Write a Letter to the Editor to be a voice to the preborn and to fight pro-abortion bias in the media.
1. Assign two or three people in your group to read your school newspaper (or other news alert sources) each day. These students are responsible for checking the school paper and internet for any discussion of life issues. When they read an article that mentions abortion or another issue that your group addresses, they should alert the group immediately. If possible, they should find the article in the online publication of the newspaper and forward it to the group. It is also a good idea to print out a copy and place in your group’s president binder.
2. Discuss it as a group over email or in person at a meeting, but don’t wait more than a day. The group should decide how best to respond. If it’s a pro-life article, write to the editor to show your support for the points made and adding any relevant information. If the article presents both the pro-life and pro-abortion sides of the issue, write in supporting the pro-life points and point out any flaws in the pro-abortion reasoning. If the article is pro-abortion with no explanation of the pro-life position, write the editor explaining the pro-life position on the matter. Worse yet, the article might be an outright attack on the pro-life position. Again, your job is to defend the pro-life position. Be a voice for the preborn.
3. Assign people to write the letters. They can use the ideas and points your group discussed to write compelling letters of support or rebuttal. This is a great task for students who have busy schedules that conflict with other group activities or are journalism/communications majors. They can write the letter on their own time and still make an important contribution to the pro-life work of your group. And the best part is that it won’t take a long time to do this but it could have an impacting effect. There is no limit to the number of letters you can submit. Get several students involved if you can, but each should write their letter separately. Do not send in ten copies of the same letter signed by different people. Send them in as soon as possible. Try not wait more than a day or two, as time permits. You should send it to group members to review before sending it in.
4. The letters should be short, concise, and factual. Length should be 150-200 words. Don’t go on an emotional rant, stick to your points, and let the facts speak for themselves. Make sure to reference your sources! If the article you are responding to argued that abortion should be allowed so that all children would be “wanted” children, point out that child abuse rates have increased since abortion was legalized. Your first sentences should read something like this: “Dear Editor, I am writing in response to the article “Abortion is Good for Society” printed in the January 1st edition of the School Newspaper. Since abortion was legalized, child abuse rates have increased…” Make sure to include contact information for your group.
5. Watch for your letter to be published. Those in control of your school newspaper are most likely pro-abortion. They may not publish it at all. If it is published, read through it to see if it has been edited in a biased fashion, write a letter of complaint if it has. If your letter is never published, ask why. Work with the school newspaper, but also consider starting your own publication. Check out the “SFLA Publication Guide” for help.
Sample Documents
© Students for Life of America 2014