In the first episode of Noyes on the Streets, Jon Noyes reviews a conversation he had at a women’s march in Washington D.C., demonstrating how asking clarifying questions can uncover contradictions in views about abortion and the humanity of the unborn.
Transcript
Jon: So, in this conversation, I approached someone holding a sign that says “all” people.
“Hey, could I ask you about your sign?”
Seems like a great opportunity to explore what that really means. But now when I asked whether that includes the unborn, the tone shifts quickly.
“What do you mean by all the people? Do you include the pre-born in that as well?”
This is a good example of what happens when deeply held beliefs meet moral clarity. And it shows why asking good questions is so powerful, even when the answers are hard to hear.
Jon: What do you mean by all the people?
Man: Everyone.
Jon: Everyone? Do you include the pre-born in that as well?
Man: Yeah. To a degree.
Jon: Okay. So, you’re pro-life?
Man: Not quite. No.
Jon: What do you mean?
Man: I mean, I think after a certain, you know, period of time, you shouldn’t be allowed to, you know, abort.
Jon: What period of time would that be?
Man: I believe it’s the first trimester.
Jon: Now, I want you to notice something in this clip here is that I focus on the Columbo tactic to engage with somebody that’s holding a sign. Super simple. Anybody can do it.
Now, if you’re going to pull highlights out of this video before you watch, I want you to pay attention to a few things. First is, I use that first Columbo question. It’s a “What do you mean by that?” type of question. I say, “Can I ask you about your sign?”
I want you to also notice, guys, that this is gentle probing. I just simply say, “Do you include the pre-born?” as my follow-up question. And anybody can do this.
So, let’s see what happens.
Jon: Your sign in particular of all of them, when I see “all the people,” I feel like there’s a whole group of people that your sign isn’t applying to, and those are people that are in the womb.
Woman 1: What about the women?
Jon? What about the women? I’d love to talk. What do you mean?
Woman 1: I don’t want to talk.
Jon: What do you mean “the women”? What about the women in the womb?
Woman 1: What about the women that are dying?
Jon: Which ones?
Woman 1: The ones in Texas.
Jon: The ones who we kill by abortion?
Woman 1: No. The ones in Texas that are dying because they’re having miscarriages from not being able to get an abortion.
Jon: You know what? That’s an interesting—that’s actually a myth. That’s not happening.
Woman 1: No. I’m not talking to you.
Jon: Why not?
Woman 2: Can you just go? We don’t want to be filmed.
Jon: See, that’s the typical response. I get yelled at. I’m just trying to be nice.
Woman 3: But you’re offensive, though. I know you’re trying to be nice, and you’re trying to be polite, but your ideas—what you’re promoting is very offensive to us.
Jon: I understand that.
Jon: In this video, we’re going to hear an objection that I hear all the time when we’re talking about abortion. It comes oftentimes in the form of, “Well, if you don’t like an abortion, don’t have one.” And notice how I deal with this issue. When someone says, “I’d never have an abortion,” or, “I’d never do it,” but still defends the right, something’s going on. And notice I use a tactic. It’s simple. A question: Why not? Because what I’m trying to do here is I’m trying to show the person I’m talking to that their worldview is inconsistent. They have a personal conviction that doesn’t line up with their public position.
I want you to notice that in this video, also, there’s a pretty severe logical fallacy. Moral compartmentalization. It’s when somebody holds a personal moral standard while denying it has any universal application out there in the real world.
So, let’s take a look.
Woman 3: I have two children. I would never get an abortion.
Jon: Why wouldn’t you ever get an abortion?
Woman 3: Listen, let me finish. But I would never make that decision for someone else. I don’t need to know if another woman gets an abortion. It’s none of my business. It’s between her and her physician. End of story. You don’t have any say in it. I don’t have any say. Nobody here has any say. She has a right to it.
Jon: One of the most fascinating things I’ve seen in conversations like the one that we just watched is how often people say something like, “I’d never do this,” but then they defend the right for other people to do that thing that they’d never do. It tells us something. The conscience, it’s still working. You see, there’s a moral instinct that says, “Something about this ain’t right.” And they’re not wrong to feel that way, by the way. What they haven’t done, though, is trace that feeling to its source. You see, Romans 2 tells us that God’s law is written on every single heart. Even if someone denies objective morality, they still feel the pull of objective morality. And that’s why, when someone says that they’d never get an abortion or that they’d never own a slave or that they’d never betray a friend, you can ask the simple but profound question, “Why not?” Because oftentimes, when you ask that question, the conscience knows the truth before the mouth will admit it. The conscience may whisper what the worldview denies. So, ask the question that brings it to light.
So, this is where the conversation that I’m having in this setting kind of takes a sharp turn. The woman I’m speaking with says, “A baby in the womb is a parasite”—something you’ve probably heard before. And if you think about it, it’s actually kind of a shocking statement, but sadly, it’s not uncommon in these kinds of discussions to hear shocking statements about the unborn. And that’s why it’s so important that we stay calm when we hear them. So, instead of reacting emotionally, I asked the simple question, “How is a baby a parasite?” And then I followed it up with a clarification. “By definition, a parasite is an organism that doesn’t belong in the place that it is.”
Woman 3: I know what it’s like to be pregnant, right? And let me tell you, you have a parasite in your body.
Jon: Whoa. So, how is a baby….? So, you consider your two children parasites?
Woman 3: They were when they were in the womb, because they took everything. Now, I’m not saying I didn’t enjoy being pregnant. I love my children.
Jon: But by definition, a parasite is an organism that doesn’t belong there.
Woman 3: I don’t want to hear. Don’t give me your definitions.
Jon: Do you see what’s happening? See how aggressive she’s gotten with me? I was just trying to have a good conversation because his sign says “all” people.
Woman 3: Because I’m talking? Is that aggression to you?
Jon: Well, it seems like you’re aggressive.
Woman 3: It’s passion.
Jon: Okay. I’m glad that you’re passionate about killing unborn human beings.
Woman 3: They are not human beings.
Jon: What are they?
Woman 3: They are not human beings until they’re born.
Jon: You see, my goal here isn’t to embarrass this lady either. It’s to expose how extreme and, well, really unscientific some of these claims have become. And keep in mind, guys, that when people resort to dehumanizing language, they’re usually trying to reduce a moral weight of what they’re defending. They’re trying to lessen the impact, maybe even in their own conscience. But truth and science, they don’t support that language in this instance. A baby isn’t a parasite. A baby is a human being at an early stage of development, and it’s residing, dwelling, living in the exact place it’s meant to be.
So, when someone calls the unborn a parasite, don’t panic. Just ask for a definition, and let clarity do the hard work for you.