Our Mission
Making Motherhood Thinkable
Voices for the Voiceless is a 501(c)(3) innovation lab working to make motherhood thinkable. We believe abortion is a failure of community and that the only way to truly create a culture of Life is by launching movements that transform communities and institutions from the inside out. In just one generation, we aim for all women—no matter her circumstances—to receive complete support from their doctors, employers, faith communities, families, partners, and even the internet on their motherhood journey.
Our Strategy
Launching Game-Changing Movements
To bring the vision to life, Voices for the Voiceless implements a strategic model called the Voices Innovation Lab. Designed to launch movements led by visionary next-generation leaders, our expert team leverages culture-changing ideas by providing essential resources, building supportive teams, and positioning leaders to gain momentum and scale. Today there are three movements in our lab, and we anticipate launching an additional 3-5 over the next 5-10 years.
Our Focus
Each movement in the Voices Innovation Lab share three criteria to ensure we are making progress toward achieving our vision.
Targets a Root Cause
It must offer a systemic solution to a reason why many women feel they have no choice but abortion
Accomplishes a Double-Win
It must foster the mutual thriving and prosperity of both mother and baby
Navigates a “Blue Ocean”
It must deliver unique value without competing in overcrowded spaces
Our Origin Story
“Her story broke my heart and it changed me.”
-Josiah Friedman
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.
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.
Every year, 400,000 US women get abortions because they lack support. At Voices for the Voiceless, we’re creating a world where motherhood is thinkable and where the most important decisions in life are made out of love and not fear.
Watch the Ted Talk below.
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