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September 28, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – COVID will not stop a Canadian-wide outdoor pro-life event from taking place this coming weekend (Sunday, Oct. 4), where thousands are expected to take to the streets in cities and towns across the country — while following all provincial regulations — to protest the slaughter of some 100,000 babies every year by abortion. 

Life Chain 2020 will forge ahead outdoors following strict COVID-19 protocols. Campaign Life Coalition is urging all participants to abide by their local health and safety measures and say they are “confident that participants will be physically distanced.”

“Every year, people of all ages come together to peacefully testify as a community to the truth that abortion kills children and harms women,” said Josie Luetke, Life Chain Canada committee member and Youth Coordinator for Campaign Life Coalition (CLC) in a press release about the event. 

“The event will be relatively low-risk—virtually, as safe as it can be during this pandemic. Participants will be outdoors, physically distanced, and standing in silent prayer,” Luetke told LifeSiteNews. 

Luetke informed LifeSiteNews that the pro-life movement must “continually engage with the culture, even when it seems intent on pushing death over life again and again.”

“Our public pro-life witness through Life Chain is a visible call for our communities to return to Christ and to cherish each and every human life. This reminder is especially necessary when you consider how in Canada in 2020 abortions are considered an ‘essential service’ and the elderly and disabled are being isolated and neglected, ” said Luetke to LifeSiteNews. 

For 2020, Life Chain will be taking place in every province in Canada except for Prince Edward Island and the Territories. 

Due to restrictions put in place because of COVID-19, event organizers have asked each Life Chain group to follow their local COVID-19 guidelines as they pertain to outdoor crowd limits.

“We've asked organizers to be prepared to set up ‘mini’ Life Chains, separated by a couple of blocks or so, comprised of no more than 25 people each. In summary, then, as long as you're feeling healthy and take the necessary health precautions, you should be able to take part in Life Chain without any concerns,” Luetke told LifeSiteNews.

Life Chain organizers also remind participants that even “during a pandemic” people have the right to protest. 

“Remember that even during a pandemic, you still have a constitutionally-protected right to protest and that other groups (like Black Lives Matter) have done so. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau himself attended such a protest,” states the Life Chain COVID-19 protocol document. 

In most locations, Life Chain will take place from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. local time. Times and locations will vary, says CLC,  so they have recommended viewing the complete list of locations and times before heading out, which includes nearly 40 locations in Toronto alone.

Event organizers are encouraging participants to be prepared to explain to local media as well as law enforcement the steps they are taking to stay in compliance with their local COVID-19 regulations. 

They are also encouraging attendees to have their cameras on hand.

“We do recommend that Life Chain organizers film their Life Chain if they have the capability to do so, in order to keep the event peaceful and to have evidence of their compliance to COVID-19 protocols,” Luetke told LifeSiteNews.

Attendees at previous Life Chain events have received opposition for their pro-life witness. 

In 2018, a man was caught on video roundhouse-kicking a young female CLC staff member at a Life Chain event in Toronto. As the incident was filmed, the identity of the attacker was later verified which resulted in him being charged with assault.  

Life Chain events in Canada have been held every year since 1990, with the event first taking place in the United States in 1987, as “a peaceful and prayerful demonstration in support of the inherent dignity of every human being, from the moment of conception until natural death.”

For more information on Life Chain Canada, please visit https://www.campaignlifecoalition.com/life-chain.

Life Chain events in the US will be taking place on two official dates due to COVID-19, on October 4th, and November 1st.