Irate pro-lifers braved the sub-zero January chill for an Ontario-wide protest against government plans to gag them.
On January 9, virtually every New Democrat’s, constituency office across the province was hit with a protest and organizers are vowing more of the same. They plan to make the provincial government’s life as uncomfortable as possible in the wake of a report recommending even more access to abortions and the silencing of protest.
“This is only the beginning,” Ontario Campaign Life Coalition president Mary Ellen Douglas promised. “We’re going to meet with the MPPs. They have to be confronted everywhere.”
Mrs. Douglas said organizers were trying to drive home the point to the public with the initial action. Another picket was planned for Jan. 28 after which organizers plan to turn their attention directly to the politicians.
In spite of short notice, organizers outside Toronto had a successful day. There were more than 130 people in Peterborough, 80 outside Marion Boyd’s office in London, and 50 pro-lifers in Stratford.
Fifteen of the 17 Toronto ridings had a pro-life presence outside. Numbers in Toronto ranged from 15 to 25.
Welland-Thorold MPP Peter Kormos was a notable exception to the rest of his NDP colleagues who ignored the event. Kormos joined the picketers in front of his downtown constituency office saying he supports pro-lifers’ rights to “freely express themselves… I feel good that they would feel comfortable using my storefront as a location to do that,” he said.
Mrs. Douglas said organizers were “very satisfied” with he response. “This was our first effort to alert people.” She said.
The report was released just before Christmas amid widespread criticism from pro-life groups across the province, but the government has vowed to act quickly on it.
Among other things, the report suggests increasing access to abortions in every part of ht province and working on legislation to curtail pro-life counselling and protest.
