Jason Chaffetz came to Columbia, Mo., on Tuesday to thank the Vitae Foundation for its life-saving work and implored its audience not to cede their compassion card to someone else. The former U.S. Representative from Utah said we must stop focusing on statistics and instead speak from our hearts about why we believe what we believe.
“In today’s cancel culture, they want to make you ashamed for believing in life,” Chaffetz said. I believe collectively as a people, part of what we must do is talk more from our hearts and explain to people why we believe what we believe. Share that humanity with them.”
The once powerful Chairman of the House Oversight Committee opened his own heart and shared his life story—a story that he never shared with others growing up. His point was that each of us has a story. People experience hardships, and you would never know it. There are women, for instance, who wake up every day in this country faced with a gut-wrenching decision to make.
“Women who find themselves in this most difficult situation have to make the most difficult decision in a very rapid fashion. Maybe they are being urged by a boyfriend who says, ‘Hey, get this done. It will be better for all of us,’” Chaffetz told the crowd gathered at the Holiday Inn Expo Center. “This is why where you spend your time and how you decide to spend your money makes a very impactful difference in people’s lives.”
The father of three and grandfather said that what he “sees on the abortion front is probably the most scandalous, aggressive, creative, manipulative thing I’ve ever seen.” Vitae President Debbie Stokes helped paint that picture, by depicting some of what is happening in our country today by pro-abortion forces.
Infanticide has been signed into law in five states since just last year, joining California, where there are better legal protections for animals than humans. In addition, all of California’s public colleges and universities must offer chemical abortion by January 2023. Other liberal states are considering similar legislation. Then there’s the “21st Century Abortion,” where women simply order their abortion pills online for managing their at-home abortion.
“With the increasing availability of abortion pills, our on-going research is more valuable than ever. When a woman can call a doctor, answer a few questions and skip an ultrasound, our outreach changes significantly,” Stokes noted. “However, in the midst of all the challenges, God is presenting tremendous opportunities to impact how the abortion issue is discussed in the public forum.”
Which is why words matter.
“Vitae knows that words matter when you apply the research to an ad that has only a millisecond to catch the attention of the abortion-determined woman,” said Vitae Senior Market Director Stacey Kromer.
These strategies are working all across the country, in markets like Seattle, Chicago and Boston. In St. Louis, Vitae ads are connecting more women with Thrive Women’s Clinic than ever before.
“When a woman Googles abortion or abortion pill, our ad grabs her attention. When she clicks on the ad and begins her conversation with the Pregnancy Help Center, that is a conversion,” Kromer noted.
She noted that according to Hubspot, the national combined industry average conversion rate is 2.7%. The conversion on rate of Vitae’s landing page for Thrive in St. Louis is 23.5%.
Kromer announced that for the last nine years, thanks to the A. J. Schwartze Community Foundation, Vitae’s ads have been airing on the largest radio network in Major League Baseball, the St. Louis Cardinals Baseball Network.
“Though the season has been cut short, fans are eager to tune in so we’re doubling the number of ads per game. Plus, the Starting Line-Up will be brought to you by the Vitae Foundation,” Kromer noted.
As Vitae continues to be a force in this battle for a culture for life, Jason Chaffetz thanked Vitae for its efforts.
“Words do matter. They really do matter. How you do what you do and the degree with how you do it, God bless you!” Chaffetz stated. “We fight a lot of fights in DC and on FOX, but what you are doing will make a bigger difference than just about any of that.”
If you weren’t able to see Jason Chaffetz in Columbia, you can see him at Vitae’s upcoming events in Springfield, Mo., or Overland Park, Kan. Check out VitaeFoundation.org/events to register. If you would like to help Vitae with its mission of reaching women and connecting them with life-affirming Pregnancy Help Centers, please donate today.