Opinion

Shawn Carney on the pro-life movement’s greatest weakness

On unity.

This is a clip from an episode of Life Report called “Shawn Carney from 40 Days for Life on the State of the Pro-Life Movement.” In this clip, I asked 40 Days for Life co-founder Shawn Carney what he believes the pro-life movements greatest weakness is. This is a follow-up question from my last post with Shawn’s answer about the pro-life movement’s greatest victory so far.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAIk-L9Bryg&start=1153]

Click the embedded video and it will start at the right place in the interview. This particular topic ends at 21:11.

If you don’t want to watch the 3-minute video, you can read the full transcript below.

Transcript: 

weaknessJosh Brahm:  What is the pro-life movement’s greatest weakness or failing?

Shawn Carney:  Division, like anything else. And that’s the weakness of any company, school, church, or anything. We’re a divided movement because we’re a family.

Josh Brahm: If you don’t believe that, go to Abby Johnson’s Facebook page because there is no more debated —

Shawn Carney: This might be a family show. I don’t know what you’re going to see on Abby’s Facebook page. I don’t even go to Abby’s Facebook page!

That’s right. It is divided. And I got asked that one time by a Canadian secular media outlet. And, in some sense, it should be divided because we’re is a family and this is a passionate issue — because these are our brothers and our sisters that are being aborted. These are our brothers and our sisters that are having the abortions. And these are our brothers and our sisters that are working in the industry.

Everybody has a strong opinion and thinks that their way is the best way. And that makes for a closer knit family, but it has provided stumbling blocks. And that’s why it has been — we feel — one of our roles as an organization at 40 Days for Life — to bring so many people into the movement so that they can get involved.

Because how many people do we know — especially the post-abortive women and the people who supported abortion who did have some kind of conversion or change of heart — they always say, “If people only knew about the humanity of the baby. If people only knew that every single abortion stops a beating heart.”

This is an education process and we can’t be so divisive that we don’t recruit all of the new people. This is the worst thing that our country has to offer. It is so horrific that we can’t show it on TV, even if we wanted to. No one would do it.

And yet, history will judge that. History is going to judge that and we want to be on the right side of history. And we have to articulate our message to get more people involved.

Download Full Interview (MP3) | 00:28:00

Life Report trains pro-life people to communicate their views more effectively. Through round-table discussions and interviews with the top experts on the subject, Life Report provides real-world answers to the toughest questions regarding abortion in the 21st century. Follow them on Facebook or Twitter.

Special thanks to Kimberly Carmany for the transcription. Thanks to Andrea Gleiter for helping to edit this post.

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