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.

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.

Peaceful until a number of malicious counter-protesters began violently ripped out the flags. As one commenter said on social media, “Anyone else see the irony of flags that represent unborn children being torn out of the ground? Not the brightest counter demonstration.” It should be noted that the aggressive actions of a few were not reflective of the rest of the pro-abortion supporters on hand that day. Most of them were respectful, and a number of quality conversations took place. Nevertheless, due to the aggressive nature of those ripping out the flags many of those who were taking a stand for pre-born human rights by volunteering at the flag display were quite distraught and visibly shaken.

One of the volunteers moved to tears was Sharon Wright. She walked to the fringes of the display to compose herself and what happened next was nothing short of divine intervention – just the conversation that Sharon needed to experience. We asked her to share her conversation with us on Facebook Live.

Transcript: A woman and her grandson were pulling up the flags, and we didn’t want the protesters pulling up the flags, so I went up to her and I said, “I don’t even know if you’re one of us or one of them,” and she said, “Oh, I’m just one of them but my grandson wanted to pull up the flags.” And I said, “Oh, that’s fine.” They were very nice and had smiles, and she came up afterwards and she says, “Can I have a card?” and then she said to me, “I wasn’t one of you but I am now. Just by your demeanour and your kindness…I just want to thank you for how you reacted to the situation.”

If you want to see the rest of the Facebook Live and the despicable actions of the protestors who attempted to interrupt our video click here.

The contrast between those taking a stand in support of pre-born human rights and those in favour of their continued destruction was apparent to everyone who walked by the display that day. The visible hatred, also modeled to the many children who were present, was responded to with love, compassion, and a deep sense of caring for the neighbour – virtues that we should all aspire to.

The aborting of 100,000 pre-born children every year in Canada makes it necessary to do something; to stand up for their rights. We will not, indeed we cannot back down in the face of adversity, no matter how much hate comes our way. As Winston Churchill once said, “You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.” To Sharon and the Powell River Pro-Life Society, thank you for continuing to stand up for all members of your community, both born and pre-born!

The day started bright and early at 7:00 am with more than 20 volunteers ready to plant flags. Some of these volunteers stayed around to engage with passerby, and more joined us throughout the day. The response, from an incredibly diverse crowd of people, was overwhelmingly positive. We know statistics say that the majority of Canadians are unaware of the complete lack of abortion laws in Canada, and we know statistics say that the majority oppose things like late-term or sex-selective abortion. Yet there’s nothing quite like spending a day talking to people of all walks of life and getting such a supportive, encouraging response to really make you believe it.

From a recent Syrian immigrant with five children to a woman who regrets the abortion she had as a teenager, from young couples out for a stroll to moms walking over from the waterpark with their little ones, this community showed an immediate understanding of the injustice of our complete lack of abortion policy in Canada.

In a matter of hours we collected nearly 300 signatures for our International Standards Law petition, asking the government to start regulating abortion after the first trimester. (You can print a copy here and ask your friends and neighbours to sign too.) The majority of people we spoke to were eager to sign, and at least half who hesitated did so because they didn’t think this asked for enough. We spoke with many about our incremental approach, and the need to start somewhere – our desire to protect some while working to protect all.

At the end of the afternoon, as we started dismantling the flag display, numerous park patrons offered to help and we were able to take everything down in record time and share pizza and drinks with both volunteers and the community. It was a beautiful day  in every way. We hope that the seeds planted will bear fruit of action and be fodder for conversations in the lives of these people as they move within their own community circles, so the conversations we had that day can be had again and again. Through that, may more minds may be opened and hearts be changed so that laws reflecting Canadian values will be laws protecting life from its earliest stages.

Private Member’s Bills are notoriously difficult to pass, but the outpouring of encouragement and support on this bill have shown that people care. People care about the current gap in our legal system that minimizes the consequences for a violent criminal who injures or kills a pre-born child while committing a crime against a pregnant woman. The majority of Canadians recognize that valuing women includes supporting their right to carry their child safely to term.

There are only two more days to speak to your MP and encourage them to support this bill. No matter the outcome, however, we have been encouraged by your willingness to speak and to act, and we know other opportunities will continue to come forward where we can build on the momentum we have begun.

Just recently in Grande Prairie, Alberta, one group used our flag display in a unique way to draw attention to Bill C-225. They spent 2 hours setting up in windy, below freezing temperatures, and then spent the day spreading the word about Cassie and Molly’s Law to their community.  Many people in Grande Prairie had no idea what Cassie and Molly’s Law was, and many new supporters were gained. Some of these passersby were moved to come back with coffee and hot chocolate, while one volunteered to provide an aerial shot of the display. These are all examples of the impact one small group of passionate people can have should inspire us all to take action, wherever we find ourselves. 

Again, thank you for your work and commitment to our action items for Bill C-225. It has been an honor to share this journey with so many others who recognize the value in what is certainly is not a perfect bill from a pro-life perspective, but a step worth fighting for because it addresses the need to value and protect the women who boldly carry our next generation.

The assertion is made that unsafe abortion practices result in the deaths of approximately 50,000 women worldwide each year. UN experts recommend removing barriers, discrimination and any criminalization of abortion to remedy this problem.  “We cannot tolerate the severe violation of women’s human rights on the basis of their sex and biological differences,” said the experts.

But wait. I don’t mean to demean the 50,000 preventable deaths from unsafe abortions – preventable deaths are always sad and worth examining. In Canada alone, however, abortion numbers are estimated at 100,000 per year, as our flag display so vividly illustrated in Manitoba recently. In the United States, that number jumps to at least 700,000, if not closer to a million. 

That’s only two countries in this big wide world! If we assume half of those aborted babies are girls (and it’s likely actually more than half), we very quickly get to at least half a million women who are never given a chance at life.

Further, to claim that we cannot tolerate differences for women on the basis of their sex is to say we cannot tolerate the difference that defines them as women. Women are made with a biological gift, not a curse, and as long as we continue to treat abortion access as a necessity, we continue to further the illusion that pregnancy and childbearing are a curse of which the effects must be minimized.

To suggest that repealing anti-abortion laws will actually save the lives of women is misleading, inaccurate, or downright delusional.  Abortion never saves lives: abortion is, by definition, the taking of a life. The United Nations continues to push on a global scale the Western view of abortion as integral to success for women and, as such, they do nothing to improve any women’s lives in a meaningful way.

Local parades are one great chance to spread the message that we need a law to protect pre-born children in Canada, and they happen all over Canada!

A talented and committed group of volunteers up in Smithers, B.C. recently put together an Asterix and Obelix-themed parade float displaying a message of life. They also handed out lollipops with precious feet on them, along with postcards and infographics along the parade path.

This is a beautiful example of seizing an opportunity to engage with the culture. Perhaps this will inspire you to start planning your float for the next parade in your town? We’d love to hear if you’ve done something similar, or have another great idea for grassroots involvement that can spread the pro-life message and open up the conversation about life in your community!

While we all continue to ponder who those other uterus owners might be, exactly, it is important to note that the local newspaper tied the event to a free speech debate. The flags represented the approximately 100,000 abortions happening every year in Canada – not a small number, and something we all contribute to with our tax dollars, so why the reluctance to talk about it?

The focus on appropriate free speech, and the related pro-censorship attitude of staunch pro-choicers, is a familiar paradox. The pro-abortion view can be spread freely and loudly, while the pro-life view is something to be quickly silenced. This shows the lack of confidence pro-abortion activists have in their position, as they are not even willing to talk about it openly and reasonably. If they really thought about it, how could a common, publicly-funded medical service possibly fall under something questionable to talk about, especially at a university which encourages debate and the open exchange of ideas?

I cannot think of any other common medical procedure that would be considered inappropriate for discussion on a university campus, or anywhere else for that matter. There are heated debates in some forums about, for example, the value or vaccinations for children, yet no one fights to silence those debates or threatens action based on stigma or discrimination. We have major community and national events organized around our hearts, breasts and colons, among other things. Surely our uteruses are not so different.

It is great to see the UFV administration firmly promoting intellectual liberty as well as UFV Life Link standing up so openly for the human rights of children in the womb.

As Life TOUR continues, we get to do it all again with a fresh crew of passionate volunteers, in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

These flags represent the great loss of lives to abortion annually in Canada, and their impact can be great. Many conversations are had between volunteers and passers-by, and too many are completely unaware of the total lack of protection for pre-born children in Canada. There is nothing like a visual for people to realize exactly how many babies are dying each year. As long as we as a nation, our leadership in particular, continue to avoid the issue, this will keep happening.

We need to speak up. We need to grow awareness and outrage. We need to build support and understanding. And ultimately, we need a law.

One of our volunteers in Burlington took the time to pen a poem about the experience, which he gave us permission to share here:

It’s Not About Rights

It’s not about Rights
And it’s not about choice.
It’s all about Life…
All those, who have no voice.

Pro-­choice has no bearing
On what we see here,
It’s all about Life,
Which we celebrate dear.

These flags that are flying,
Shall commemorate,
Those small Pre-­Born’s dying…
How horrid this state.

The scene was arresting,
I’m sure, all who saw,
To this we’re attesting
That “WENEEDALAW”

Then, speak to your neighbour
And urge your MP,
For life’s truth to labour,
That justice might see,

A foothold in Burlington
That you might lead,
Your daughters and sons
To God’s Justice, indeed.

A. Blokhuis
Sept. 30/15

If you’re interested in coordinating a flag display in your area, we’d love to hear from you.