It is just over a month until the National March for Life in Ottawa (May 9). The theme this year is gendercide. The Interim and LifeSiteNews.com have both ran promotional stories. In light of the political maneuvering that took place in recent weeks to scuttle Mark Warawa’s private member’s motion (M408) and the political fallout, it might seem that a rally and march tied to the issue of a motion deemed non-votable is less relevant, but in fact the powers that be — Stephen Harper, his PMO and political strategists, the other political leaders, and the media — need to see that people care about sex-selective abortion and a voice must be given to the notion that “it’s a girl is not a death sentence.” On the one hand it would have been great to rally support for the motion as it worked its way through Parliament, but that is not going to happen unless Warawa appeals the decision directly to the Speaker of the House (he has until April 19 to decide) and is successful doing so. On the other hand, it would be a shame to allow this issue to simply disappear. Abingdon Research found that 87% of Canadians are opposed to the practice of sex-selective abortion (compared to 5% who support it). Warawa’s motion would simply condemn the practice without banning or regulating it; as William Watson noted in the Ottawa Citizen, it is a little strange that considering such high support, Warawa has only proposed a resolution rather than a bill seeking to outlaw gendercide. May 9 is the opportunity for Canadian pro-lifers to demand the end of this lethal form of discrimination (even though, as Watson notes, it would be difficult to ascertain the difference between gendercide and abortion for any other reason).
More more information about M408, check out DefendGirls.ca and Mark Warawa’s website.
