The Mission
Pro-Life in the Public Square (PLPS) was launched in October of 2024 from three decades of Pro-Life Waco grassroots activism. The mission of both organizations is public square outreach, PLW in greater Waco, and PLPS nationwide.
Public square outreach engages the entire cross-section of a community. This includes the pro-life faithful and ardent abortion supporters. However, the most crucial group is the broad “mushy middle”—those who are not well-informed or firmly committed on abortion. Public square outreach is all about changing hearts and minds. a
The famous words of Abraham Lincoln in the Lincoln-Douglas Debates shape PLPS's strategy. See the adjacent quote.
A sharp focus on the nature of local public square outreach is helped by seeing what public square outreach IS NOT. This branch of the movement is not politics, sidewalk counseling, pregnancy and abortion recovery support, or prayer vigils. These branches of the pro-life movement are vitally important and well-developed. The mission of PLPS is to help strengthen public square outreach from coast to coast through encouragement and financial subsidies.
Local public square outreach has three sub-branches:
1. Foot soldiers taking positions at strategic locations to engage with signs, literature, and conversations (Life Chain events, overpass outreach, protesting abortion providers and enablers, face-the-truth tours, and responding to ad hoc outreach opportunities).
2. Displaying fixed signs (billboards, yard signs, bus benches, etc.).
3. Displays for personal engagement (fairs, festivals, and tabling).
Think of public sentiment in terms of three ranges:
(See Figure 1.)
- the pro-life faithful (represented by the red area),
- the staunch abortion supporters (represented by blue),
- and the largest and most important “mushy middle” (unaware, undecided, uncertain). This is the large white area. PLPS leadership believes the pro-life movement has focused on the pro-life faithful and abortion supporters, while neglecting the mushy middle.
Success in public square outreach increases the
red pro-life range over time by reducing the blue and
white areas. This shift is shown by a transition from Figure 1 to Figure 2. Hearts and minds change, and eventually political outcomes.
Here for one-page
essay on Lincoln
and public sentiment.
The sole purpose of Pro-Life in the Public Square is to advance local
public square outreach through encouragement and financial support of other grassroots groups nationwide.
The primary motivation for creating PLPS is that the pro-life movement
does not sufficiently penetrate the mushy middle of the public sentiment grid.
The movement's weakness in public square outreach was revealed in
two major ways since the Dobbs Supreme Court Decision of 2022. The first
was the crushing string of statewide ballot losses after the fall of Roe. By the
end of 2024, we won only 3 ballot contests, compared to 14 defeats! Our ballot
losses were typically by wide margins and injected full abortion access into state constitutions. Second, in February of 2023, CVS and Walgreens announced plans to enter the abortion industry by filling chemical abortion prescriptions. These chains began in 6 states. Regrettably, the grassroots pro-life response to this abomination was tepid. CVS and Walgreens faced little opposition at their 18,000 pharmacies and have since expanded to 20 states.
Pro-Life in the Public Square is unique in two ways. No other pro-life organization included “public square” in its name. This shows the weakness of the public square outreach branch of the movement. Second, PLPS may be the only national organization devoted solely to assisting other organizations.
PLPS provides free or subsidized outreach signs for public square outreach:
1. Pro-Life Yard Signs Across America. We offer yard signs for $4, subsidizing each sign by just over $4. Our alternative name for yard sign is "mini-billboard".
2. Pharmacy Outreach Quick-Start Pack. The free starter pack is 10 signs and 100 chemical abortion flyers for protests at CVS and Walgreens.
3. Billboards at the Edge of Town. For small and mid-size cities with
highways running through them. PLPS offers our billboard designs for free.
Pro-Life in the Public Square will work tirelessly to promote the revival of
local public square outreach. We welcome your financial support, participation, and prayers.
John Pisciotta, Executive Director
Pro-Life in the Public Square (founded in 2024)
Pro-Life Waco (founded in 1995)