Philosophy of Sidewalk Counseling

I. What Is It?

A. What are you there to do?

Witness to evil
- Christians are called to be the light of the world and the killing centers are our darkest places!
- Passersby, PP employees, and clients will be reminded by our physical presence that this evil is real
Pray for conversion of hearts
- The soul of every mother (and father) entering that place is at risk because she has already spiritually aborted her child
- Because only God can convert hearts we ask Him on behalf of those who will not or do not know to ask for themselves
Save babies!
- A baby is not safe unless his mother loves him enough to sacrifice for him
- Sometimes practical help is not the real issue – the issue is selfishness, which can only be overcome by prayer and sacrifice
Offer practical help and loving support to mothers

B. Do you have a legal right and a moral imperative to do this work?

Absolutely! Christians are called to be good citizens: we must use our First Amendment rights to combat injustice.
We have a right to free speech and public assembly and the sidewalk is public!
God calls us to do everything we can do! Evil only continues because good people do nothing or don’t do enough.

II. Sidewalk Counseling Dos and Don’ts

A. Do pray before, during, and after your shift.

Pray for conviction, courage, and compassion to maintain a Christ-like attitude while speaking the hard truth with love—GRACE is essential!
Pray for the conversion of heart of the mothers and their accomplices, for the repentance of all the abortion workers, and for the babies.
Get a solid prayer support base – family and friends are a good place to start.

B. Do remain focused – this is supremely important!

Easy to be distracted by other pro-lifers or the events on the sidewalk.
Our presence must always witness to the gravity of the evil taking place and our concern for the mothers.
Socializing should only occur after a shift is over and never take place on the sidewalk. If they see us laughing and chitchatting, our credibility is weakened.

C. Do your homework on abortion and on the available local assistance

Counselors should be very familiar with abortion basics, local resources, and the particulars of the abortion center where they counsel.
Start with the literature we hand out and know it by heart!

D. Do respond to crisis situations; don’t react

Be prepared to remain calm in response to the most common situations encountered on the sidewalk.
This involves practice (role play), talking with other counselors, and doing our homework. It also involves prayer.

E. Don’t carry a sign

A sign puts a physical barrier between you and the patrons. You want to be as approachable as possible. (It also makes it nearly impossible to hand out the literature).

F. Don’t reveal confidential information

We have to carefully protect the confidence of everyone with whom we speak.
Feel free to share good and bad news as long as you protect the person’s privacy.

III. Sidewalk Counseling Basics

A. Initial approach:

SMILE! She needs to see Jesus in you – make eye contact, be very firm and very confident, but very loving.
Introduce yourself and get the information into her hand!
Establish a foundation of trust – “I know women come here because they have real problems. We’re out here because we care about women and want to help them find a truly good solution.”
Women seeking abortion are not thinking about their babies, so get her to see that HER problems will not be solved by abortion, rather she will create new problems.

B. Inform:

Let them know about practical help – “This place is not safe – it’s a business that only makes money if you chose abortion. These places offer free pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, and can discuss all your options with you. You deserve to know all your options and take time to make a really good decision.”
Offer to go with her if you are able and willing; or let her know that one of us will go.

C. Ask questions:

“Are you pregnant?/Is one of you pregnant?”
“How far along are you?”
“How do you feel about this pregnancy?”
“Are you considering abortion? Are you considering a _____ abortion” (depending on her weeks)?
Get at the problem! What is her big concern? “Why do you feel you need an abortion?”
“Do you know what your baby looks like right now?” (show her fetal model or point to pictures in brochure)
At this point, don’t be afraid to bring Jesus into the picture. “Are you a Christian?” “Do you go to church?” “Do you know Jesus loves you and wants what is best for you?” “Do you think He would want you to be here?”

D. Listen and solve Problem:

The Saturday morning security guard is very assertive and we often only have a minute or two to talk with the woman.
When you are about to be interrupted or even before, invite her to drive across the street and continue the conversation.
At the very least: Stay calm. Smile. Get the info into her hand. Tell her that no one can take that information away; she has a RIGHT to read and keep it.
Tell her she can ALWAYS COME BACK OUT. Tell her you will be praying that she can make the right choice and will help her with whatever she needs to do that.
Remind her to look at her sonogram.

E. BE BOLD!

Confidence is key – if you seem nervous or unsure of yourself, how will you instill confidence in the mother that you can help her?
Pray to God and He will be your strength! Ask the Holy Spirit to give you what to say!

IV. Abortion Basics

A. Educate yourself about abortion:

Educational sites:

B. Educate yourself about pregnancy and childbirth:

V. Resources