Toronto March for LifeThere is a particular neighbourhood in Calgary that I think about quite often. It’s just an ordinary neighborhood filled with ordinary people, but it reminds me of four things.
The first has to do with something one of the volunteers, who lived in the area, said when he and I started door knocking there. “We’re going to have an easy time, this neighbourhood is mostly pro-life.” By the end of that first shift, he’d discovered that the people who lived on this street weren’t quite as pro-life as he had initially thought. He has since told me it made him wonder how often we, as pro-lifers, assume those around us are pro-life too when they aren’t (or at least aren’t all).
The second thing this street reminds me of is the intrinsic value of each and every human life. Value which doesn’t vanish in difficulty and hardship, but rather should be fought for and protected. It wasn’t long into one of our shifts here that we met a kind, old lady who was watering her garden. When she heard what we were doing and why, she shared that she’d arrived in this world as a tiny two pound baby in the middle of a war zone. Her family faced every difficulty and inconvenience and kept that little baby alive by heating rocks to warm her. I may never have the opportunity to meet her again, but I’m glad she’s alive and I’m glad our paths got to cross.
This neighborhood simultaneously reminds me of just how much abortion has stolen from us. Because I know that a four-year-old should live at the house with the blue door, a seven year old should be helping her siblings with the chalk drawing on the corner driveway, and there should be a two year old child visiting his grandparents who live across the street. Children are missing and this neighborhood is just one of the places they are missing from.
Last week, this neighbourhood made me think yet again when, due to a mistake in directions, some of the volunteers accidentally re-knocked on houses we had already been to. That ‘mistake’ showed us that the person who we’d marked down as “got them thinking” after our conversation a month ago is now fully pro-life and the lady who “become more pro-life but not fully” when we talked to her before wants to continue the conversation!
This was a full summer. I’ve had in-person conversations with numerous people in three different cities and talked with others online. I’ve discussed abortion with Pro-Lifers, Pro-Choicers, and people who had never even thought about this issue before. I’ve listened to the conversations of volunteers, interns and my fellow staff members. I can’t remember the details of every conversation, but the conversations I’ve had on this street remind me of the need that I once didn’t realize was there.
The people who live here have reminded me that all of us, even those born at two pounds and including those who have not yet been born, are valuable human beings. Some of whom, because of abortion, are missing. Some of whom, because of abortion, are dead.
It’s a hard but true reality. One we need to face and fight.
But we should also be reminded that we can make a difference. Sharing the truth about abortion with those around us and taking the time to discuss the controversy of this topic can have an impact more effective than we may ever realize. It can cause minds to change and lives to be saved.
This is inspiration at its finest!! The why, the how and the clarity to keep fighting!!! Thank you!
This article is wrong in many ways. The writer keeps saying their should be a 7 yr old playing with her siblings or with his mother what it should say is 7 yr old girl playing with foster sister, 5 yr old boy with his foster parents or 8 yr old that still lives in a group home. Those children wouldn’t be born into great lives like u make it sound, people don’t get abortions just for the sake of it, it gets done because people are in horrible state drug addict etc.
I agree that every child deserves a loving and stable home life and that it is tragic that many kids don’t get that basic necessity. You mention that these if these kids hadn’t been aborted that they wouldn’t be growing up in their family homes on the street, but instead would be in harder and perhaps unlivable circumstances. We simply don’t know that.
Even if we did know that, would we ever kill a born child who was about to be put into an overloaded foster care system or into an poorly run orphanage? Would that be the compassionate thing to do to save them from a lifetime of suffering? Of course not! How then can we kill the same child a few months earlier in the womb, for the same reasons?
Perhaps your chosen name “Live at birth” indicates you don’t think there is a living human in the womb. That would make sense of your position that abortion is an acceptable solution. However, if something is growing, isn’t it alive? If a living being has human parents, wouldn’t she be a living human being? And don’t all human beings get human rights?
Why won’t you guys allow different opinions on this page? Why won’t you guys allow the conversation to happen,
This is the most disgusting thing I’ve ever read. You don’t know people’s situations. To assume there should be more children in that neighborhood is the must ridiculous thing I’ve ever read I’m not even sure how you function.
Should a woman have that 7 year old because she was raped, addicted to drugs, not financially stable, not ready because you say so. If you don’t like abortion don’t get one. It’s all as simple as that.
How many children have you adopted?
You’re not pro life. You’re anti choice and anti women.
I agree that we don’t know many people situations, and there are some very difficult ones that would make it extremely hard to carry a pregnancy to term and/or raise a child. I’m not sure who the mother of the child who should have been 7 was, but imagine that she was as you say – that she was raped, addicted to drugs, not financially stable, and not ready. Imagine if, for whatever reason of her own, she chose to go through with her pregnancy, but shortly after giving birth she realized that she couldn’t take care of that child. Do you think it would be okay for her to kill her child as a newborn or a toddler? I imagine that you would agree with me that it would be wrong for her to kill her child after birth, so why would it be okay for her to kill her child (for those very same reasons) before birth?
While recognizing the very real and difficult situations that people face, we believe that all humans ought to have human rights, and that those human rights ought to begin when human life begins. Do you know when science tells us that human life begins?
How dare you leave such a graphic unsolicited flyer on my door for my young children to see?
What the hell is wrong with you people?
I am fine with you making a point but to put such disturbing images out in the open for my children to find, makes me think how poor your moral standards actually are.
I am reporting this to the police, city council and I have ring doorbell images of the people distributing these disturbing flyers which will be posted all over Facebook and the likes.
Hi David, I agree with you that the images are disturbing, and I wish no child ever had to see them. Children are certainly not our target audience, and if there were a way for us to reach all of the adults in Canada without exposing the images to any children, we would do that. Since nearly 300 children are being killed through abortion every day in this country, it’s important that we reach as many people as we can with the evidence of this injustice, and in doing so, the unfortunate reality is that some children will be exposed to them.
To your last point, you are certainly within your rights to do so. Our intention is never to upset people, but simply to use our right to Freedom of Expression to expose the injustice of abortion in an effort to save lives. I hope you have a good day!
stay away from my house with your nonsense. abortion is healthcare! abortion is a woman’s right! I hope you fail miserably at trying to take a woman’s rights away. Abcdefu.
Hi Stacey, we believe in women’s rights, and all human rights. We all know that if two humans reproduce, they reproduce another human, so how could abortion – the intentional killing of that human – be healthcare?
You guys have so many flaws with what you guys are taking to the public you guys are saying that if a woman is raped or has insest that she should have to go through that pregnancy. Let’s just say if a 5 year old got pregnant would you force that child to have a baby? Maybe instead of shoving abortion down peoples throats maybe the members should take the time to go adopt a child out of foster care and let woman make the decisions for themselves.
You have flaws as taking the stand that rape and insest is ok and stating that a person who gets pregnant with it should have to continue with the pregnancy even if it damages them or kills them. Everyone has a right to their option but you don’t have to shove it down peoples throats and driving around with a moving truck with photos on it is shoving it down peoples throats and forcing parents to have a conversation with their young kids cause they have had to see the truck.
We definitely aren’t saying that rape and incest are okay. In fact, it just the opposite. Rape and incest are HORRIBLE things to happen to someone and we as a culture and as individuals should be supporting, encouraging, and doing our best to make sure that those who go through that find healing.
When we think of the situation of rape or incest, we know that there is a victim and a victimizer. The victimizer ought to be punished to the fullest extent of the law, and the victim should be loved, cared for, and her needs addressed. I’m sure we can agree on that. But isn’t there a second victim here? The unborn child (should pregnancy occur) didn’t choose to be born, it didn’t choose to be conceived in that way. Aren’t we then punishing the child for the crimes of the father? Shouldn’t our answer be to treat them both as innocent victims, instead of killing an innocent child? What are your thoughts on this?
Exactly, this is no different from religious zealots forcing their beliefs and taking lines from the scripture out of context to suit their narrative, this is exactly what they are doing with the images they use for their propaganda. It’s no surprise that they are so against a woman’s right to choose, because they don’t seem to believe in a person’s right to choose what imagery they or their children are exposed to. Imagine stating that it’s ok for a child to be born to a life of suffering because at least it’s life but not want to do anything to make that life better.
Hi Sally, I agree with you that the pictures are horrible, and I wish no one had to see them! I’m not sure exactly what you mean when you say that it’s similar to “taking lines from the scripture out of context,” do you mean that there is a context where the pictures are justified? I think we all agree that the reason the photos are so hard to look at is because they show children whose lives have been ended and bodies torn apart. Isn’t that always a bad thing?
And to your last point, I definitely agree with you that we should care about life both before and after birth, not just before! No child deserves to live a life of suffering.
Wow says you’re open to any comments than you keep deleting my comments I think the new would love that
Why won’t you let anyone have a different opinion than you? I have tried to post 4 times and you keep erasing the comments how is that fair or having a conversation if you won’t allow other opinions?
If we want to prevent abortion it has to start with proper education. Everyone needs proper sexual education, needs access to birth control so that unwanted pregnancies don’t happen. They should also have harsher punishment for rape and educate men on respecting women. People who have cut funding to any of the above are the ones that should be protested at and be held accountable for causing unwanted pregnancies by withholding information and access to the tools that prevent unwanted pregnancies. Every animal including humans have sex, it shouldn’t be so taboo to teach people to do it safely.
This website is disgusting. I do not believe in your god and your religion has no right to control my body and choices. If you are against abortion then do not have one but you cannot tell anyone else what is right and wrong. If someone is raped and the “fetus” would kill the mother then is that wrong to have an abortion when both the mother and “fetus” would die? Why don’t you move to America and can advocate there when the rest of us in Canada want our rights protected.
Hi Sam, the situation you bring up is heartbreaking. Of course I agree with you that sexual assault is horrible, and anytime that a pregnancy poses risks to the mother is always a tragic and very scary situation! People who experience those things deserve our utmost empathy and care, and perpetrators of sexual assault ought to be punished to the fullest extent of the law. We clearly agree that the right thing to do there is to care for the innocent girl/woman and bring the guilty rapist to justice, but do you think it would be fair to give the death penalty to the innocent child?
Sam smith I second your statements and support you fully! The right to abortion apart of women’s health care for a number of reasons. Also groups like these are so damaging to women’s freedoms and their right to choose. Prolife groups spread miss information to bully and shame women for access health care and is demand very controlling! And only target women! Women can only have one baby a in 9 months but men can get a women and or many women pregnant in one day! But these group target women and degrade women and not force men to take any responsibility for child they make! Why are we not shaming all man that masturbate and produce semen as murdering many paternal baby’s! Control based behaviour attempting to oppress women, to keep us reliant on men as provider which opens the door for women not flee unsafe situations. Don’t even get me started on the idea that a rape victim should have to care the baby to term how disgusting of a statement to even think this is ok. What will happen is depression and suicide for these women and increase of being trapped n DV situations.
This group needs to stay in their own lane! If you don’t believe in abortion then don’t have one!!! It’s pretty simply! But keep your oppressive beliefs to yourself and allow each women to make her own choices! Maybe us pro-choice community should work at abolishing these individuals rights to attend church! And make it illegal to practice their religion…….as the church is responsible for the rest of children in residential schools, raped and abused children, and performed experiments on these little ones in the name of God!!!
Hi Stacy, you’ve brought up a lot of points, and I would love to address each of them if you are interested in talking. For the sake of brevity I’ll just start with one, and that is the point you made that groups like these are damaging to women’s freedoms and their right to choose, and that we spread misinformation to shame women for access to health care.
Firstly, I certainly agree that women (and everyone!) should have access to proper healthcare, and in general we should all have the right to choose many things. This is an honest question: Do you think that all choices should be limitless? For example, do you think someone’s choice should be restricted if that choice would harm another human being?
you people are stupid!!!!
why would you leave these flyers on my door when i told your people i didnt want it. You gave it after i left. what if my kid saw it. You people have serious issues. I am so angry and you people are a fucking disgrace to society
Hi Eve, I apologize if one of us left a postcard that you told us you didn’t want. I’m not sure why that happened in your case, but we certainly were not trying to make you upset. Can I ask why you felt that way about the postcard?