Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider, posted some tips earlier this week on “How to Deal with Difficult People” this Thanksgiving.
The guide tackles how to address dinner companions who “may say hurtful, offensive things about race, gender identity, sexual harassment and assault, birth control coverage, abortion, or any number of topics,” the abortion giant explains in a Tumblr post.
Planned Parenthood argues that you should “build allyship” with family members saying that the more people who “can call people out,” on “problematic behavior” the less acceptable it will be.
The post does encourage people to engage in conversation based on mutual values saying, “practice asking questions, finding a value in their sentiment you can agree on, and starting from there. This is hard work, but you only get better at it if you keep trying.”
However, it adds that “it’s totally ok to tell someone that their language or behavior is hurtful and unacceptable to you. Tell them about the impact it has on you and why, and what the consequences of their actions are to the larger community. Tell them you expect better, and what the consequences are if they don’t change (like cutting off contact with them or leaving).”
It concludes with some “great resources” to help with tough conversations including a National Network of Abortion Funds’ guide to talking to your family about abortion during the holidays which includes sentiments like “when someone else is vocally anti-abortion, what they’re telling those around them is that they’re not safe spaces to share abortion experiences or feelings. That’s heartbreaking.”
It also promotes a “Standing Up for Racial Justice Thanksgiving Toolkit for White People.”
Twitter was a bit dismissive of Planned Parenthood’s “tips.”
Weird, I thought your response would just be "kill them if they're an inconvenience." https://t.co/qxo4sgrkxB
— Ashley Rae (@Communism_Kills) November 21, 2017
Thanks planned parenthood. Pro-choicers can be difficult. I'll use the tips your provided to better help me engage them in debate.
— Brian Gutierrez (@Chilaquil3z) November 21, 2017
For what it's worth, abortion is generally not a Family Dinner discussion in my house. Just saying...??
— The Ghoul State (@LennyGhoul) November 22, 2017
Abort them?
— Kambeii (@Kambeii) November 22, 2017
Despite Planned Parenthood’s urging to engage in abortion conversations, it may be wisest to skip discussions on political issues completely this year as a new poll recently found that 58 percent of Americans dread talking politics over Thanksgiving.