The intrepid pro-life activist, Mary Wagner, has been in and out of jail for more than a decade. Not content to witness from a distance, Wagner often enters the facilities where abortions are committed in the hopes of warning pregnant women about the reality of abortion and the dangers it poses for them and, of course, their unborn children. At Wanger’s trial in Toronto, Dr. Phillip Ney, who flew in from British Columbia, was not permitted to present evidence that we all have a legal and moral duty to warn people of danger which is precisely what Wagner does when she approaches abortion-minded women.
Wagner’s example prompts us to ask ourselves: how should we fulfill our duty to warn others about abortion in our own lives? Perhaps we cannot picket an abortion mill or counsel women en route to their grim appointments. But, in the social spheres that we all inhabit, perhaps we can do more. The awkward silence or outright hostility that we might meet when the topic is broached is not pleasant. But, of course, prenatal infanticide is not a pleasant subject, and such reactions are regrettable but understandable.
Regardless of the verdict against Wagner – she is due in court the day we went to press – she will no doubt continue her ministry to women and her advocacy on behalf of the unborn, in or out of jail. In our own small ways, we should do likewise, whether in the various public witnesses such as the March for Life, LifeChain, Show the Truth, GAP, and 40 Days for Life, or in conversations with friends and family. We all have a duty to warn about the dangers of abortion.
