Communication is the key to influencing a society.
The Vitae Foundation has been playing on that idea for decades, using mass media to encourage a culture of life.
At its 22nd annual local fundraiser Tuesday, the organization celebrated its founder Carl Landwehr, who will hand over the president's duties to Pat Castle on June 1.
Guest speaker Dr. Ben Carson also emphasized the value of communication.
He promoted courage and thicker skin so meaningful conversations about serious topics can happen.
"We need to develop thicker hides and start expressing what we actually mean," Carson said.
As the world-renowned Johns Hopkins neurosurgeon and author said recently on the O'Reilly Show, shallow labels are given before the real issues can be discussed.
Because someone is against abortion does not make them "anti-women," because he might oppose an issue supported by a progressive black man doesn't make him "racist," and because he supports traditional marriage does not make him a "homophobe."
Faced with that antagonism, many people choose to keep quiet about their views. Carson called that a "destructive tendency."
Referring to Nazi Germany, Carson noted that most Germans similarly did not agree with what the nation's leadership was doing and yet they did not speak up.
America's founding fathers believed in a well-informed populace, Carson continued. Without knowledge, a society may easily be deceived, he said.
Vitae's goals are to support women with compassion and to ensure babies have a chance for life.
"So many people think abortion is about women's rights; it's about killing babies," the doctor said. "God placed the babies in the safest place - a mother's womb."
At 20 weeks, the little one has a cute nose and fingers to wiggle, he said. Carson noted at such a young stage, human babies already are more sophisticated than some animals, which are protected.
"How barbaric," he said. "We should not be ashamed to talk about what we believe. When we shy away, that's when bad things can happen."
When pro-life advocates speak out, it can reverse the direction America has taken morally in recent decades, he said.
As the author and subject of the TNT movie "Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story" travels across the nation, he said he has noticed more Americans willing to speak up for their beliefs.
Landwehr agreed.
"Two years ago, we realized we are winning; the tide is changing," he said.
Since 1974, Landwehr has spoken up for his beliefs against abortion. And through Vitae, he has been a pioneer is spreading the message of life and alternatives to aborting an unwanted pregnancy.
"It's a gut-wrenching, highly emotional cause," Landwehr said.
Modern medicine, particularly the ultrasound machine, has helped parents "say hello to their baby," he said. "It's an incredible opportunity."
Handing off the president's role is not a retirement, Landwehr said. Instead, he will focus on new areas of concern, such as coupon abortions in Miami, Fla., where women get $50 off for Sunday operations.
Vice president Stacey Kromer updated more than 1,400 guests at two events about Vitae's work. For 2014, the organization hopes to increase the number of babies saved by 20 percent over 2013, which would be 6,000, she said.
At the Jefferson City event, the fundraising goal was $500,000, to contribute to the budget serving 96 media markets in 16 countries.
In Missouri, Vitae hopes to reduce the number of abortions by half through the Meet Life Campaign, working with the Knights of Columbus and In His Image.
All of these efforts go toward the same ultimate goal, "to make abortion unthinkable," Kromer said.
Carson closed his comments retelling his success with the first separation of twins conjoined at the head. More than the fact that the two are now in high school, Carson said he saw the pride of the people in South Africa when this first successful operation sent them dancing in the streets.
"Success is using the talent God has given you to elevate others," Carson said.