The Sisters of Life are a religious order founded in 1991 by the late Cardinal O’Connor of New York, who was convinced that there was a need for a religious order of women who would serve completely in pro-life ministry. In August, the Archdiocese of Toronto was blessed by the entrance of the Sisters of Life, who have established their first convent [...]
Another attack on the rights of pro-lifers on our Canadian campuses has occurred. This time, the attempt to silence pro-life students came from the Memorial University of Newfoundland Students Union Board of Directors (MUNSU). MUN for LIFE, Memorial’s pro-life club, was denied ratification on Sept. 26 at a MUNSU board meeting. Up until then, Patrick Hanlon, club president, and members of the [...]
Every year, Canada’s pro-life university students look forward to the National Campus Life Network national symposium on the final weekend in September. The symposium is designed to educate, network and motivate post-secondary student leaders for pro-life activism. Students from across the country travel by car, bus, subway and plane to partake in this important event. This year, 46 attendees, representing 22 Canadian [...]
One hot, humid day last summer, Ann Wilson, then the director of downtown Toronto’s Aid to Women office, heard yelling on the street below. Such commotion is not unusual, given the location of the office next door to an abortuary, in a red-light district and surrounded by drug activity. Still, she wondered what was going on. A new sidewalk witness, Vanya Gobbi [...]
Sweet Smell of Roses Early in the morning on one of my first days at Aid to Women, I opened the back door from our second-floor kitchen. With the front windows also open, I was hoping to create a cross-breeze to reduce the hot, humid air. My immediate effect was to scatter a flock of starlings. I sipped my morning coffee and [...]
Following up on the promotional piece in June’s issue, entitled, “Personal miracle spawns Aid to Women benefit,” I was able to attend the Ben Navaee Gallery’s show in support of Toronto’s Aid to Women, which ran June 1-11. To recap, Ben, the curator and artist whose work was on display, and his partner Lenka encountered Ann Wilson and Aid to Women through [...]
The Ben Navaee Gallery will be hosting a show in support of Toronto’s Aid to Women from June 1-11. The story at the source of the inspiration behind this show involves the gallery’s curator, Ben Navaee, and his partner, Lenka. Like so many stories involving Aid to Women, Ben and Lenka’s is one of love, understanding, compassion and most of all, serendipity. [...]
“Being a pro-lifer in the Northwest Territories is a unique experience,” Linda Wood tells The Interim. “You have easy access to the powers-that-be. For example, I’ve gone for coffee with our previous minister of health and shared some of my concerns as a REAL Woman and pro-life activist.” Wood is REAL Women’s director for the Northwest Territories. “I believe REAL Women and pro-life [...]
The definitive decision on the abortion issue under the Charter of Rights was the Morgentaler case, handed down by the Supreme Court of Canada in January 1988. In that decision, the Supreme Court struck down the abortion provision (Section 251) of the Criminal Code, which prohibited abortions except when necessary to safeguard a woman’s “life or health” and after approval by a [...]
Perhaps not surprisingly, the entity that oversees the conduct of judges in Canada – which, remarkably, is itself made up exclusively of judges – has ruled that Ontario’s chief justice did not act improperly in two matters: when he legalized so-called same-sex marriage in his province in 2003, despite the fact his daughter was involved in a same-sex relationship at the time, [...]
There’s a great initiative underway that involves students, raising money, the National March For Life and dancing! In December, Kerriann Miller and Robin Mendonca were the head organizers for the second annual Dance for Life in southwestern Ontario. They were helped by their committee of Mitch Gunnarson, Stephanie Hoffbauer, Tracey Mendonca and Karynn Scott. It is estimated that this year’s dance was [...]
On Jan. 9, the Carleton University Students Association voted in favour of granting the campus pro-life group, Carleton LifeLine, club status. This came after much controversy and concern from a motion put forward and accepted by CUSA in December, that seemed to make it impossible for any group opposed to abortion to attain official club status. LifeLine threatened legal action and both [...]
Capilano College is found in beautiful North Vancouver and is the academic home of over 7,200 students. They are represented by the Capilano Students Union -- or, at least some of them are. The CSU, “an autonomous democratic organization” and member of the Canadian Federation of Students, is “dedicated to advancing student interests and working towards achieving a high-quality education system that [...]
At Christmas time, good things happen at Aid to Women in downtown Toronto. Last Christmas, a friend who was “moving and downsizing” donated beautiful Christmas decorations. “They were gone in no time,” recalls Ann Wilson, director of Aid to Women. One month before Christmas, another friend sent word that a certain lady wanted to donate gifts to a dozen or so women [...]
Numerous professions have formed specialized groups to address the pro-life struggle within their respective spheres of influence – Physicians for Life perhaps most prominently comes to mind – but one area that still needs to be focused on is the realm of teaching. A Canadian Teachers for Life organization was started in the mid-1980s by Louis Di Rocco, then a volunteer with [...]