Youthful enthusiam marks this year's March for Life

Young people were at the forefront as an estimated 2,300 pro-lifers - at least two-thirds of them youth - from across Canada brought a plea of "Let Them Live" to federal politicians in Ottawa, when the fifth annual March for Life took place in the nation's capital May 9-11.

The youths screamed, hollered and shouted their enthusiasm for the cause during a rally on the steps of the Parliament buildings, and in a subsequent march through the streets of downtown Ottawa. Those events highlighted three days of activities, which were also marked by a press conference by the Parliamentary Pro-Life Caucus, various masses and prayer services, a banquet, an all-day youth conference at the University of Ottawa and a candlelight vigil at the Canadian Tribute to Human Rights Monument.

This year's march was particularly timely as Federal Health Minister Anne McLellan had shortly beforehand put forward reproductive technologies legislation that would allow controversial embryonic stem cell research. The issue was at the forefront of several speeches given by politicians, as well as pro-life and religious leaders, at the march.

Former Canadian Alliance leader Stockwell Day, who was mobbed by appreciative young people when he made an appearance, described the government's move as "a disappointing step backward." He added that the legislation is "disappointing when adult stem cell research has so much to offer, has so much potential and (is) a way of avoiding the dilemma of creating life for the purpose of destroying it, which we know is wrong ... The right to life is too important."

His views were echoed in a more strident manner by Campaign Life Coalition president Jim Hughes, who called the legislation the most important to come before the House of Commons since 1969. "Every member of Parliament must know that this legislation cannot be supported," he said. "We must also let them know that there's no such thing as a 'spare embryo' ... If they vote for this legislation, we will defeat them in the next election."

Monte Solberg, Canadian Alliance MP for Medicine Hat, Alta., said in a statement read at the rally that, "Even long-time opponents of the pro-life movement are now expressing discomfort with the idea of the unrestricted right to experiment with human embryos."

Alliance MP Gary Breitkreuz used his time at the podium to plead for support for his private member's motion M-392, which seeks to have the federal justice committee examine the issue of when human life begins.

Religious leaders, meanwhile, made it clear that the pro-life struggle must be inspired and guided by spiritual values if it is to be successful.

"What must God hear rising up from our nation?" asked Rev. Matt Kingswood, pastor of the Reformed Presbyterian Church in Russell, Ont. "God must be saying, 'The blood of your babies cries out to me from the ground' ... The silent scream is not silent to God. Pray that He would give us all ears to hear the blood that is crying out."

"If the struggle must go on, no matter how long, it will be continued by the young people and generations to come," added Bishop Emeritus Edward Troy of St. John, N.B. "It is important that we pray for life in the womb ... The preborn are our future."

Musical accompaniment for the rally and banquet was provided by Ottawa Christian musician David MacDonald, who produced a fundraising CD especially for the occasion called New Life! MacDonald also composed the theme song for this year's event, Let Them Live. (Proceeds from sales of the CD are going toward defraying the costs of the march. You can order a copy from MacDonald's website at www.davidmacd.com.)

A teacher and students from Sault Ste. Marie Ont., meanwhile, introduced a Crosses for Life project. The initiative aims to construct 115,000 crosses made out of craft sticks, with a name given to each, to commemorate and personify each unborn child killed by abortion each year in Canada.

After disassembling on Parliament Hill, throngs of marchers with signs and banners in hand marched a circuitous route through the streets of downtown Ottawa. Along the way, they observed a period of silence as they passed Henry Morgentaler's Ottawa abortuary, where Show the Truth personnel were holding an impromptu demonstration (separate from the official program) with graphic signs.

A young girl accompanied by a young man who was apparently her boyfriend engaged one of the Show the Truth demonstrators in a polite conversation over the propriety of holding such a graphic demonstration in front of a facility where mothers were entering to seek abortions.

She claimed that she herself had had an abortion after becoming pregnant through a rape and that such a display brought back unpleasant flashbacks. She said it would cause other mothers in crisis pregnancies additional trauma because they had no other realistic place to turn. The demonstrator replied that a lot of resources were in place to ensure mothers had a life-giving alternative for their babies.

At other points through the march, passing vehicles honked their approval to the boisterous pro-life youths while pedestrians and people in buses smiled and waved. No heckling or abusive conduct from onlookers was immediately evident.

Media coverage of the march was somewhat disappointing as usual. The CTV television network carried brief coverage of the MPs' press conference, while the Ottawa Citizen ran an article about the rally on Parliament Hill. It way underestimated the size of the crowd, however, and seemed to imply that the rally was in response to stem cell issues, rather than life issues in general.

The Hamilton Spectator ran a photo of the Parliament Hill rally and a caption on page three of its first section. The Edmonton Journal also ran a photo.

On the Friday evening, hundreds gathered at the Ottawa Congress Centre to dine, socialize and hear from several MPs, as well as keynote speaker Doug Scott, head of Life Decisions International in the U.S. He inspired the crowd and drew a standing ovation by describing how his organization has had great success in attacking the Planned Parenthood behemoth through boycotts of the abortion promoter's corporate backers.

The day closed out with the older folks heading back to their hotels to let young people party and dance to contemporary Christian music hits played by deejays from Ottawa Christian radio station CHRI-FM.