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  12 ways to help


1. Share these materials

2. Choose words with care
3. Pray for all hurt by abortion
4. Tell leaders
5. Tell politicians 
6. Tell clergy
7.  Write a letter to the editor
8.  Stay informed
9.  Healing newspaper insert
10. Donate books to libraries
11. Help post-abortion groups
12. Link to this site

 

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12 ways to help
your contribution matters!
 

what you can do right now

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other ways you or your group can help

< reach a leader:

sample letter to pastors

sample letters to the editor

sample letter to candidates & legislators

small bulletin or message cards and flyers

  

< send Portraits of Coercion, the Invisible Women ad and

message cards to open-minded reporters, feature-story writers and compassionate leaders

 

1. Use these ads & resources, tell others about this site

 

Select one or more items from this list ...

► Print healing "business cards," bookmarks  and ad/flyers.  Distribute anywhere/everywhere!

► Place small ads in bulletins, newsletters, civic magazines, classifieds,  on-line, etc.

► Run UnChoice radio or TV ads locally.  (See Ad Campaign page for details)
Some stations will run them as FREE Public Service Announcements (PSAs) during off-peak hours

Post a Billboard ... or take the art to a printer to print as a rally sign.

► Run ads or ad campaigns campaigns or ads in your community. 
....See our Ad Campaign page for your choices - from easy/no-frills ads to a professional campaign. Read Ads 101 - 6 Tips, and Terms of Use first.
.....You may use our free fundraising letter to raise money to run the unchoice ads locally.


► Keep the candle burning! See the "what you can do right now" links above, and find other ways to tell others about the surprising new facts about unwanted abortions and that there are teens, women and families at risk in our midst  right now. Act now, before it's too late for them and their children!

Tell others about the free downladable resources at TheUnChoice.com. Distribute our "Download Free Resources" flyer, which encourages people to visit TheUnChoice.com, or our books flyer book sales help spread the word and support this outreach, too.

► See Low-Cost/No-Cost Ways to Use these ads and other materials for more ideas.

2.  Use the word "choice" and other words with care

 

For many teens, women, men and families, it wasn't really about "choice." Words that presume "she chose" or "women who choose ..." can unintentionally hurt those whose reality was quite different ...

"You mean you didn't want to have an abortion?"
Her question pierced my heart.  WOW, I thought, she doesn't know ..."

Until more Americans are aware of widespread unwanted, coerced or even forced abortion, professional or even criminally negligent "counseling," pregnancy-related blackmail, job or housing  discrimination, and no-win ultimatums ... your innocent words, signs or other casually spoken or publicly displayed messages can send an unintended message:

►  For those coerced or even forced into an unwanted abortion, the word "choice" becomes a cruel irony that can deepen an already raw wound. 

►  For the young couple who trusted the moral guidance of a misguided pastor ... an unethical physician ... or an agenda-driven "counselor" or other authorities, health officials and gatekeepers.

►  For individuals and families who've been unfairly judged or even condemned by loved ones, strangers, experts or bystanders.

►  For still other victims who are fathers, friends and families who mourn sensitive abortion-related losses that may include the loss of a daughter, sister, mother or friend in abortion's aftermath ...

Presumptions about "choice" can further wound already-broken hearts and lives.

Encourage others –- especially leaders with a "bully pulpit" –- to always first acknowledge widespread unwanted or unjustly coerced abortions and to avoid presuming – or using language that seems to presume – that someone's abortion was a free, fair or fully informed  "choice" or that they were offered meaningful support, protection of  their rights or information about fetal development and available alternatives.

3. Pray for the women, men and families wounded by abortion

 

Many women grieve a long list of injustices, but above all, the loss of a child. Family and friends grieve, too, and many have also lost a mother, daughter, sister or friend to pregnancy-related violence or abortion-related malpractice.

Please pray for all those impacted by abortion.  Not just this once, but every day. Make this one of your daily intentions. Pray especially for those in urgent need of  hope and healing.

Pray also for the emotional and financial support of the many generous women and men who provide post-abortion counseling services. It is very difficult, draining, heart-wrenching work.  They need your prayers.

Please also pray for the Elliot Institute, our staff, and our families. Pray especially that we will have compassion in all that we do, and the wisdom to see all the opportunities and find all the resources we need to accomplish this work. 

Finally, consider starting a prayer chain or encouraging others to also pray regularly for the intentions above. 

4. Share these materials with pro-life and community leaders


Distribute and forward these materials to anyone you know, especially compassionate group leaders, local pastors, politicians, friends and family. Encourage them to:
 

* Read, use and share our materials,
* Sign up for our email list - the latest news, research and outreach

* Link to our web sites TheUnChoice.com and www.AfterAbortion.info

 

Don’t assume they already know this information!  And don’t assume they are keeping on top of the latest developments.  These established leaders can be the most powerful educators in our community and churches, but only AFTER they understand abortion's injustice to mothers, too.  Many have not had time to devote to integrating into their work a more holistic pro-woman/pro-life message. Keep giving them copies of our special reports, fact sheets, ads, brochures, books, or articles. Or, create a convenient Information Kit for them.
 

The fact that you have personally taken the time to encourage these leaders to learn more about post-abortion issues through www.AfterAbortion.info or TheUnChoice.com and our other printed resources can make a BIG difference. The faster leaders share this urgent message, the faster we will see progress. 

5. Ask candidates & legislators to advocate for authentic women's rights

 

Educate your political leaders by sharing downloadable materials at www.UnChoice.info ...

►  See our letter to legislators (sample), send a version in your own words.
Include fact sheets and ads with your letter.

►  Or, create a convenient  Political Information Kit for them.
Fill a folder or tab-divided binder with fact sheets, ads, etc.
Include a Table of Contents for even easier reference

►  Ask your legislator to protect women’s rights by requiring full disclosure, proper screening, and full liability for abortionists who injure or kill women. Model legislation and support documents consistent with this strategy are posted at www.AfterAbortion.info  

►  Schedule a meeting with your representative, candidate or political-party representative. They are very receptive to feedback from voters!

 

6. Ask pastors and religious leaders to encourage awareness and healing

 

Encourage your pastor and other leaders to defuse this divisive issue by speaking out about widespread unwanted or coerced abortions, pregnancy- and abortion-related injustices and the urgent need for healing, support and prayer for women, men and families hurt by abortion ... and authentic prowoman support and alternatives.

Refer pastors to TheUnChoice.com for materials they can use for counseling, talks and outreach services. This includes downloadable fact sheets, testimonies, the Forced Abortion in America report, and more.

Send our Pastors Letter (in pdf or MS Word doc you can edit) ... along with a copy of:
1) Portraits of Coercion flyer
2) Sample healing ad
3) Sample healing business card/ad or bookmark/ad

Ask for permission to keep copies of Hope and Healing on the literature table at the back of the your church. Then, make sure copies are always available.

7. Write a "letter to the editor"

 

This is a highly effective way to educate the public and influence legislators about the injustice of coerced abortion, abortion-related abuses, risks and trauma.

Click here for examples of letters that you can use "as is" or modify. 

Keep an eye on current events; when pregnancy-related injustices are in the news, it's a good time to write a letter and raise awareness of these issues, especially unwanted abortions and the urgent need for compassion and healing.

For example:

Mothers Day  – can be difficult for those suffering post-abortion grief
Fathers Day  – abortion hurts men, too
National Depression Screening Awareness (October) – abortion linked to clinical depression and suicide, but hope and healing are possible
See our PR Calendar for ideas & tie-ins. (These dates are a good time to run ads, too.)

Don’t forget to sign up for our email list so we can notify you immediately when there is such a “news peg,” for example, newly published research, screening tests, free posters, etc. You can also check the PR calendar when planning ads. These dates are a good time to run associated ads.

8. Stay informed about new research, information and resources

 

New research, strategies and initiatives are constantly being developed. Subscribe to both The Post-Abortion Review, our printed quarterly publication which focuses on the impact of abortion on women, men, and children; and our free email newsletter, the Elliot Institute News. Subscribing to these resources will help you to see when and how you can get involved in more effective ways. Refer interested friends to our web sites and ask them to join our e-list.
 

9.  Distribute the Hope and Healing Newspaper Insert

 

Buy a small bundle of Hope and Healing and distribute them to friends or leave them anyplace people might be waiting around and looking for something to read.  Make sure they are in the literature rack at the back of your church. 

Ask all the pregnancy centers and pro-life groups in your county if they have Hope and Healing in stock and are distributing it from their literature tables at the county fair.  Consider donating copies or volunteering to do this important outreach. If you have a waiting room at your place of business (a doctor’s office, salon, laundromat, etc.) keep copies available for visitors to browse through. 

Contact churches, pro-life groups, crisis pregnancy centers, and other like-minded organizations and ask them to work with you to place Hope and Healing as a paid advertising supplement in your community or college newspapers. For large orders, we can even provide a special edition with an advertisement listing contact information for the sponsoring organizations.

When an organization raises the funds to insert Hope and Healing into a community newspaper, we will provide Hope and Healing at cost, or even provide the artwork for you to print locally. Hope and Healing has touched and changed many lives. With your help, it will touch more.  

10.  Donate books on post-abortion issues to your local libraries

 

Make sure The Detrimental Effects of Abortion, Giving Sorrow Words, Forbidden Grief, Victims and Victors, and similar books and materials on post-abortion trauma and healing are available at your local high school, college, church, medical, and public libraries. This is one of the simplest and most effective things you, your church, or your local pro-life group can do. 

11. Support pregnancy resource centers and post-abortion ministries

 

Consider supporting your local pregnancy resource center or post-abortion ministries as a donor, volunteer, or board member.  National ministries can provide information about associated ministries in your area that could use your support. 

The Elliot Institute relies on your generosity, too. This campaign and web site, and all of the Elliot Institute's work, are funded solely by the support of people like you. We have a very small mailing list, a very small staff and a very small budget, so your donation makes a very big difference!

Please consider becoming a Sustaining Partner in our ministry by making a pledge for monthly, quarterly, or semi-annual donations. This allows us to spend less time fundraising and more time doing the urgent work at hand. It also frees us up to plan ahead, vs. wondering whether the money will come in!  Donate on-line. Or, mail donations to: 

Elliot Institute

P.O. Box 7348-WBU

Springfield, IL 62791  

12. Link to www.TheUnChoice.com ... refer others, too!


Promotional funds are limited at best, so we rely on faith and friends to promote these materials and this web site through word of mouth, prayer support, and the "ripple-effect" of sharing ... including free PR opportunities, Low-Cost/No-Cost Ways to use these materials, and/or generous donors willing to subsidize a paid-media campaign in a selected market. (Contact us if this is you!)

We encourage any individual or group with a web site to link to TheUnChoice.com and www.AfterAbortion.org ... Also, please refer your friends, church and civic leaders and others.
 

Other ways to help

  • Stay informed and educate others via our newsletters or books.
    Subscribe to our quarterly The Post-Abortion Review, or Elliot Institute News email newsletter. Consider ordering books and resources to read, share or donate to libraries.

  • Remember us in September – United Way Campaign Kickoff time!
    Local and regional policies vary. Before September, ask your local United Way representative about donating to post-abortion ministries as part of this year's campaign.

  • Volunteer- check our Time and Talent page often for updates and new projects.

  • Speak to groups about The UnChoice ... about widespread unwanted or coerced abortion and post-abortion grief and the urgent need for healing. Keep it simple, e.g. play a radio ad, hand out a few things: Portraits of Coercion, Forced Abortion in America, Top 10 Reasons it's the UnChoice and Healing Ad/Flyers.  Refer those hurt by abortion to TheUnChoice.com/healing for tips and referrals, or hand out copies of the Counseling Resources list.

  • File an affidavit about your abortion experience, using only your initials, if you want, to support legal challenges to Roe v. Wade.

  • Share your story. (Form etc. coming soon) if and when you are comfortable doing so. (See our healing page for a guide on the journey toward healing.)

  • Share articles and forward e-news. Regarding Permission to Reprint  Read this if you'd like to reprint or repost an article.
     

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for post-abortion counseling referrals, call 1-877-HOPE-4-ME or click here.
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