OTTAWA, Ontario, April 26, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Abortion advocates in the Ottawa area staged a protest on Parliament Hill Wednesday against MP Stephen Woodworth’s pro-life motion. Activists bore “knitted wombs and vulvas” to claim that Stephen Harper’s federal Tory government wants to “control our uteruses.”
The rally received wide media coverage and the National Post, one of Canada’s leading national papers, touted the turnout as “huge,” though the crowd included only “over 50 activists,” according to the Globe and Mail.
Ottawa social conservative activist John Pacheco, who organized the 15,000 strong rally for traditional marriage, railed against the National Post’s distortion asking readers to contact the editor at the Post asking for correction. “50 people?!?!? Goodness gracious me! Have you ever heard of such a thing? Pandemonium on steroids! 50 people! Where did they fit them all! HUGE!!!!!,” wrote Pacheco.
Countless pro-life rallies across the country held throughout the year, even in rural areas, often draw far more than 50 activists, yet usually without mention even in local media.
The pro-abortion rally was held as Parliament is set for an hour of debate on Woodworth’s motion on Thursday around 5:30 p.m. The Kitchener Centre MP hopes to establish a special committee to consider when human life begins by re-examining section 223 of the Criminal Code, which states that a child only becomes a “human being” once he or she has fully proceeded from the womb.
Polls have consistently shown that Canadians oppose the current status quo on abortion, where the deadly procedure is legal and tax-funded up until the moment of birth.
An Environics poll in October found that 72 percent of Canadians want some form of protection for children in the womb, with 28% saying they want protections from the moment of conception.
Nevertheless, Woodworth’s effort has been strongly opposed by all of the major political parties, including the ruling Tories.
Even as Woodworth announced the motion at a press conference in February, Justice Minister Rob Nicholson sent a statement around to media stressing the government’s disapproval. “The Prime Minister has been very clear [that] our government will not reopen this debate,” said Nicholson, who was once regarded as a strong pro-life MP.
Wednesday’s protesters called themselves the Radical Handmaids and wore red garments and “flying nun” hats as an allusion to Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale.
They say Harper’s Conservative government is trying to push Canada to that futuristic America described by Atwood where women are subjugated and used strictly for their reproductive capabilities.
“The Handmaid’s Tale shouldn’t be an instruction manual,” they said in their press release. “We’re watching what’s going on in the United States with the war on women and we know the Conservatives are trying to sneak it up here.”
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