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.
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?
Register for 9 AM PDT Webinar | Register for 5 PM PDT Webinar
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.
The first two weeks of webinars have been a huge success! In the coming weeks we will continue with them albeit at a less intense pace. See below for our next two webinars and register today.
Passing abortion laws in Canada is going to take pro-lifers sharing our knowledge with those around us. We need to bring our friends and neighbors along with us understanding the human rights violation that abortion is. Legal Counsel Tabitha Ewert discusses with Vanessa Otten from CCBR how to have a conversation about abortion with the goal of changing hearts and minds.
Click here to register for 5 PM PDT webinar
The pro-life movement has always been deeply concerned with helping women and pre-born children. Pregnancy resource Centres are the face of this coming alongside those who want to choose life with tangible support. Legal Counsel Tabitha Ewert discusses with Jared White from Advokate the work that they are doing in the pro-life movement.
Click here to register for 5 PM PDT webinar
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Are you at home in quarantine or self-isolation? Looking for something to do? We are offering free webinars starting next week! Consider it our ‘Quarantine Webinars’. Learn about the history of abortion in Canada, the impact of abortion on women, and how to advocate for both pre-born children and women in this series of We Need a Law webinars. These webinars are for anyone 14+ and you are welcome to attend one or all of them. We will be holding each webinar twice – so choose the time that works best for you! You will be able to ask questions as we discuss these important topics.
ABORTION IN CANADA’S LAW
March 26, 2020
Click here to register for 10 AM PST webinar
Click here to register for 5 PM PST webinar
ABORTION AND WOMEN
March 31, 2020
Click here to register for 10 AM PST webinar
Click here to register for 5 PM PST webinar
ABORTION AND POLITICAL ACTION
April 2, 2020
Click here to register for 10 AM PST webinar
Click here to register for 5 PM PST webinar
This weekend, we had the honour of planting 100,000 flags on the lawn of the Supreme Court of Canada to draw attention to the ongoing injustice of abortion in Canada. The sea of pink and blue flags is a humbling and sobering experience, as we consider that each flag represents one pre-born child whose life was taken, unprotected by our law. It is also a valuable opportunity to make visible those our society would like to forget.
We chose the Supreme Court location for the display because this is the court that struck down Canada’s abortion law in the 1988 Morgentaler ruling. This is also the Court that looked to Parliament to create a new law protecting “fetal interests,” or pre-born human rights. Parliament has failed to do that. This display and location gave a wonderful starting point for conversations, as we explained to people what happened at the Court and could then literally point to Parliament, within view, as we talked about the laws we would like to see enacted.
The far-reaching and devasting impact of abortion was evident on Saturday, as those going by somberly considered this ongoing injustice in Canada. This included one young couple who asked to plant their own flags. It also included one young woman who talked about being the daughter of a sexual assault survivor.
It was a beautiful opportunity to see hearts and minds changed about the status quo on abortion. So many people we talked to were unaware that Canada has no law restricting abortion, and our conversations affirmed polls, which say the majority of Canadians support some restrictions on abortion.
More than 60 volunteers joined us from various parts of Ontario to plant the pink and blue flags (truth be told, we didn’t fit the full 100,000 flags on that lawn and had to keep some in the boxes – that alone is a sad testimony to just how many lives have been taken). Many stayed all day to engage with their fellow Canadians on the issue of abortion, and help with clean up at the end of the day.
In Canada, we consistently see our leaders try to shut down debate about abortion and the humanity of the pre-born. But our experience continues to be that most Canadians are open to the discussion in a way our leaders are not. Our lack of laws is not reflective of Canadians, but is due to Parliament’s inaction. For this reason, we continue to talk to Canadians and to visibly display the massive number of lives lost to abortion each year.
The Missing Project documentary tells the story of Canada’s lack of abortion law, and how we got to this point. This story needs to be told to prevent history from repeating itself. Will you help us spread the word by showing the film to your family, friends, church, study group, and community? Screenings will be available from September 15 to December 31.
For a screening fee of $100, you will receive:
- A one-time downloadable link to the film
- 10 DVDs of the film to distribute at the event
- Discussion questions to guide a conversation after the screening
What you will need for the screening:
- Laptop
- Projector
- Quality speakers
- Screen
We recommend a minimum of 30 people at each screening. It is your choice whether you want to charge for entrance or for the DVDs to recoup your costs, or provide the event for free.
From there, make it your own! Snacks, debate, critiques…these all enhance the experience of watching Canada’s story!
As many of you know, we’ve been advancing an ambitious plan to introduce abortion legislation in Canada. For those who were at our presentations last fall, or took part in our recent webinar, you’ll recognize this as what we call ‘Project Next Step’. A huge part of this plan involves meeting with Members of Parliament to advocate for a specific piece of legislation – an International Standards Abortion Law.
We would be thrilled if you could join us in Ottawa for a few days of lobbying MPs for abortion legislation. Hearing from a wide variety of Canadians is critical for advancing abortion legislation, and this is an incredible opportunity to be heard by MPs who want to make a difference for the pro-life cause.
We want to make this as easy as possible for you! Here are a couple things to keep in mind as you make your decision:
- We will be organizing all your meetings. All you need to do is fill out your availability using this Google form for the event. We will coordinate your meetings and notify you when they are booked.
- We will be hosting a briefing session prior to the meetings. This will equip you with talking points and questions for your meetings. We will also have printed copies of the supporting documents and draft legislation for you to pass on to MPs you meet with.
- There will be a pro-life reception hosted by the Parliamentary Pro-Life Caucus on Wednesday, April 10 from 6:00-7:30 pm. We would love to have you join us to mingle and fellowship with pro-life MPs and staffers! You will be able to indicate whether you can attend on the same form mentioned above, at this link.
- Our Ottawa office will beavailable for any down times during your stay, if you want a place to sit down and relax and grab a cup of coffee. Also, please let us know if there is anything we can do to assist with the planning of your trip.
We are looking forward to a week of building relationships and meaningfully advancing pre-born human rights in Canada. We sincerely hope that you can join us!
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This year marks 50 years since Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau first legalized abortion in Canada. From there, remaining restrictions were removed in 1988. Ten years later, in 1998, Campaign Life Coalition organized the first March for Life on Parliament Hill. Now, many cities join every year with local events on the same day, adding their voices to the cry to protect unborn children.
This year, Toronto will host its first-ever March for Life, giving an opportunity for those in the GTA to add their voices to the national call for human rights for all human beings. The Toronto March for Life will feature workshops following the march, giving attendees the opportunity to equip themselves for confident everyday activism. These workshops aim to get people plugged in to active pro-life organizations in their own cities, and to equip them for conversations with friends, family, and colleagues.
More than 20 years since it began, the March has grown significantly, and the pro-life movement has grown significantly – but protections for pre-born children have not followed. The government seems not to care about numbers or consistency, and each year we march against a backdrop of the only western nation still with no restrictions on abortion.
We march anyway.
We do not march to put on a show, or to boast in our events. We march because 100,000 children are lost to abortion annually in Canada. We march because we understand the deep injustice of abortion, the lack of respect for the right to life, the disregard felt for humanity. Our hearts ache for these lost children, and for our lost country.
We do not march to make sure the government hears us; we march because it is the right thing to do. Rather than worry about who is hearing the message, and how loudly, we worry about who is not hearing it, and how to keep the message going beyond this single day of activism. We use the March to be encouraged by our fellow pro-lifers and to spur each other on to action that lasts all year, not just for one day.
Canadians need to know the status quo, and they also need to know why it is unacceptable. This is a message best carried locally, and personally. This year Toronto’s March for Life will give thousands more people the opportunity to be a voice for the voiceless. Maybe more cities will join next year, and the year after that. Maybe one day every city in Canada will host a March for Life, attended by those who make life a priority all year long.
Maybe then the government and pro-choice Canadians will hear and answer, and maybe they won’t. Either way, we will still march, and then we will go home to live every day in a way that honours life.
In considering injustice, it is always best to start with unflinching self-examination. We quickly see that this is not a day to rest on our laurels and give thanks for the wonderfully egalitarian, feminist country in which we live. As a Canadian woman it saddens me to know that one violation of rights that faces Canadian girls year after year remains unchanged: sex-selective abortion. While countries around the world have taken steps to address and end sex-selective abortion, Canada continues to ignore the issue. So, today in Surrey, British Columbia, 50,000 pink flags will be planted in a public park to draw attention to the reality that is sex-selective abortion.
Several research studies over the past few years have shown an imbalanced birth rate in Canada, with boys outnumbering girls in a ratio that cannot be explained naturally. Earlier this year, a study headed by Dr. Susitha Wanigaratne and published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health showed a significant imbalance in the boy-girl ratio in South Asian communities. Researchers point to sex-selective abortion, which is allowed in Canada, as a contributor to this imbalance.
Naturally, about 105 boys are born for every 100 girls. In South Asian families with two girls and one or more reported abortions after that, the ratio shifts to up to 280 boys born for every 100 girls. There is no elevation in boy birth rates when no abortions are reported.
In Canada we say we care deeply about women’s rights, and equality rights. Somehow these rights have come to be synonymous with abortion as a ‘woman’s right’. Yet, this so-called ‘right’ continues to result in abortion disproportionately targeting baby girls. Abortion is not about a woman’s right to choose – it is about taking away a child’s right to live, and it makes a statement about the value that we place on women in Canada when we allow sex-selective abortion. Pre-born children are being killed simply because they are girls, and we need to draw a line that says this is not okay.
It was initially thought that sex-selective abortions in South Asian communities would decrease with the next generation, as they presumably took on Canadian values and recognized the equal worth of women. This most recent study, however, confirms that second-generation South Asian women, born in Canada, continue to show a preference for boys. Manvir Bhangu, a co-author with Wanigaratne of the 2018 study, told the Globe and Mail, “These biases are deeply rooted in our culture.”
These biases are not just deeply rooted in South Asian culture. As one researcher told CTV news, this “problem is very partially Indian, and hugely Canadian.” There is a reason that second generation South Asian women have not changed their views and suddenly started valuing women more highly. Canada has not modeled to them a valuing of women. Pornography is rampant, women continue to be portrayed as sex objects for men in movies, shows and advertising, and women continue to work for less pay than men.
By telling women we have equality and respect, Trudeau’s government is telling us a lie while refusing us the opportunity to ask questions. In a rapidly changing world of fluid gender and distorted family units, women and their unique child-bearing ability have become a poster child for oppression and repression. So what we have is abortion – is this control over your body and your future? Actually, abortion allows men a unique kind of control, combining a lack of responsibility for this “women’s issue” with allowing a disproportionately large number of new men to be born, to perpetuate the belief that men are more powerful, more valuable, and more essential to society.
There are some signs that we recognize the inherent bias of sex-selection. The Assisted Human Reproduction Act prohibits sex-selection when it comes to in vitro fertilization. But once the embryo develops into a fetus, sex-selective abortion is freely allowed in Canada.
This disconnect in the law and the underlying devaluing of women is the reason we continue working to draw attention to the injustice of sex-selective abortion. The International Day of the Girl is not only about issues facing girls outside of Canada. Called a “women’s issue”, abortion does indeed impact women far more than men – from the very earliest stages. We have work to do to defend girls right here at home.
You can learn more about sex-selective abortion in Canada at DefendGirls.com.
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