Action Items – We Need A Law

Effecting Political Change: How to meet with your MP

WNAL Staff — Wed, 12 May 2021 19:14:13 +0000

What’s the most effective form of communication with your elected representative? How do you even speak to him or her while most of the country is in lockdown?

The pandemic has impacted our communication for well over a year but this hasn’t prevented Canadians from engaging on Bill C-233, a bill to prohibit sex-selective abortion. This bill, introduced at around the same time as our lives were interrupted by COVID-19, is sponsored by MP Cathay Wagantall and it is finally making its way through the House of Commons.

Canadians have signed tens of thousands of petitions, sent in hundreds of emails, and handwritten over 30,000 pink envelopes to their MPs. As evidenced by the number of MPs sharing posts and videos of all this communication, it clearly makes a difference!

Yet, with only weeks remaining before Bill C-233 is voted on, the most effective thing you can do is to arrange for a face-to-face meeting with your Member of Parliament to outline why you want them to support Ms. Wagantall’s bill. With lockdown restrictions in place, we have had great success in training people how to connect with their MP via a Zoom video call.

The power of a personal plea far outweighs any other form of communication and through our presentations we have equipped many of you to do just this. Not sure this is for you? Don’t have Zoom or even know how to go about booking a meeting? Slide through the following images which give a quick step by step guide on how to accomplish this.

Now that you’ve booked your meeting you might be wondering what’s next. Please take a few moments to scroll through the following slides that will help equip you to join dozens of others in taking your communication to the next level.

The training webinars that we have hosted are available to those who would like to view more material. As well, we have an entire PowerPoint presentation that you can use during the meeting with your MP. Please contact us at info@test.weneedalaw.ca and we can send them to you, or if you have any questions.

We look forward to assisting you in every way we can!

Pro-life bus ads supported by community activism

WNAL Staff — Wed, 24 Mar 2021 22:29:41 +0000

This week, London, Ontario is being blitzed with the message that girls need defending – including pre-born girls. New bus ads have gone up on city buses stating, “We’re for women’s rights.” The image shows three born women of various ages with the word “Hers” underneath them, alongside an ultrasound image with the words “And hers.” The ad directs people to DefendGirls.com, where they can learn more about the practice of sex selective abortion and what it means for women’s equality.

Sex selective abortion refers to the practice of having an abortion because of the sex of the pre-born child. While it can target both boys and girls as parents try to build their “designer family,” statistics are clear that girls are targeted for abortion more frequently than boys. This is a worldwide problem, and there is evidence that this practice also occurs in Canada. In a country that values gender equality, there should be no room for this kind of sexism.

In conjunction with this bus ad campaign, local pro-life supporters are putting up lawn signs with a companion image, spreading the message right into their communities.

Polls consistently show that more than 80% of Canadians agree that sex selective abortion is wrong. This is more consensus than Canadians have on almost any other issue! Yet our laws do not reflect this reality, in part because our leaders are hesitant to talk about abortion, and in part because many Canadians have no idea that sex selection is happening.

MP Cathay Wagantall (Yorkton-Melville) has introduced a private member’s bill that would bring the law in line with what Canadians believe – that it is wrong to kill a girl simply because she is a girl. Bill C-233, the Sex Selective Abortion Act, is set to be debated in mid-April in the House of the Commons, so the timing is ideal for drawing attention to the issue of sex selective abortion in Canada.

If you don’t live in London, you can still be involved in raising awareness about sex selective abortion and raising support for the Sex Selective Abortion Act! Here are a few things you can do today:

Sign the petition!
MP Cathay Wagantall has an official parliamentary petition in support of her call to end sex selective abortion. Even if you have already signed a paper petition on this issue, you can still sign and share the e-petition – it only takes a minute.

Write a letter to the editor!
In 250 words or less, explain the issue of sex selective abortion and express your support for the bus ads, or for the Sex Selective Abortion Act. If you need help with this, please feel free to contact us for a draft letter.

Attend our Lobbying 101 Webinar!
Talking to your MP doesn’t have to be intimidating. Register for our webinar on March 30, 2021 to get tips on meeting with your MP, from how to book a meeting to watching a mock MP visit.

Email your MP!
Let your MP know you will be following the debate on Bill C-233, the Sex Selective Abortion Act, and ask them to support it. Let them know you value gender equality from the earliest stages of life. Our SimpleMail is a great tool, as it gives you a place to start and will walk you through what to write and where to send it.

Fundraise for bus ads!
We still have the freedom to share the pro-life message, and we should take every opportunity to do so. If you’re interested in bringing a pro-life message to your city’s buses let us know – we are happy to help you with graphics and communication.

Add a frame to your profile picture!
We’ve created a “Defend Girls” Facebook frame that you can add to your Facebook profile picture until the end of April.

Together, we can spread the message of these ads much further!

2021 March for Life in Your Neighbourhood

WNAL Staff — Wed, 10 Mar 2021 00:01:57 +0000

Last year, pro-life Canadians responded in a huge way to The Year the March for Life Came Home. We were blown away by the enthusiastic and creative response of pro-lifers across Canada – from mini flag displays, lawn signs, and window signs to sidewalk chalk art and Convoys for Life, you were visible in a huge way and brought the message of the March for Life far beyond the typical city streets of the march.

[image_slider_no_space height=”300″ navigation_style=”dark” highlight_active_image=”yes” images=”4443,4442,4440,4441,4439,4438,4437,4436,4435,4434,4428,4427,4419,4418,4417,4416,4415,4414,4413,4412,4411,4410,4409,4408,4407,4406,4396,4404,4394,4403,4393,4402,4392,4401,4400,4399,4391,4390,4389,4388,4387,4386,4385,4384,4382,4381,4380,4379,4378,4377,4376,4366,4375,4365,4374,4364,4373,4363,4372,4371,4370,4361,4360,4369,4368,4367,4358,4359,4357,4356,4348,4350,4330″]

After last year, we recognized the amazing opportunity we had to get the pro-life message out across Canada. We did not need to depend on the media to report on a few one-day marches in highly localized areas – we could have greater impact by bringing the message of life to our neighbourhoods!

Join us again this year! Bring the March for Life to neighbourhoods all across Canada. Life Week is coming up May 10 – 14, 2021.

Life Week is week of saturating our neighbourhoods with life-affirming messages. This year, Life Week is May 10-14.

Together, let’s make the pro-life movement visible! Make homemade signs to hang in your window, garage door, or fence, draw with sidewalk chalk, paint on your front windows, get creative! Take every opportunity to talk to your neighbours about why you are doing this.

So many Canadians still don’t know that Canada has no abortion law – ask your neighbours if they know this, and how they feel about that being the status quo. Talk about the value you place on every human life.

The week of May 10, from Monday to Friday, let your light shine as a pro-life house. May 13, the second Thursday in May, would have been the date of the major Marches for Life, and so on that day we encourage you to march through your neighbourhood with your signs, or organize a Convoy for Life in your community.

We are looking forward to seeing an even bigger and better at-home Life Week this year! We can’t wait to see what you come up with.

Pink Envelope Campaign

WNAL Staff — Mon, 22 Feb 2021 23:07:53 +0000

Send a message to Members of Parliament about the issue of sex selective abortion through the Pink Envelope Campaign! All you need to do is buy pink envelopes (you’ll need 338 to reach every MP), and write a brief note on the back of each. If you can’t find pink envelopes, you can make your own as this supporter did!

Write a message on the back of the envelope. Here are a few examples:

This envelope is empty to represent a girl whose life was taken because Canada allows sex-selective abortion. Please support Bill C-233 to end this discriminatory practice in Canada.
This envelope represents one baby girl whose life was taken because of sex selective abortion. Sex selective abortion is wrong and it occurs in Canada because we have no law against it. Please support Bill C-233.
This envelope is empty and represents the life of a pre-born baby girl who lost her life because Canada allows sex selective abortion. Please support Bill C-233 to end this inequality in our country.

Mail every envelope you complete to a different MP. You can find the full list of MP names here. All the envelopes can be addressed with the MP’s name to the House of Commons address in Ottawa. For example:

MP NAME
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6

Postage is FREE to the House of Commons!

This is a great (indoor!) initiative for families, pro-life school clubs, Bible study groups, etc. to take on! These bright, impactful envelopes will alert MPs to the issue of sex selective abortion and encourage them to do something about it by supporting Bill C-233. To learn more about the bill we are asking them to support, visit DefendGirls.com.

[image_slider_no_space height=”450″ navigation_style=”dark” highlight_active_image=”yes” images=”4874,4869,4880,4879,4877,4875,4868,4873,4870,4871,4872″]

Support Nunavut MLA Patterk Netser

WNAL Staff — Thu, 22 Oct 2020 21:09:02 +0000

Support Nunavut MLA Patterk Netser who is facing backlash after expressing his pro-life beliefs.

What Happened?

MLA Netser made a post on his personal Facebook page containing pro-life viewpoints that caused controversy. This controversy has risen to the point that he has been stripped of his portfolio and the Nunavut legislature will vote tomorrow on whether to remove him from his cabinet position.

What Can You Do?

Reach out to Premier Joe Savikataaq and the other cabinet ministers by asking them not remove MLA Netser. We want to make sure we support pro-life politicians across Canada and do what we can to ensure they do not face political consequences for being pro-life.

The vote is tomorrow so we ask that you act now: please send a quick email to the Nunavut Legislature asking them not to remove MLA Netser.

How Can You Do It?

Just copy and paste the following addresses into your email and send a quick message. One or two lines is all that’s needed!

Email Premier Joe Savikataaq: jsavikataaq@gov.nu.ca;

CC the cabinet members: dakeeagok@gov.nu.ca; jehaloak@gov.nu.ca; ghickes@gov.nu.ca; djoanasie@gov.nu.ca; lkusugak@gov.nu.ca; esheutiapik@gov.nu.ca; patterknetser@aivilikmla.ca;pnetser1@gov.nu.ca

Creative ways to get signatures during Covid-19

WNAL Staff — Thu, 28 May 2020 17:23:55 +0000

In February 2020, MP Cathay Wagantall introduced Bill C-233, the Sex Selective Abortion Act. This private member’s bill would make it illegal for a medical practitioner to perform an abortion when the known reason is the sex of the pre-born child.

This is an act that recognizes the equal value of men and women, boys and girls, from the earliest stages. And there’s a petition you can sign to support it! Download the pdf to add your signature today.

Every time a petition has 25 signatures from Canadians, it can be presented by an MP along with a brief description of what the petition is about. In this case, every 25 signatures mean Ms. Wagantall has the opportunity to stand up and remind her colleagues that sex selective abortion is wrong, and Canadians agree that something should be done to stop it.

By adding your family’s signatures, you are adding to the number of times MP Wagantall can bring up sex selective abortion in Parliament.

But don’t just sign it yourself – get more people to do that same! There is no minimum age for signing a petition, so anyone who understands and agrees can sign. The official petition is hard copy at this time, so if you’ve signed an e-petition it is not one that can be presented in Parliament.

But how can we get petitions signed when we can’t share pens, host signing parties, or attend regular church services and group gatherings at which to accost people?

It’s time to get creative!

We are hopeful that Cathay Wagantall’s bill will come up for discussion again later this year. We want to do all we can to build support for the Sex Selective Abortion Act with the unexpected extra time we’ve been given. Petitions are a great way to show that Canadians are talking about this, and they want a law against sex selection.

Here are some ideas for how to get signatures during these socially distant times:

Scour your house for pens. Fill a jar or mug with the pens and set up a table for petition signing. You can do this at a park, beach, or on your front driveway. Ask friends and family to walk or drive by and sign – when a pen is used, simply transfer it to a second jar so no one else uses it.
Set up a table in your school parking lot or gym. Many schools are returning to class for a few days before the school year is out, and many are not providing bus service. Ask parents to stick around for a minute when dropping off their kids so they can sign a petition.
Take the petition to them! Drive around with your petition on a clipboard and ask friends to meet you at their front door and sign it with their own pen.
If your church is meeting, either in person or for a drive-in service, bring the petition and a bag of pens to the service and ask for signatures.

All of these ideas can be complemented by being prepared with some basic talking points:

There is no abortion law in Canada, which means it can be (and is) used to abort babies based on their sex.
Girls are targeted more often than boys. This goes against our commitment to equality of the sexes, as we can discriminate against one sex even before it is born.
A Member of Parliament is working to create a law banning the use of abortion for sex selection, and ask them to sign the petition in support of her law.
Point people to DefendGirls.com for more information.

If you send in a petition with 1 signature, 10 signatures, 25 signatures, or 100 signatures, you are contributing to keeping this discussion open in Parliament. Thank you for helping us spread the word to fellow Canadians that we need a law against sex selective abortion, and that such a law is on the table in Parliament!

Bill 216: The Abortion Protest Buffer Zone Act (Manitoba)

WNAL Staff — Tue, 26 May 2020 03:22:50 +0000

For the second time, Manitoban MLA Nahanni Fontaine has introduced a private member’s bill that would establish buffer or “bubble” zones around abortion clinics. Just like her previous attempt, her new bill (Bill 216: The Abortion Protest Buffer Zone Act) would make it illegal to express the pro-life viewpoint – or even inform anyone about abortion – outside of a facility where abortions are performed.

This is a private member’s bill and it is likely that it will not get the support of the Manitoba legislature. The previous attempt was decisively voted down. While this bill may not even get to a vote, take a moment to encourage your MLA to support access to information for women facing an unplanned pregnancy.

Despite its name, Bill 216 is not primarily concerned with limiting protests; that would be done by limits on crowd size, noise levels, etc. Instead, this bill targets a message – the pro-life message. It prevents women from being exposed to a life-affirming message or learning about their options near an abortion clinic. Abortion is often described by post-abortive women as the hardest decision of their life – this law further isolates them in this moment.

This bill goes even further than the past attempt by including buffer zones around schools. This means it would be illegal to advise a student at high school not to have an abortion. There is no equivalent prohibition, however, from pressuring her to have an abortion, despite very real concerns that women are pressured to have abortions. One study found that “well over half of the abortions had first been suggested by boyfriends or spouses. Afterwards many expressed vivid anger towards boyfriends, parents, and physicians who they felt had coerced them.” MLA Fontaine should be concerned about any woman, especially high school women, being pressured into having an abortion.

If you live in Manitoba, email your MLA today asking them to oppose Bill 216. Below is the list of MLAs who voted on the previous bill in 2018.

Voted for bubble zone in 2018:

MLA James Allum
MLA Rob Altemeyer
MLA Nahanni Fontaine
MLA Jon Gerrard
MLA Wab Kinew
MLA Dougald Lamont
MLA Cindy Lamoureux
MLA Tom Lindsay
MLA Jim Maloway
MLA Ted Marcelino (Logan)
MLA Bernadette Smith (Point-Douglas)

Voted against bubble zone in 2018:

MLA Kelly Bindle
MLA Eileen Clarke
MLA Cathy Cox
MLA Cliff Cullen
MLA Nic Curry
MLA Ralph Eichler
MLA Wayne Ewasko
MLA Cameron Friesen
MLA Kelvin Goertzen
MLA Sarah Guillemard
MLA Reg Helwer
MLA Len Isleifson
MLA Derek Johnson
MLA Scott Johnston
MLA Bob Lagasse
MLA Alan Lagiodiere
MLA Shannon Martin
MLA Colleen Mayer
MLA Brad Michaleski
MLA Andrew Micklefield
MLA Janice Morley-Lecomte
MLA Greg Nesbitt
MLA Blaine Pedersen
MLA Ron Schuler
MLA Andrew Smith (Southdale)
MLA Dennis Smook
MLA Heather Stefanson
MLA James Teitsma
MLA Jeff Wharton
MLA Ian Wishart
MLA Rick Wowchuck
Yakimoski

This year the March for Life came home in a big way!

WNAL Staff — Fri, 15 May 2020 22:15:08 +0000

We are blown away by the creativity and response of pro-lifers across Canada this week. From mini flag displays, lawn signs, window signs, sidewalk chalk and convoys! Pro-life Canadians were visible in a huge way and brought the message of the march for life home. And for that we are so grateful. It is our hope that what started this week will prompt conversations throughout the year changing one heart and mind at a time.

[image_slider_no_space height=”400″ navigation_style=”dark” highlight_active_image=”yes” images=”4419,4418,4417,4416,4415,4414,4413,4412,4411,4410,4409,4408,4406,4405,4404,4403,4402,4401,4400,4399,4397,4396,4395,4394,4393,4392,4391,4389,4388,4387,4386,4385,4384,4382,4381,4380,4379,4378,4377,4376,4375,4374,4373,4372,4371,4370,4369,4368,4367,4366,4365,4364,4363,4362,4361,4360,4358,4357,4356,4355,4427,4428,4434,4435,4436,4437,4438,4439,4440,4441,4442,4443,4444,4445″]

2020. The year the March for Life came home.

WNAL Staff — Fri, 17 Apr 2020 15:20:10 +0000

The COVID-19 pandemic has hugely affected all aspects of our lives, including the plans that were underway for the annual Marches for Life this May.

Though the marches have been cancelled, there is still great opportunity to spread the pro-life message across Canada – in fact, this may be an even bigger opportunity than a traditional march!

Right now, pro-life language is commonplace. Everywhere we hear people talking about protecting the vulnerable, recognizing how individual choices impact others, and being willing to accept restrictions on personal freedom for the good of others.

This is pro-life, pro-love language. We can build on this momentum.

Last year at the Marches for Life in Toronto and Victoria we spoke about the need to bring the march home, to let that single day of activism spur you on to further action throughout the year. We talked about not only caring deeply, but also caring loudly. This year has given us an unexpected opportunity, as pro-life community, to bring the march home.

For various reasons, not everyone is able to attend a March for Life in person, so many pro-lifer’s voices are not heard. But this year, with pro-life messages saturating neighbourhoods across Canada, our reach can be far greater! Everyone is able to make a difference from home!

What does stay-at-home activism look like?

People across the country are putting up signs and making noise to encourage others and show their support for healthcare workers, truck drivers, grocery store employees and other frontline workers. They are drawing with sidewalk chalk, painting their windows, and staying home.

Let’s continue those beautiful displays of love and support, and direct them to our pre-born neighbours!

Take part in Life Week from home

Join us in making May 11-15 Life Week across Canada. We are asking you to use that week (the week when the March for Life would have happened) to spread the pro-life message in your community. Signs in windows, signs in lawns, signs attached to fences, sidewalk chalk art, window paintings – hundreds of imaginative signs and messages could be produced by pro-lifers across Canada!

Once you’ve made your signs(s), take a picture to share on your social media with the hashtag #LifeWeek2020 to spread the message even further!

Some sign ideas:

Your choices affect others – Choose Life
Human rights for all human beings
This is a pro-life house
The year the March for Life came home.
A person’s a person, no matter how small
Defend Girls – Ask your MP to support Bill C-233 {defendgirls.com}
Protect girls. End sex selective abortion. {defendgirls.com}

[image_slider_no_space height=”400″ navigation_style=”dark” highlight_active_image=”yes” images=”4219,4218,4216,4215,4214,4213,4212,4211″]

We can’t wait to see the creative signs you come up with!

We may not be marching together, but we can still stand together. We can be encouraged by each other. We can be a voice for the voiceless in our communities and in our country.

In fact, we believe we can use this opportunity to reach far more Canadians than the traditional Marches for Life, and start a movement that can support the March for Life every year from here on out.

Staying home does not mean staying quiet, it means getting creative with your communication. Let’s make the 2020 Life Week a beautiful one!

Please let us know if you have any questions, suggestions or ideas at info@test.weneedalaw.ca.

Webinar Series: Provincial Pro-Life Laws

WNAL Staff — Fri, 17 Apr 2020 15:13:56 +0000

Over the next four weeks, our Quarantine Webinars will be focusing on the various Provincial Pro-Life laws. We hope that you can join us – register below!

Fetal Abnormalities

May 12, 2020

The vast majority of late term abortions happen because of fetal abnormality. What does this mean? What does this say about those with disabilities or who are different then us?

[vc_text_separator title=”PAST WEBINARS” border=”no”]

Abortion Pill

May 5, 2020

The new frontier in the abortion industry provides grave challenges to those concerned with women’s health and it also provide new opportunities for those concerned with the pre-born child’s health.

Parental Consent

April 28, 2020

Our law recognizes that minors need care – care that is primarily given through her relational context especially her parents. How does this play out in the context of an abortion?

Bubble Zones

April 21, 2020

Bubble zone laws have been passed across the country in the name of women’s rights. But their purpose is to protect women from information and care from the pro-life movement.