It has probably happened to you at some point in your life’s journey—you have to excuse yourself from a meeting, a party, or some other event because of a family crisis. There really is no need to explain, because virtually everyone can relate. An incident comes up that is dire, that requires immediate attention in order to be resolved.
Merriam-Webster offers a definition of the word “crisis” which I feel is particularly instructive: “a situation that has reached a critical phase.”
If 2,400 people are dying each day from a preventable cause, would not that constitute a crisis? If thousands of women everyday are left to grieve children lost to death, is that not a crisis? If boys and girls are losing brothers and sisters, friends and companions, without having an opportunity to mourn, is that not a crisis?
Pro-lifers believe in education, in changing hearts and minds. How do we reach those who seemingly are unable—or unwilling– to grasp the scope of this tragedy?
It depends on where they are on the spectrum. For example, there are people in this world who, sadly, do not recognize the humanity of the unborn child, who are so removed from what is happening to unborn children and their mothers they actually celebrate abortion.
We must work diligently to educate them so that they can see with their mind’s eye what abortion really is: the taking of an innocent, unrepeatable life.
Others do not go this far. They seem to recognize abortion as something negative and undesirable. Yet, by their words and actions, they fail to recognize abortion as the crisis it is.
Yes, it is regrettable, they seem to say, but so are a variety of other social ills. They appear reluctant to take the immediate, life-affirming action that is necessary to combat it. They are the lukewarm.
So how do we reach the lukewarm? I believe we need to be consistently sharing stories—stories of women and men who survived botched abortions…women who have undergone abortions, but now regret them…women who were saved from abortion by the intervention of love.
Here is another category. Those who may believe that legal abortion in this country has gone on for so long, it no longer constitutes a crisis or is beyond remedy. But I disagree. Whenever someone’s life hangs in the balance, it is a crisis—a critical moment in history that demands loving, peaceful action.
Speaking for myself, I go through each day behaving as if abortion was just legalized yesterday. For 2,400 little ones, today is their death date.
Yet because there is an army of pro-life volunteers working unceasingly, I look forward with hope to the day when a far greater number of government officials, community leaders, and clergy will see the abortion crisis for what it is: a massive tragedy that demands immediate attention and a concrete compassionate response.
Daniel Miller is responsible for nearly all of National Right to Life News' political writing.
With the election of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency, Daniel Miller developed a deep obsession with U.S. politics that has never let go of the political scientist. Whether it's the election of Joe Biden, the midterm elections in Congress, the abortion rights debate in the Supreme Court or the mudslinging in the primaries - Daniel Miller is happy to stay up late for you.
Daniel was born and raised in New York. After living in China, working for a news agency and another stint at a major news network, he now lives in Arizona with his two daughters.
