My involvement in the pro-life movement started when I attended Campaign Life Coalition’s 2017 March for Life in Ottawa. My interest in politics immediately began as well, both because of the fact I was in Canada’s capital and because of the inspiring pro-life legislators I met that day. Since then, I have seen progress. I have seen that people desire a change, a change that takes into account the lives of all people. Momentum is building even as pro-life efforts are being censored from the public eye. I’d like to offer an insider’s take on why I have high hopes for the pro-life movement in Canada.
New Pro-Life Groups are Energetic and Effective
A number of pro-life organizations have launched in the past few years. These include the group Right Now and the group CHOICE42. These groups are founded by young people and are extremely effective. Right Now has been successful with leadership races and provincial elections, ensuring that politically-minded pro-life leaders have the support and votes they need to bring the pro-life message to Parliament. They are also focussed on training the next generation of pro-life politicians. They are gearing up for their first federal election. CHOICE42 is an organization focused on education and support, specifically for situations of unplanned pregnancy, able to connect mothers with crisis pregnancy centres rather than abortion clinics. Their director, Laura Klassen, also makes really good videos.
Young People are Involved and Committed
The pro-life movement is shifting and becoming advanced by young people. The pro-life movement is no longer a handful of elderly individuals huddled in front of an abortion clinic with home-made signs. The pro-life movement is growing to include young professionals in politics, teaching, and business who are committed to making a serious difference in their country.
We are Gaining Political Ground
With the work of Right Now in nominating and electing pro-life politicians, the pro-life movement is gaining political ground. For example, the federal Conservative Party of Canada has a pro-life leader in Andrew Scheer. Scheer has a pro-life voting record and a very real chance of becoming the next Prime Minister of Canada. Right Now also worked on the Ontario provincial election, and there are now more pro-life MPPs than Liberal MPPs in Ontario.
Canadians Oppose Sex-Selective Abortion
A recent study was released exploring the reality of sex-selective abortion in Canada, specifically among Indian immigrants. Evidence suggests that girls are being aborted more often than boys. Based on this research, National Campus Life Network, a non-profit dedicated to campus pro-life activism and leadership development, launched a new outreach project called the “Bloody Sexism Project.” The project exposes the reality of sex-selective abortion in Canada. People are beginning to realise that, in Canada, abortion is not restricted to crisis situations, but is targeting pre-born children based on their sex. Many are uncomfortable with this notion, as they should be.
Canadians Oppose Disability-Selective Abortion
Nowadays, there are many tests that can be done to determine the health of a baby before they are born. Genetic disorders can be tested for, and babies with certain disabilities are often aborted. The dramatic decrease of Down Syndrome in many countries is a direct result of selective abortion. This leads people to question the morality of these abortions and abortion in general.
Far-reaching Publicity with the Canada Summer Jobs Program Attestation
Canada-wide outrage at the Canada Summer Jobs Program attestation means that abortion is a hot topic. The attestation, enacted by the Liberal Government this year, stipulated that groups wanting to apply for Summer Jobs funding must attest that “the job and the organization’s core mandate respect individual human rights in Canada, including the values underlying the Charter of Rights and Freedoms as well as other rights,” which the government dictated must include the “right to abortion.” The Canada Summer Jobs Program attestation, meant to target pro-life activist groups like the Canadian Centre for Bioethical Reform, backfired. Instead, other groups were caught in the crossfire. Children’s camps, refugee organizations, and even museums have all been denied funding because they either do not support abortion or do not want to take a political stance. This meant lots of publicity, something that the pro-life movement welcomes with open arms. The pro-abortion attestation may even be a deciding issue among voters in the 2019 federal election.
Logic is on the Pro-Life Side
The only position that holds zero inconsistencies is the pro-life position. If you don’t know what I mean, The Unaborted Socrates by Peter Kreeft is a good place to start. Either human life has value or it doesn’t. Any exception in the case of abortion means that exceptions can be applied elsewhere (e.g. to toddlers, to people with disabilities, etc.).
Secular Pro-Life Groups are Growing
Abortion supporters often seek to detract individuals away from the truth about abortion by associating the pro-life position with “religious fanatics”. Despite this, secular (or non-religious) pro-life groups are gaining a following on social media. They focus on logic. The pro-life position does not always need to be associated with religion. Indeed, you do not have to be religious to be pro-life.
The Radicalism of Pro-Choicers
Abortion supporters who protest the March for Life in Ottawa attempt to block the March, walking around with communist hammer-and-sickle flags and proudly displaying the anarchist symbol on their banners. This overt praise of censorship and deadly regimes concerns people.
Pro-lifers in Canada can have hope. The movement is growing, reaching those in politics, on campuses, on busy city streets as well as those most in need of support. Being pro-life is not a fringe idea; it is a mainstream idea. In fact, it is not an idea, it is a truth that we should all strive towards. Treat it as such.
Photo provided by Paul Lauzon
