Many in Canada were surprised by the acceptance of the law in New York, but, in a video from the Christian Association of Pregnancy Support Services (CAPPS), Dr. Laura Lewis points out that it makes New York no different from Canada. With no abortion law in Canada’s criminal code, viable babies can be aborted at any point if a doctor is found willing to do it.
It is important to note, in the context of late-term abortion, that there is no medical reason to abort a baby in the third trimester to save the life of the mother. If health concerns arose, the baby could be delivered prematurely and cared for in the best way possible, a much different approach than deliberately killing the baby in the womb.
Dr. Lewis also stresses the caution needed in assuming the value of a human life based on a prenatal diagnosis. These diagnoses, which generally come to light later in pregnancy, are often the reason cited for choosing late-term abortion. This vastly underestimates the contributions and lives of those with disabilities, as well as ignoring the high rate of inaccurate diagnoses.
Canadians should never look at New York and feel superior. We set the example they chose to follow, of complete disregard for human life in the womb. There is no good reason for this disregard there, and no good reason for it here. That is why we continue working to change hearts and minds on the value of human life in its earliest stages, and to impress on our elected leaders their responsibility to defend children in the womb.
Read our position paper on why abortion is never medically necessary, and should never be considered health care.
]]>A 2008 Ad Standards ruling said, “the Canadian Government has not, through legislation or otherwise, declared that abortions were either legal or illegal.”
In 2018 they said: “binding Canadian law that permits abortion in Canada does, in fact, currently exist.”
But nothing has changed legally in between those two rulings…
This afternoon we received the much-anticipated ruling from Ad Standards ruling against our simple billboard stating, “Canada has no abortion law.” If you read the above quotes and thought they were contradictory, you are right – Ad Standards has ruled against itself!
The decision that our billboard contravenes the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards calls into question Advertising Standards Canada (ASC)’s ability to make impartial decisions based on facts and evidence. As we’ve shared with you in past communications, ASC, a self-regulating body that enforces the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards, was asked to rule on the billboard after complaints were submitted with encouragement from the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada – a pro-abortion activist organization.
Tabitha Ewert, legal counsel for We Need a Law was quick to point out that, “This decision is one in a series of rulings over the years that seem to show a willingness to be used by abortion activists to censor pro-life organizations.”
You, our faithful supporters, have invested heavily in this billboard campaign. It was with your help that we entered into a contract with Pattison Outdoor to install over thirty billboards across Canada this summer. The message that Canada has no abortion law is one that needs to get out in the public; polls indicate that up to 77% of Canadians are unaware that Canada has no abortion laws. There is no federal or provincial law, or provincial college policy, that regulates abortion.
This message that Canada has no abortion laws is one frequently touted by abortion activists. Joyce Arthur, executive director of the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada, said proudly earlier this year, “We are the only country in the world (besides China) with no abortion law.” https://www.canadianatheist.com/2018/02/arthur/
In fact, prior to putting up these billboards, a representative from We Need a Law called the College of Physicians and Surgeons in Ontario to clarify what abortion regulations they had in place. They were quick to point out that, “The CPSO doesn’t have a policy about abortion.” We received similar confirmation from the College in Nova Scotia.
Please know that today’s ruling will not impact the billboard campaign as the last signs are scheduled to come down on September 30th. We have been given until October 4th to appeal this decision, and it is our intention to do so.
So you may wonder why this is necessary as the billboard campaign is nearly expired anyway.
The reason is that we can no longer sit idly by while various ruling bodies – whether government, or self-regulatory – continue to censor the pro-life message. If this ruling stands, it does not bode well for We Need a Law, or any other groups who want to display pro-life advertising. In other words, we need to exercise all our opportunities to right this wrong decision.
The fact that ASC has been inconsistent in their rulings shows an organization heavily influenced by activist pressure rather than the neutral self-regulatory body they purport to be. In the past they ruled against a pro-life ad for suggesting there was a law, and now they are ruling against our message because we are saying there is no law! It is our hope and prayer that they will recognize their error and be willing to correct it.
“And then there are the people who pretend that they never knew, that they never saw, that they never really understood what was going on. There are times when I’m in Wal-Mart, or Boston Pizza, or university and I want to play the sound of a babies screaming over the loud speaker, and when customers and students struggle to make the crying stop, and turn to ask me why I’m not joining in their efforts, I’ll shrug my shoulders, plug my ears and say, “What crying? There is no crying.” It’s a ridiculous idea, of course, but I guess it illustrates the point that saying something isn’t happening doesn’t mean that it isn’t.
It’s happening, folks. Open your eyes, open your ears, open your hearts.”
Read the rest her article over here.
]]>As Devorah Gilman says,
“No matter what we think or feel the truth is that none of us are removed from abortion. We all are very, very close. We can act as if abortion doesn’t affect us, but it does. We can pretend that we have the luxury to ignore the issue, but we don’t. While we may have simply ignored, abortion has simply killed. Abortion has killed our fellow countrymen, abortion has killed our neighbors, and abortion has killed our families.”
There are many, many secrets out there and even if we never find out about them we know what abortion does to pre-born babies.
Please join us in speaking the truth in love. Love those who are hurting and share the truth to prevent others from experiencing that hurt.
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