“God’s people should be the first to oppose injustices against our fellow image-bearers. Revealing the evils of abortion and equipping churches to do what is right are some of the first steps in ending the modern Holocaust of abortion.”
– Tiny Heartbeat
Tiny Heartbeat Ministries represents a strongly faith-centered approach to the pro-life movement in the Pacific Northwest. Rather than limiting its mission to political advocacy, the organization combines public education, sidewalk counseling, church mobilization, volunteer training, campus outreach, and evangelism. Its message is that defending unborn life is inseparable from the Christian responsibility to protect vulnerable human beings and to offer hope to people facing difficult circumstances.
Tiny Heartbeat exists to rescue the pre-born. They are courageously fulfilling the biblical command, not only to “love thy neighbor,” but for a rescue mission: “Rescue those being led away to death” (Proverbs 24:11a). They know that evil will always win when good people remain silent, and FPIW is proud to support this bold voice for the pro-life cause in the Pacific Northwest.
The Three “C’s”
Founded in 2020 and headquartered in Pullman, Washington, the nonprofit describes itself as the educational arm of the pro-life movement in the Pacific Northwest. (See picture of them at Seattle’s Pike Place Market.) Its central conviction is that every human life has inherent value because human beings are created in the image of God. From that foundation, the ministry works to persuade individuals and communities to recognize the humanity of unborn children and to protect life from conception onward. Its work combines pro-life education, Christian evangelism, public outreach, and direct engagement with women and families considering abortion.
A defining feature of Tiny Heartbeat Ministries is its emphasis on what it calls the “3 C’s”: Churches, Clinics, and Culture. In churches, the organization provides training intended to help Christians explain and defend the pro-life position while also sharing the Gospel. At abortion clinics, volunteers and staff participate in sidewalk counseling, attempting to persuade women and couples to choose life and directing them toward pregnancy-resource organizations and other sources of assistance. In the broader culture, the ministry conducts outreach on college campuses, near high schools, in downtown areas, and in other public settings. Through these efforts, Tiny Heartbeat seeks not merely to oppose abortion politically, but to change hearts and minds through personal conversations, education, and Christian witness.
More Than Talk
There are 48 abortion clinics in Washington State, and they describe them as places “where babies are slaughtered weekly with no one outside to act as the last line of defense for life. You can change that!” Wearing their red T-shirts, the Tiny Heartbeat team goes right into places others fear to tread – into “Washington State’s darkest areas,” they say – and they do so with logical arguments, a humble spirit of compassion, and graphic images to tell the truth. “A picture is worth a 1,000 words.”
Its outreach includes the use of photographs depicting the results of abortion, a strategy the organization believes confronts the public with a reality that is otherwise largely hidden from view. While such imagery can be controversial, the ministry argues that visual evidence can awaken consciences and encourage serious discussion about the moral status of unborn children. Importantly, its volunteer guidelines call for respectful conduct: volunteers are instructed not to pressure people to view displays, not to force literature on passersby, not to shout at people, and to treat even angry or verbally abusive individuals with respect.
They also explain: “We believe that we are duty-bound to expose the evil of abortion. Therefore, we are committed to the public display of pictures and videos that accurately depict the violence of abortion.” They further explain their practical, “boots on the ground” strategy:
While changing the hearts and minds of the public is vitally important, so is acting as a last defense for life before the very gates of death. As such, we spend hours in front of abortion clinics – pleading with Moms and Dads not to kill their baby but rather to choose life. We refer these parents to local crisis pregnancy centers and urge them to make the courageous decision to turn away from the sin of child sacrifice.
Science, Reason, & Scripture
“Tone it down.” “Soften your message.” “It’s not politically correct.” “You’ll lose friends and allies.” “Don’t call it murder.” “Abortion is just one of many equally important issues.” Through such lies, Satan’s goal is to silence and hinder the pro-life voice of truth, a truth that heals and sets people free from lies, and a truth that can save the very lives of innocent babies.
Christians know that “loving thy neighbor” is not a suggestion, or something we do only when it is convenient. In contrast, loving thy neighbor is a central biblical duty; and, by far, those neighbors most in need in Washington State are pre-born babies:
• Some 17,000 abortions take place in our state each year — that’s about one abortion every 30 minutes.
• Some 500,000 abortions have taken place in Washington since 2001.
To make a cultural shift, Tiny Heartbeat excels in defending pro-life philosophy, the pro-life apologetic. Prof. Peter J. Kreeft notes that there are four premises to the pro-life cause, and these, in turn, are the premises that pro-choicers will always challenge:
(1) Religious Premise: “Every person is sacred.” (Sacred means imagio dei, or “in the image of God.”)
(2) Ethical Premise: “Murder is wrong.” (Murder means intentionally killing an innocent person.)
(3) Scientific Premise: “Human personhood begins at conception.”
(4) Legal Premise: “A primary purpose of government is to protect a person’s right to life.”
Tiny Heartbeat does an excellent job of addressing all four core truths by dovetailing science, reason, and Scripture. Here’s one example. First they use science, i.e., the Scientific Premise:
Today almost no serious scientist would dispute the fact that the pre-born are living human beings. The following quote from a commonly used embryology textbook will serve as proof: “[The zygote] formed by the union of an oocyte and a sperm, is the beginning of a new human being.” –Keith L. Moore, Before We Are Born: Essentials of Embryology, 7th edition. Philadelphia, PA: Saunders, 2008. p. 2. Abortion would not be “necessary” unless there was a living growing human being in the womb. Its very purpose is to end that.
They then use natural reason (logic unaided by faith) — specifically, that no person needs to be a Christian, nor own a Bible, nor be a theist, in order to know that killing a human being is wrong (which is why there are pro-life atheists). This is the Ethical Premise, and they also affirm the Religious Premise. They write:
We all have the innate knowledge that killing innocent human beings is wrong: it was written on our hearts from the beginning. God has set His special stamp on human beings when He created us in His image. This gives us our inherent value and is the reason that any sort of murder (including abortion) is wrong.
They cite Scripture, which includes the Religious and Ethical Premises:
“Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in His own image.” – Genesis 9:6
Finally, they support the Legal Premise:
We affirm equal protection of the law for all human beings, born and unborn, from the moment of fertilization.
Education & Engagement
Education and public engagement are particularly important parts of the ministry’s strategy. The organization also works alongside churches and other Christian ministries; for example, First Baptist Church of Lacey describes partnering with Tiny Heartbeat Ministries in an abortion ministry outside an Olympia abortion facility, where participants seek to encourage women to choose life while offering Christian hope and support. Our own Brad Payne, President of FPIW Action, often supports pro-life organizations – see the picture of Brad, Suzanna Gill with Love Life (another pro-life organization), and with Andrew Kerin, the President of Tiny Heartbeat. Through these partnerships and training opportunities, Tiny Heartbeat Ministries is working to build a network of Christians who are prepared to advocate peacefully and confidently for unborn children.
Ultimately, the ministry seeks to equip Christians not simply to identify as pro-life, but to become actively involved in defending unborn children and supporting alternatives to abortion. By taking its message into churches, abortion-clinic sidewalks, campuses, and public spaces, Tiny Heartbeat Ministries has established a visible presence in the region and provides Christians with concrete avenues for turning their convictions into life-giving action.
You can support and follow Tiny Heartbeat Ministries on their website as well as their social media: X, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
