newborn, an infant, a toddler, etc. A gamete is a human part, while the embryo is a human whole. We know the difference between a human part and a human whole. 
-  * **Next step: second trimester ultrasound video** //(let video play while briefly talking over it)// + 
-    * "Well, what about just a few weeks earlier, halfway through pregnancy?" +**After Fertilization**? 
-      * //(very quickly make some observation about his humanity)// +  * Now let's entertain the possibility that human life begins some time //after// fertilization.  
-        * moving +    * Meet my friend's son Noah on his first day of kindergarten. Imagine Noah walked through that door and you had never met him before. Would you assume that his life began at that moment? That he puffed out of nowhere and started living when he walked through the door? Of course not! We know that he grew from a younger version of himself. 
-        * maybe sucking his thumb +    * Now here’s toddler Noah. Would we say that Noah’s life began when he was a toddler? Again of course not. We know he grew from a younger version of himself. 
-        * can feel pain about halfway through pregnancy +    * How about at infancy? Did Noah’s life begin when he was an infant? No, because we know that a few months earlier, he was born. 
-        * a few weeks after this, would have been able to survive outside the womb if born prematurely +    * And where did newborn Noah come from? He was not brought by the stork that’s for sure. He was delivered from her mother's body, at birth. Newborn Noah grew from an earlier version of himself–namely, the fetus. 
-    * "Maybe life begins about halfway through pregnancy then?" +    * This is fetal Noah at 21 weeks. You can see him making a lot of movements. He must be alive, right? Maybe sucking his thumb, kicking…. He can feel pain about halfway through pregnancy. A few weeks after this, he would have been able to survive outside the womb if born prematurely. Maybe you’re thinking, well he’s a not human, he’s just a fetus.
-  * "Okay, but maybe you're thinking: he's not human, he's just a fetus"+
     * "We have to ask ourselves: what //kind// of fetus is he? Because you can have..." //(slow down just a bit to let photos sink in)//     * "We have to ask ourselves: what //kind// of fetus is he? Because you can have..." //(slow down just a bit to let photos sink in)//
     * **next step: elephant** "an elephant fetus"     * **next step: elephant** "an elephant fetus"
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       * "First, you're a zygote, then a blastocyst, then an embryo until about 8 weeks, then a fetus from 8 weeks until birth, then a newborn until a month after birth, then an infant, until you're a toddler, and so on until you're a teenager, until you're an adult."       * "First, you're a zygote, then a blastocyst, then an embryo until about 8 weeks, then a fetus from 8 weeks until birth, then a newborn until a month after birth, then an infant, until you're a toddler, and so on until you're a teenager, until you're an adult."
       * **"Age-range terms like fetus or embryo don't tell us //what// species someone is, but //how old// someone is."**       * **"Age-range terms like fetus or embryo don't tell us //what// species someone is, but //how old// someone is."**
-  * **Next step: first trimester** "How about at 10.5 weeks, in the first trimester when most abortions happen? Maybe this is when life begins?" +      * Let's go back to fetal Noah at a much earlier stage in the 1st trimester when most abortions happen. 
-    * you can see his: nose, eyes, arms, mouth +      * At 3 weeks is when the heart starts to beat and around 5 weeks is when brain activity can be detected with an EKG scanner. Where did fetal Noah come from? Did he magically appear in his mother’s womb? We know he grew and matured from an earlier version of himself namely, the embryo. 
-    * "Maybe it's when he has a heartbeat, at 3 weeks? Or when we can measure brain waves, at 6 weeks?"+      * And we know that the embryo came to be as a result of the sperm fertilizing the egg. And whereas the sperm and egg–by themselves–will never develop into a toddler or teenager, won't that single-celled human zygote develop into a toddler and teenager? Tiny as he is, Noah is a human whole who will self-direct his own growth. It is at fertilization when human life begins.
  
 **Transition: immediate** **Transition: immediate**
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       * //(women)// "Guys have sperm cells in your body. Are any of you worried that you're going to give birth in 9 months?"       * //(women)// "Guys have sperm cells in your body. Are any of you worried that you're going to give birth in 9 months?"
       * "Here's one way to think about it."       * "Here's one way to think about it."
-        * "If you take a sperm cell, and give it what it needs to live -- nutrition, safety, a natural environment -- and wait 9 months, or 15 years, what will happen?" //(pause)// "You'll still have a sperm cell." +        * "If you take a sperm cell, and give it what it needs to live -- nutrition, safety, a natural environment -- and wait 1 year, or 15 years, what will happen?" //(pause)// "You'll still have a sperm cell." 
-        * "If you take an egg cell, and give it what it needs to live -- nutrition, safety, a natural environment -- and wait 9 months, or 15 years, what will happen?" //(pause)// "You'll still have a sperm cell." +        * "If you take an egg cell, and give it what it needs to live -- nutrition, safety, a natural environment -- and wait 1 year, or 15 years, what will happen?" //(pause)// "You'll still have a sperm cell." 
-        * "If you take a zygote, and give her what she needs to live -- nutrition, safety, a natural environment -- and wait 9 months, or 15 years, what will happen?" //(pause)// "You'll have a newborn baby, a teenager"+        * "If you take a zygote, and give her what she needs to live -- nutrition, safety, a natural environment -- and wait 1 year, or 15 years, what will happen?" //(pause)// "You'll have an infant, a teenager"
     * "A gamete has 23 chromosomes, a zygote has a complete set of DNA. A gamete stays a gamete until the transformation of fertilization. A zygote continues to grow older, into a blastocyst, an embryo, a fetus, a newborn, an infant, a toddler, etc. **We know the difference between a human part and a human whole**     * "A gamete has 23 chromosomes, a zygote has a complete set of DNA. A gamete stays a gamete until the transformation of fertilization. A zygote continues to grow older, into a blastocyst, an embryo, a fetus, a newborn, an infant, a toddler, etc. **We know the difference between a human part and a human whole**
  
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       * //(add a piece, explain why it might be essential, then ask)// "How about now? Who thinks this is Mr. Potato Head now?" //(show of hands)//       * //(add a piece, explain why it might be essential, then ask)// "How about now? Who thinks this is Mr. Potato Head now?" //(show of hands)//
     * "At what point does this potato become Mr. Potato head?" //(slight pause, rhetorical question)//     * "At what point does this potato become Mr. Potato head?" //(slight pause, rhetorical question)//
-    * **"People think of human development like they think of Mr. Potato Head, like a human being is something //constructed//, like you can have half a human being."**+    * **"People think of human development like they think of Mr. Potato Head, like a human being is something //constructed//, a //thing//, an //objected//, like you can have half a human being."**
   * "But actually, human development is more like a Polaroid picture"   * "But actually, human development is more like a Polaroid picture"
     * "Does anyone know what a Polaroid is?" //(wait for quick responses)//     * "Does anyone know what a Polaroid is?" //(wait for quick responses)//
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   * "Maybe you're still thinking, okay, but, a fetus still just isn't a person! Well, what's a person?" //(ask the audience, collect a few answers if offered)//   * "Maybe you're still thinking, okay, but, a fetus still just isn't a person! Well, what's a person?" //(ask the audience, collect a few answers if offered)//
-  * //(frame the concept 'human + x')// "I want to show you that //any// definition of a person that doesn't include //all// human beings is a grave violation of human rights." **Next step: human + x** "Whenever we say that, to be a person, to have rights, you have to be a 'human being plus x', that's the formula for injustice, a formula for a grave human rights violation."+  * //(frame the concept 'human + x')// "//Any// definition of a person that doesn't include //all// human beings is a grave violation of human rights." **Next step: human + x** "Whenever we say that, to be a person, to get your basic human rights, you have to be a 'human being plus x', that just being a human being isn't good enough, that's the formula for injustice, a formula for a grave human rights violation."
   * "We can see this throughout history, that every time we've said that to be a person, you need to be a "human + x", it's been a catastrophic moral mistake..."   * "We can see this throughout history, that every time we've said that to be a person, you need to be a "human + x", it's been a catastrophic moral mistake..."
     * **Next step: Virginia Supreme Court** //(read it)// "To be a person, you had to be a human being plus white skin"     * **Next step: Virginia Supreme Court** //(read it)// "To be a person, you had to be a human being plus white skin"
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 **Transition:** And this ageism has lethal consequences. **Transition:** And this ageism has lethal consequences.
  
-===== Facing Abortion ===== +===== The Reality of Abortion ===== 
-==== Face the Victims ====+==== The Victims ====
 <note>**Objective [33:00-38:00]: To make the victims of abortion visible, and show the reality of abortion** </note> <note>**Objective [33:00-38:00]: To make the victims of abortion visible, and show the reality of abortion** </note>
 Options: Options:
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     * **Next step: video**      * **Next step: video** 
  
-**Transition:** //(pause for 3-5 seconds after video ends, count it out)// "What you just saw does not unrape a rape victim. It does not make a poor woman right. And it doesn't prevent two people from becoming parents -- it just makes them the parents of a dead child. //(pause)// We need //strong minds// to condemn the action of abortion, but we need //soft hearts//."+==== Unmasking Choice ==== 
 +FIXME Michelle 
 + 
 +**Transition:** //(pause for 3-5 seconds after video ends, count it out)// "What you just saw does not unrape a rape victim. It does not make a poor woman right. And it doesn't prevent two people from becoming parents -- it just makes them the parents of a dead child. 
 + 
 +FIXME insert here attack on moral relativism: 
 +  * Choice? 
 +  * dismantle: "my body, my choice" 
 +  * candy analogy? 
 +  * "don't force your views" child abuse, rape 
 ==== Wounded Culture ==== ==== Wounded Culture ====
 <note>**Objective [38:00-40:00]:** Convey a message of hope and healing, that while we must condemn the action of abortion, there is always hope for people who have had abortions.</note> <note>**Objective [38:00-40:00]:** Convey a message of hope and healing, that while we must condemn the action of abortion, there is always hope for people who have had abortions.</note>
 +
 +FIXME //(pause)// We need //strong minds// to condemn the action of abortion, but we need //soft hearts//."
  
   * "With 100,000 abortions every year in Canada, almost 300 every day, and over 3 million since its legalization...  that's a lot of women who are //hurting//."   * "With 100,000 abortions every year in Canada, almost 300 every day, and over 3 million since its legalization...  that's a lot of women who are //hurting//."
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       * FIXME Student Life Link sign up / contact card pitch       * FIXME Student Life Link sign up / contact card pitch
  
-FIXME motivation to do something, e.g. Winton/swim+FIXME motivation to do something, e.g. Winton/swim, Thomas Clarkson
  
 FIXME :!: :!: idea: "These are projects that you can run in your school, or your church, synagogue, temple, mosque, or your neighbourhood this year" (transition to "don't force your opinion" FIXME :!: :!: idea: "These are projects that you can run in your school, or your church, synagogue, temple, mosque, or your neighbourhood this year" (transition to "don't force your opinion"