Recently there has been a new buzz about abortion on Canadian university campuses. Another face to the abortion debate is being represented as campus pro-life clubs host the Silent No More Awareness Campaign. Women and men from the campaign share their testimonies about abortion and how they regret their “choice.”
The first campus visit was at McMaster University in March 2007. In November 2007, the pro-life clubs at Dalhousie, Halifax and Carleton in Ottawa held events with Silent No More that focused on the hurt and regret that comes from having an abortion.
Angelina Steenstra, the co-ordinator of the Silent No More Awareness Campaign, knows this is a message that must be given to students. The message is simple: “Abortion hurts women and men.” It is important to show that “women deserve better than being offered abortion as the only solution to any pregnancy.” The testimonies illustrate clearly the harmful effects of having an abortion. Steenstra notes, “We speak about the reality of abortion, not the theory.”
There has been a variety of reactions to this message, as expected. One such reaction was a woman who approached after the testimonies to share how she was three months pregnant and being pressured to have an abortion. After hearing the testimonies, she became solidly convinced she will not have an abortion, despite how it may affect her education. At another campus, a man shared how deeply he was affected by an abortion that happened within his circle of relationships. He spoke of how he wished he could have prevented it and the negative affects it had on those relationships.
Not all of the reactions have been supportive. At one campus, while Silent No More stood in the student area with signs reading “I regret my abortion” or “I regret my lost fatherhood,” they encountered some protesters. A few female students arrived with their own signs reading, “Pro-choice” and “My choice is not my regret.” When the official event was to begin, the girls were invited to listen to the testimonies. They sat in and were witnesses to what “choice” really meant.
Nicholas McLeod, treasurer of Carleton Lifeline, was very pleased with the events of the day. His club wanted Silent No More on campus to be able to show the negative effects of abortion from firsthand experience. McLeod explained, “These women bring the unfiltered truth into campuses and that is the greatest weapon that we can wield against the culture of death.”
Steenstra and the others involved with Silent No More will continue to share their message on campuses, with dates scheduled for the University of Calgary and Western, so far. She hopes men and women will hear their message and be given the strength and courage to choose life. Another hope is to change hearts. They want to make abortion unthinkable and unnecessary. Also very important is reaching out to “those suffering from the aftermath of abortion, whether immediate or peripherally” to reassure them that they are not alone and “that people will know that healing aftercare programs are available.”
