About 50 people attended the Life Chain witness held on the north side of Scott St. to silently demonstrate their opposition to abortion, Sunday afternoon. This annual event is held the first Sunday of October.
Helen Andrusco, 73, came to the witness with her husband, Mike. She said they have been anti-abortion for many years and they join the witness every year to protest in support of unborn children.
“The Life Chain is not a women’s issue, it is a life issue and we believe it should be everybody’s issue,” Andrusco said. “It is not for an individual group, but together we realize that the shedding of innocent blood is a serious stain on our nation. It’s a demonstration for them and to let people know that it is an issue and it needs to be dealt with.”
Andrusco said she would like to see a change in the government concerning abortions. Andrusco added that there will always be difficult decisions, but said she does not think “killing an innocent child is a solution. Abortion is not the answer, there are other options, she added.
“We realize that Canada is the only nation with absolutely no specific legal restrictions on abortions,” Andrusco said. “In the year 2017, there was a recorded 94,000 abortions. We’d like to see a change in our government.”
According to the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada, in 2018, there were 85,195 abortions carried out including hospital and clinical abortions. About 94,030 were carried out in 2019, according to the same website.
During the witness, different signs were held, some saying “Adoption the loving option,” “Abortions hurt women,” and “Defend life.”
Bryan Strahl, 32, who also came to the witness said babies have rights and he does not see abortion ever being ok.
“My older brother is adopted and I just feel so blessed to have him as part of my life,” Strahl said. “It could have gone the other way. It’s pretty important that we support with love and encouragement those people who are making difficult decisions.”
Carole Macintosh helps organize the Life Chain witness. She said this is not a Christian issue, but a worldwide humanitarian one.
“A lot of people think we are shouting, yelling and banging the table and it isn’t true. There is no logic in that. Abortion is a big business. People make huge amounts of money with abortion clinics. It not just Christians, it is for humanity’s sake.”
According to Life Chain’s website, the witness is held simultaneously in more than 200 locations across Canada each year between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. This annual witness has been taking place since 1987, after the Supreme Court of Canada’s decision that the abortion law violated the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and therefore unconstitutional.
“We realize and recognize that the shedding of innocent blood is a serious stain on our nation,” Andrusco said. “Unborn have rights, too. They are not just a blob of something. They are an actual human being. Just because you can’t see them it doesn’t mean that it is not a life. Jesus gave his life for us and he did not bring condemnation, he brought forgiveness.”
