Oregon Right to Life conference recap
Last weekend Oregon Right to Life (ORTL) invited me to open their Together We Advocate conference with Building Bridges, SPL’s keynote presentation that’s all about how to connect to people different from ourselves.
Bridges aligns perfectly with two core parts of SPL’s mission: coalition building and creating space for non-traditional pro-lifers, and every single time I’ve presented it I’ve been met with resounding gratitude and excitement. This conference was no exception.
Held outside Portland, OR, Together We Advocate is the largest pro-life conference in the Pacific Northwest, and my talk was well attended–and well loved! People were actively engaged: nodding, laughing, even occasionally shouting agreement. One attendee went online and donated to SPL right then (a first for me, and enormously encouraging).
This was also the first time we incorporated post-presentation surveys, and we got a lot of great feedback. Examples:
Monica was an amazing speaker. Great diction. Even though she spoke 100mph, I understood everything. Really helped me think outside the box. Love her ideas about “planting my feet” and stating my stance.
My favorite aspects were Monica’s personality and energy. Honest and humorous. Super intelligent. Really appreciate the different perspective.
Your presentation has moved me to seek common ground and to be smarter in my approach when talking with someone who is so opposite to my beliefs.
Honestly the whole presentation was awesome! Please keep speaking.
Bridges includes so many examples and practical tips that I can’t present it in its entirety and still have time for Q&A in 60 minutes. To fix this, ORTL asked me to lead a workshop directly after the keynote, allowing extended time for Q&A. Attendees asked about how to respond to situations ranging from debates on college campuses to conversations at home to high stakes moments out on the sidewalk. They had great feedback here too:
Great information, the speaker really knew her stuff! Thanks so much. I loved the open mic questions and answers!
ORTL also very thoughtfully gifted SPL with a conference table for the day, and I had Neil (an SPL volunteer experienced with tabling) as my trusted second. We let people know we’d be there for the full conference if they wanted to talk more.
And talk more they did. People came and found us all day long. One woman told us she came to the conference specifically to see SPL. Another man walked up, shook my hand, and told me he’s been in pro-life activism for years and he thinks SPL’s work is some of the most important in the movement today. Several people said they’re grateful SPL gives them a framing to explain the pro-life POV in largely secular Oregon.
In Oregon, abortion is legal at any stage in pregnancy for any reason, and this was the case even before Dobbs. It’s one of the most pro-choice states in the country, which is why Oregonian pro-lifers are my kind of people. Counter-culture. Passionate and stubborn. They each have their reasons for taking a socially unpopular stand and refusing to let it go, and one of the most engaging parts of the conference was getting to hear their stories.
One woman described to us her traumatic birth and the PRC that was there for her when hospital staff certainly were not. Another told us about her close relationship with her college-age pro-choice niece and sought our suggestions on how to have useful discussions. Another tearfully explained her past abortion and decades-long road to healing. We all have our reasons for being here.
All of them thanked Neil and me for our time and insights. Many signed up for SPL’s newsletter and went to our website to get more resources. Some exchanged specific contact info so we can discuss future potential projects in Oregon. It was a very rewarding conference.
Thank you so much to you who sponsor these trips. Every time I present Bridges, I’m training more pro-life organizations and activists to create broader, more effective coalitions. Your donations help us build a movement.
Grateful to have you in our corner,
Monica
Help me keep broadening the pro-life movement by supporting trips like this one. Travel expenses (flights, hotel, meals) and tabling materials (brochures, postcards, stickers, enticement Starbursts) totaled $1,306. If you’re able to help with these kinds of expenses, please donate here:
