Sidewalk Stories: Wednesday tragedies highlight abortion tragedy

It seemed a bit déjà vu. I was just about to leave for the sidewalk on Jan. 7 to pray for those seeking abortion and influence a redirect when I caught a highlight on social media. 
            An acquaintance from Minneapolis had posted that a woman, a 37-year-old mother named Renee Good, had been shot by ICE agents that morning, suggesting anyone who would defend the agent to unfriend her.  
            Immediately, my heart went out to hear of a young mother’s death, and just as quickly, I realized the connection with four months ago when Charlie Kirk, at age 31, was also shot in the public square—also on a Wednesday just before I left for the sidewalk to pray.
            Like then, I didn’t have time to learn more. But a little while after I arrived at our area’s only abortion facility, a friend who’d been following the news about Renee Good’s death said it was sounding like things could erupt in Minneapolis like after George Floyd’s death. 
            The confluences are interesting, but what does this have to do with abortion in our part of the world? Maybe more than we realize at first glance.
            I wrote a column here about Charlie’s death because he was definitely in the camp of fighting for the lives of the innocent, so learning about his murder on a Wednesday seemed providential in some strange way. 
            The abortion escorts didn’t miss it, either. Just days after that afternoon, we gathered again, this time on a Saturday, to partake in the Life Runners movement to “Remember the Unborn,” and were met by an escort wielding a microphone and speaker, spouting words to the effect that, as Charlie Kirk’s likely supporters, we were complicit in his provocations that led to his death.
            Though I realize it’s coincidence that these two unfortunate deaths both happened on a Wednesday, I see a direct tie-in with abortion and with those two tragedies and the resulting emotional outbursts surrounding them. In all three, a question arises: Who deserves to live? Do we have the right to kill our fellow human beings, and if so, in what circumstances?
            Differences also exist. In the case of abortion, the victim is always innocent. An unborn child can’t offend anyone by their actions; their only offense is inconvenience. As for the culpability of Charlie or Renee for their own deaths, that is being argued, but God alone knows and will respond accordingly. 
            At the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C, on Feb. 5, 1994, Blessed Mother Teresa implored that “if we accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another?” adding later in the same speech, “Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching its people to love, but to use any violence to get what they want. This is why the greatest destroyer of love and peace is abortion.”
            In the aftermath of the most recent tragedy, some on social media began clamoring for me to weigh in publicly. But in the early hours of the incident, I chose a different response: “Stop. Pray. Wait.” For a time, this motto became my Facebook cover image. 
            Though accused by a local citizen who emailed me of being weak by not speaking out, I have felt affirmed in that initial, more measured reaction, for I had nothing noteworthy to contribute to the outburst that could bring peace, except to hold fast, as Jesus had done at times in his life on earth.
            As for the killing of the innocent, on that hill, I am willing to set my stake in the ground: to say, no matter what, this is not, and will never be, okay. On this I will not refrain from speaking out at every opportunity. 
            As such, I am grateful to have learned that our pro-life community will have the opportunity to engage on abortion through the first-ever spring 40 Days for Life campaign. In an email sent through the organization’s local branch, organizer Bonnie Spies said she’s excited about the upcoming event. 
            The campaign will start with a prayer gathering for all invested in this cause at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 18, near the Women’s Care Center in Moorhead, 220 Hwy 75 N, located across from the abortion facility, with the closing set for 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 29. Bishop Andrew Cozzens of the Diocese of Crookston has agreed to be a speaker at the closing ceremony. 
            We need more local pro-lifers to get involved in this ministry, so please reach out to Bonnie at [email protected] if you or anyone you know might be interested in taking a more proactive role in this beautiful mission of saving lives, and, potentially, souls.