Our Mission
Changing the culture for life
Voices for the Voiceless is a Phoenix-based nonprofit advocating for the dignity and worth of every human being and creating a world where no one faces unplanned pregnancy alone. Every day, we work to mobilize communities of support around women in unplanned pregnancies and change hearts and minds about abortion.
We believe abortion is a breakdown of community and that the only way to reverse the breakdown is with real, empowering, human connection. Welcome to the movement of winsome advocates and first friends working to empower women to embrace the unexpected and go get the bright future that awaits them.
Watch Our TED Talk
“Abortion is a breakdown in community. In our moment of greatest need for real, compassionate, empowering human relationship, there is a void of connection.”
— Josiah Friedman, CEO & Founder
Our Strategy
Changing hearts and minds one story at a time.
Culture Change
We craft winsome media campaigns that opens minds and change hearts.
Education
We develop resources and materials that equip people to be winsome advocates.
Community Support
We empower people to provide real support to those facing the unexpected.
where it all began
How one story changed everything.
Our ten-year history includes everything from philosophical debate to political activism. We were passionate about changing the world, raising our voices for those who have no voice, and we were good at it.
But we began to wonder, “Are we really changing the culture, or are we simply making the people who disagree with us more passionate about their disagreement?” It was at this time that Josiah’s mom told him a story that would forever change our movement. She told him about a time when she was 19-years-old, living in White Bear Lake Minnesota.
Her father was a World War II veteran with a sterling reputation and her mother a devout catholic. When she found out she was pregnant, she knew only one thing—her father could never find out. She went to a Planned Parenthood where they secretly referred her to a hospital to get the procedure done.
“Her story broke my heart and it changed me.”— Josiah Friedman
Years later, with pain in her eyes and deep in her heart, she told her son for the very first time. “Her story broke my heart and it changed me,” Josiah says. Since that moment, we’ve become really passionate about the power of story.
We’ve conducted over 300 in-depth interviews with strangers about their experiences with unplanned pregnancy and abortion. Our eyes are wide open to the social complexity the unexpected brings. Abortion isn’t complicated in a scientific sense nor is it complicated in a moral sense. But the social, relational, and practical obstacles weigh heavy.
So while others champion the issue in the political realm and others offer high quality healthcare, we’re fighting the cultural battle. Our end goal? To end abortion. But we know abortion will only end the day it ends in the hearts and minds of our culture.
Every year, 400,000 US women get abortions because they lack support. At Voices for the Voiceless, we’re creating a world where no one faces unplanned pregnancy alone and where the most important decisions in life are made out of love and not fear. Welcome to the #standbyher movement.
Meet the Team
Get to know the VFTV team, Founder, and Board.