"First Things" gets it wrong about Mary Wagner and "The Proposal": How euthanasia is roaring into Canada

German children - victims of the Nazi euthanasia program 

Toronto Catholic Witness  - to my knowledge - was the first to publicly criticize "The Proposal". I became aware of it late last year, when Mary Wagner raised her concerns about it with me in a number of conversations. This was shortly prior to her arrest on December 12, 2015 at a Toronto abortion killing factory.  Readers will know that Mary is to stand trial on March 10th, and is expected to receive a nine month sentence for defending Christ and His Truth. 

I promised Mary I would look into it. When I read "The Proposal", I was deeply shocked; in fact, horrified. 

The Proposal  

I wrote about it on this blog, calling attention to its errors. More recently Mary wrote an Open Letter on Euthanasia reiterating her concerns, and asking  that her Letter be distributed far and wide - which is what this blog, Light up the Darkness, and Christ's Faithful Witness have been doing. We will not cease to publicly criticize "The Proposal" until the various Christian and Catholic associations disavow it in its present form. Mary is correct in identifying the "defeatism" that permeates it. 

Recently, an American publication called First Things has published what can best be described as a passive-aggressive article on Mary's Open Letter by Douglas Farrow, from the University of McGill. As I reviewed First Things website, I noticed it boasted of being:"America's most influential journal of religion and public life". 

Though around for years, in a keyword search of their website, it would seem that this is the first time First Things has ever mentioned Mary Wagner. Sadly, Linda Gibbons - who has been resisting abortion for over twenty years - has yet to come onto the radar of "America's most influential journal of religion and public life". A further search of the internet revealed that Farrow has addressed a 2009 conference of the Canadian Federation of Catholic Physicians Societies in Ottawa, Canada. The Federation is an endorser of "The Proposal". In the interests of a possible conflict of interest, Farrow should have disclosed his association with the Canadian Federation of Catholic Physicians Societies.

Nazi euthanasia nurses 

One must wonder what is the purpose and timing of the article? What has motivated First Things to finally write about one of two Canadian resisters to the horror of abortion that exists in this country? If the article is, as the author says, "to underline her point that language matters.." why devote nearly the first half - just under 50% -  to defending "The Proposal" and trying to undermine Mary's - and others' critique - of  its unacceptability; all the while claiming: "I won't try to offer my own analysis of the Proposal"! An interesting tactic. In his "passive" conclusion Farrow concedes in Mary's favour: the euthanasia language of "The Proposal" is totally unacceptable. 

Why then write about Mary in First Things? The answer is simple: her position on euthanasia and the very  challenging questions she is raising about "The Proposal" is causing discomfort for the comfortable. The fact remains, the self-declared Catholic "establishment" will have to accept that there will be on-going public scrutiny and criticism of "The Proposal". It is indeed condescending and elitist to speak of "outsiders" who should know better. Someone has been rattled by this opposition to "The Proposal". Good! It is time for a Gospel of Life movement! It is time for authentic Christianity to be counter-cultural. 

"The Proposal" needs to be rejected.