From October 29-31, 2009, the Hilton Garden Inn in Saskatoon was the setting for “Building Bridges: Making Choices for Life,” this year’s National Pro-life Conference. The gathering was hosted by the Saskatchewan Pro-Life Association and co-sponsored by Campaign Life Coalition and Life Canada. An impressive line-up of speakers inspired the more than 200 registrants in attendance.
Friday’s schedule began with Rev. Dr. James Lamb, executive director of Lutherans for life (U.S.). He said we must cherish all life, but especially those who are most vulnerable and in need. He reminded believers that the battle is not ours, but God’s and that the battle has been won.
The next speaker was Dr. Larry Reynolds, a physician who practised, researched and taught in the area of family medicine for over 30 years. He explained how he was persecuted for his pro-life values, having been removed from his posts as head of the Department of Family Medicine, professor at the University of Manitoba and head of the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority’s Family Medicine Program. He wept as he concluded his comments, saying it would be difficult to face the souls of unborn children and mothers suffering from abortion and tell them he didn’t “do everything I could have. I didn’t do as much as I should have. But I was not always silent.”
Andrea Mrozek, co-founder of the website ProWomanProLife.org, maintained that access to abortion does not, nor has it ever, contributed to the betterment of women. She discussed not only the many health risks of abortion, but also the global phenomenon of demographic gender disparity. The world is “missing” millions of women due to sex-selective abortion, she said.
Alex Schadenberg, executive director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, spoke about C-384, the pro-euthanasia private member’s bill before Parliament. He cited some of the dangers of the bill (aside from the obvious ones), such as the fact that it does not define terminal illness. “Choice is a lie. Euthanasia is not about autonomy, it is about the direct, intentional killing of another human being,” he said. Polls show that Canadians do not strongly support euthanasia and would prefer improved end-of-life care, he added.
The Friday afternoon schedule also featured a student panel with Leah Hallman, president of Campus Pro-Life at the University of Calgary, Renee Schmitz, assistant Western director of the National Campus Pro-Life Network, and Dax Ramsey, a medical intern at the University of Saskatchewan. Each gave a short presentation and fielded questions from the audience. Perhaps the most dramatic part of the session was when Hallman announced to a cheering audience that the U of C had dropped trespassing charges against the pro-life students who had staged a Genocide Awareness Project exhibit earlier this year, despite threats of legal action and even expulsion.
The banquet Friday evening was attended by a lively crowd of about 250. Before the keynote speech got underway, two presentations were celebrated: the Life Canada Mother Teresa Pro-Life Award, given to Jakki Jeffs, followed by the SPLA’s Dombowsky Award, presented to Jacqueline Owen.
The banquet speaker was Ezra Levant, Calgary lawyer, publisher and author of Shakedown: How Our Government is Undermining Democracy in the Name of Human Rights. He gave an energetic and entertaining history of his persecution by the Alberta Human Rights Commission over his magazine’s publishing of the Danish “Mohammed” cartoons. He urged pro-life groups to use the same strategy that has been successful against the HRCs: turn the tables and “de-normalize” those who seek to marginalize and stifle debate. Free speech and a free exchange of ideas are core issues, not only for the pro-life movement, but for the maintenance of a healthy society, he said.
The themes of language and debate surfaced again on Saturday. Samantha Singson, pro-life lobbyist at the UN, spoke of the often surreal “Alice in Wonderland” atmosphere where evil is good, such as when abortion is touted as a human right, and utter nonsense is taken seriously. She noted how one speaker at a UN workshop insisted there are not two, but 144 different “genders.” Singson highlighted some of the vocabulary and tactics used by anti-life forces at the UN in order to pass their pet resolutions.
John-Henry Westen, editor of LifeSiteNews.com, spoke next. He called abortion “the most important human rights battle of the 21st century.” He candidly addressed the Development and Peace controversy, giving a brief history of D&P’s involvement with questionable groups, dating back to the 2000 March of Women. Westen added that to date, a total of 46 problematic groups have been identified as receiving funding from D&P. He regretted the often acrimonious responses that LSN’s coverage of the controversy has prompted.
Next up was Rod Bruinooge, the young and dynamic MP for Winnipeg South. He is also the chair of the Parliamentary Pro-life Caucus and founder of the First Nations organization Aboriginal Life Circle. He insisted that “pro-life politics can win,” sharing his own story of political success despite advice early on to suppress his beliefs. He said pro-lifers need to reframe the debate, since the discourse has been entirely defined by their opponents. The question needs to be asked: does the unborn child have value? The majority of Canadians believe there should be some restrictions on abortion, and/or some protection for the unborn. He said there is a need to confront people, especially politicians, with such questions as “Under current Canadian law, why is a woman’s kidney worth more than her unborn child?”
The last speaker was Fr. Louis Di Rocco, a well-respected veteran of the pro-life movement in Canada. He gave interesting accounts of pro-life, pro-family advocacy at the UN. He asked the question that for years has frustrated many pro-life UN delegates, especially those from developing nations: why is there such a tremendous focus on ‘reproductive health’ – and all it entails, like a bogus “human right to abortion” – when many very basic and pressing needs, such as access to clean water, are ignored? He urged that accountability be demanded from our politicians, as Canadian delegates are usually some of the most anti-life ones at the UN. Above all, he exhorted all to continue to pray for the pro-life cause.
– with files from Life Site News