___________________________________________________

My 12 year old daughter participated in her first protest march yesterday. The world tells my daughter to March! Fight! Stand up! Be firm in what you believe to be true! So she did; I couldn’t be more proud. She held her sign and marched. She had just learned in depth at school about our democratic legislature, and she knew how powerful and entitled she was to march.

Yet, as she marched, she was yelled at. Booed. Taunted. The world hated her marching.

Why are they yelling at me? she asked.
They don’t like your reason for marching, I said. 

But I’m fighting for those who can’t, she said.
That doesn’t matter to them, I said.

But I don’t agree with them and I’m not yelling at them, she said.
I know, I said.

But what if we were all aborted? Then there would be no Edmonton, she said.
True, I said.

What if the kids who were aborted could have grown up and actually helped them? she said.
We’ll never know, I said.

But I’m not against women, Mom…I’m going to be one! she said.
Yes, but sometimes its very hard to support a child once its born. Women want the right to kill the baby first, I said.

But there are places that want to help them, she said.
Maybe no one has told them, I said.

And what about the baby’s rights? she said.
They don’t matter to many people, I said.

I saw the March for Life through her eyes and tried to shelter her from the hate. She knew she had the right to be there. She knew that Canada was the only democratic country in the world that has no laws defending the unborn. She knew that a baby just seconds prior to their first breath in Edmonton can be aborted.  She protested the injustice, like the world has told her to do.

Yet they hated her.

My daughter had her first personal exposure to conflicting ideas smashing their heads on the streets of Edmonton. These streets scream love and tolerance for all Edmontonians – except for those that live in the womb, and for those that march for them.

Wake up, Edmonton! Celebrate a 12-year-old who has passion, a vision and a fierce desire to fight for the weakest members of our society. Applaud a preteen who isn’t even marching for herself, but for the most vulnerable. Don’t demand action and passion from our youth and hate them when they show it. May her efforts from yesterday’s March for Life send Edmonton the message she wanted: the unborn deserve rights, too.

Young people standing up for pre-born children at a March for Life.

It’s so special to spend a day surrounded by pro-life Canadians, all taking the time to say that pre-born children matter and need legal protection. Thank you to every one of you who came out today!

While I’m so thankful that every one of you is here, I especially want to encourage you as you GO from here shortly, back to your homes, your jobs, your everyday life. Friends, 300 babies are dying today. The same number will also die tomorrow.

Abortion has been legal in Canada for 50 years, at the cost of literally millions of babies.

Marching today is not enough. Caring deeply is not enough. There is so much more to be done.

We have a country where most politicians view pre-born children as a political liability. Most politicians think talking about abortion will make them lose their job, or at least lose opportunities they might have had for promotion. Why do they think that?

Because even though you and I care deeply, we sometimes also care quietly.

They don’t hear us! They don’t hear us crying out for pre-born children, they don’t see us voting for life above and beyond any other issue.

Maybe they see us marching and think yes, those people care about something! But then we go home and, if they don’t hear from us again, they forget about us. Worse, they forget about the lives of those we want to speak for. They forget about those who cannot speak for themselves.

Being here today is not enough if we want our leaders to believe we stand behind them when they speak out against abortion. We need to stand behind them when the media, and their own colleagues, try to destroy them for speaking out against abortion. This means sending a message or calling them up to say thank you for speaking up, and calling them out when they DON’T speak up. Our leaders represent us – but how can they do that well if they don’t know us, and know what matters to us?

Progress for pre-born children is not made at a march like this. This is a beautiful opportunity to come together and make a stand, but even more importantly, let it be an opportunity to be encouraged and inspired by all the people around us to act more. Look around you. All of these people care about pre-born children. YOU ARE NOT ALONE. When you call your MP or MLA, or write to your local paper, or support your local pregnancy care center, you should be able to count on these people around you to have your back. Look at your neighbour. Smile at them, shake hands with them, tell them – I’ve got your back. You are not alone!

Then do the same for others who aren’t here. If you see a young pregnant woman at the grocery store, tell her you’re cheering for her, that you believe in her. If you have a local pregnancy care center near you, make sure they have enough formula and diapers when struggling moms, or women struggling with whether they can be moms, come to them for help.

If you have children, talk to them about abortion. Tell them to come to you first when they face a crisis, and tell them they will be met with love, grace and support. Talk to your sons about respect, and responsibility, and doing hard things. Talk to your daughters about respect, responsibility, and doing hard things. Young people here today, respect each other, take responsibility for your actions, and don’t be afraid to do hard things. Hold each other accountable in love, build each other up, and choose the right things over the easy things.

And then we need to go beyond the personal to the political. We need to get political if we want to see change that impacts all of Canada, change that reaches into the life of every pre-born child, and every mother who is unsure about her ability or willingness to parent. We’re here outside the beautiful provincial legislature – but this can’t be the closest we get to political engagement.

Political change requires a long view. It’s not immediate change. Step by step, slow and steady, persistent action. Too many politicians view pre-born children as a political liability. We want them to know that the opposite is going to be true: continuing to ignore the human rights of the vulnerable will be a political liability. We, the voters, are the ones who can make that happen. Being here today shows we are working to make that happen!

Personal, local action is necessary to love women and their children, both during pregnancy and into parenting. And political action is also necessary, to drive change and enact laws that will have far-reaching consequences for all women seeking an abortion.

Approximately 100,000 babies are aborted every year in Canada. This is a brutal reality that will not change without both personal and political action. Not just today, but every day, be part of the growth and energy of the pro-life movement, both personally and politically.

Together, we are stronger. That’s why we’re all here today. We can see around us a crowd of people who believe in human rights for ALL human beings, from conception to natural death. Like you, like me, they are willing to be here, because they believe in it that much. There is much being done, and still much to do. Thank you for being here today. Please show up with the same passion wherever you find yourself tomorrow, and every other day this year. Let’s all stand together and encourage each other to care both deeply and loudly, personally and politically, all year long.