Standing in solidarity with the rejected children

We sidewalk advocates had been quietly conversing about the need for more organization, but with no certain plan. Then, like an angel in disguise, in walked the Pro-Life Action Ministries (PLAM).

I recently attended a training session at the Diocese of Fargo Pastoral Center in Fargo led by PLAM’s Thomas Wilkin, and on June 27, talked with Wilkin again, along with PLAM’s newly hired area sidewalk coordinator, Bonnie Spies, on a Real Presence Radio segment I hosted.
In offering the purpose for sidewalk counselors, Wilkins introduced a point I’d never considered before. Most know that the primary objective is to save lives through helping moms and dads, he said, but we’re often rejected. The same happens with the secondary purpose of provoking consciences about the abortion issue. 

But there’s another reason for our presence even above those, he said, occurring on “a deeply spiritual level.” That is, in simply being there, we are “rejected in solidarity with the pre-born children” so that “no child dies unloved.”
In other words, our sacrifices on the sidewalk can become an offering of love to the babies. For, as Wilkins added, when advocates are present, it is impossible for the abortion-minded client to reject the child without also rejecting the human being standing before them. “We may be the only friends these children had during their short time on earth.”

This thought has rejuvenated my own commitment, because though I’d pondered my purpose there often, I missed this one, and it’s a big one—perhaps the most powerful.
PLAM has had time to develop these insights as the first organization to offer sidewalk counseling training, beginning in 1982 in the Twin Cities. When the Dobbs decision returned the abortion issue to the states in 2022, and Minnesota was targeted to become the “abortion epicenter” of our nation, Wilkin said on air, PLAM began eying outlying areas that might need support.

That’s how Moorhead came into view, because, as Spies said, despite the perception of some from our area that the abortion problem has disappeared with North Dakota’s only abortion facility closing, “it’s actually getting busier.” She added that “we have fewer people out there” as advocates, along with fewer opportunities, due to lower visibility, to educate the public on “what’s really going on” at the facility.
Pro-lifers themselves can underestimate the value of sidewalk advocacy, Wilkin said. They might believe it’s “a hopeless effort to say just the right thing; to be the last line of defense for a child about to die from abortion.” 

On the contrary, Wilkin said offering consistent messages around pregnancy resources, facts about human development and abortion, “presented in an attitude of personal truth and love,” has helped many women choose life and avoid the regret of abortion.
He added that saying just the right thing is impossible, since “the right thing” can change depending on the individual and situation. “We can’t put that on ourselves.” But we can be there, standing in the gap, offering literature with “a wide variety of messaging that people can take in at a pace comfortable to them.”
The way we present ourselves can be an important witness, Wilkin insisted. “Saying a couple of loving truths in a kind tone of voice, while sharing literature, can really make a difference to people,” and even save lives.

Spies noted that since PLAM began working more intently with our area advocates in the last month or two, we’ve, incredibly, had two confirmed saves and one “hopeful situation” here. “We’ve had such a dry spell and it’s frustrating out in Moorhead, where the parking lot keeps us away from the women so much,” she said. “It does seem like God is saying, ‘Yes, you’re going in the right direction now.’”

Wilkin highlighted a few legal happenings that could affect our ministry upcoming, including the proposed Equal Rights Amendment, which would solidify abortion in the Minnesota constitution. Though the amendment failed to pass recently, he said, it’s not dead yet.
Additionally, he said, a current federal lawsuit, if successful, will restrict sidewalk counseling on First Amendment grounds. “That could spread elsewhere if they get away with it.”
Sidewalk advocates continue to play a vital role, Wilkin emphasized. “You don’t have to be a legislator to save a life; there are children immediately in danger of abortion. (For them), a change of law it not going to come in time,” but sidewalk counselors are a reminder of what the Christian response should be to “the mass killing of the innocent in our midst.” 
“We can’t let the consciences of our society grow dull about that,” he said. 

To that I say, “Amen!”