Pro-lifers rallied in Ontario, Canada yesterday to demand an end to taxpayer funding of abortion. The Interim newspaper has more details on the rally:
Despite wind, sleet, and temperatures of minus six, more than 350 people attended the Defund Abortion Rally organized by Campaign Life Coalition Youth at Queen’s Park on March 19.
While the crowd was small at the start of the noon-hour event, causing concern among organizers, it quickly grew during the presentations of the first two speakers.
The event opened with Campaign Life Coalition’s Jack Fonseca presenting 560 petitions from constituents in Ajax-Pickering to their Liberal MPP, Joe Dickson. Dickson thanked Fonseca for the petitions and noted that they will now be part of the “permanent record in the province” and urged the crowd to “keep up the good work.”
Fonseca told The Interim it is good to give pro-lifers a chance to see “their elected representatives face-to-face” because their presence encourages them: both the show of support by the elected official to the crowd but also the reinforcement by the movement for members of provincial parliament. “Directly involving the MPP,” Fonseca explained, “is a form of lobbying, to strengthen the good guys and to put pressure on the bad guys.”
The speakers included Fonseca; CLC Youth coordinator Alisa Golob; CLC’s Mary Ellen Douglas, Matt Wojciechowski and Sharon Rose Milan; Canadian Christian College’s Rondo Thomas; the Canadian Centre for Bioethical Reform’s Jonathon van Maren; and freedom activist and Sun News personality Faith Goldy.
Golob thanked the crowd for “using your voice to stand up against injustice.” She said, “millions of dollars every single year are being taken from our pockets and being used to dismember, decapitate and disembowel children in the womb not only across this province, but across this country and we are here to say enough is enough.”
Golob, who organized the event, said, “We are here to take action. We are here to send a message loud and clear to our provincial government that we will no longer comply with the tyranny of forced, taxpayer funded abortion. “
Jonathon Van Maren said that everyone in the province was “complicit” in the murder of the unborn “by virtue of all of us being taxpayers.” Rondo Thomas, an ordained minister, said abortion violates “my conscience” and it is wrong to implicate faithful Christians in abortion through the use of the public purse.
CLC has calculated that the direct costs of abortion are at least $30-$50 million, and that instead of funding a medically unnecessary procedure Ontario could hire more than 200 family doctors or 400 nurses, purchased 20 MRI machines, or provide therapy for an additional 500 autistic children.
The Campaign Life Coalition also released its own report on the rally:
Chanting slogans such as “Defund Abortion” and “Not from my wallet!” an enthusiastic crowd of 350 demonstrators gathered at Queen’s Park on Tuesday March 19, calling on the Ontario legislature to bring an end to forced taxpayer-funded abortion. Taxpayers from various parts of the province (including the GTA, Sudbury, Walkerton, Cambridge, Chatham, St. Catharine’s, Peterborough) came together for a common cause; to defund a procedure that kills a human being, hurts women and is a financial drain on the health care system.
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At the rally, Liberal MPP Joe Dickson (Ajax-Pickering) was presented with a petition calling for the defunding of abortion signed by 560 of his constituents. MPP Dixon pledged to present them to the legislature and said a few words to congratulate the spirited crowd on their efforts. Campaign Life Coalition Youth has thus far received more than 25,000 signatures from across the province petitioning to remove abortion as a service covered by OHIP.
Of note, the defund abortion rally included a personal message of support from federal MP Garry Breitkreuz (Yorkton-Melville). His message said “10 years ago I introduced a private members motion that sought to determine whether or not abortion is a medically necessary procedure unfortunately while my motion did not pass; I’m encouraged to know that Ontario taxpayers are taking up this cause.”
Among the five youth speakers, rally organizer Alissa Golob, addressed the opportunity costs of defunding abortion in this province. “For $30-50 million a year, Ontario can hire over 200 family doctors or 400 nurses. We could purchase 20 MRI machines or provide therapy to an additional 500 autistic children” said Golob. “It’s time we redirect our tax dollars from a procedure that harms women and kills children to genuine areas of health care.”
Mary Ellen Douglas, Ontario President for Campaign Life Coalition, wrapped up the rally by encouraging supporters to continue the campaign to defund abortion by engaging MPPs at the constituency level.
