OTTAWA, May 9, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – For many of the MPs at today's Canadian National March for Life, support for the unborn – especially those most targeted for abortion because of perceived defects – is not merely political; it is intensely personal.
No fewer than four Conservative MPs and one Senator told the crowd gathered outside Parliament this afternoon about their experiences being pressured to abort their children – and their decision to choose life.
Senator Tobias Enverga, who represents Ontario, introduced his 23-year-old daughter, Rosselle, to the crowd. If it were up to some doctors, the young lady, who has Down Syndrome, would not be here.
“A few years ago they told me, 'You've got some options'…and one of them is abortion. And we said, 'No, we want our children,'” he said. “Now, I know we made the right choice.”
Rosselle briefly told the crowd how happy attending the March made her – and how thankful she is to experience all the joys of life. “I love my life,” she said. “I like everyone.”
A smaller girl also got a round of applause. Jeff Watson of the riding of Essex introduced the girl he adopted last year, Beatrice, who was supposed to have been aborted. “She ended up in our loving arms,” Watson said,” and we're proud to have her.”
Others could not introduce the child in their lives.
“In August of 2011, my wife and I found out that we were going to be blessed with our third child,” said Kyle Seeback of Brampton West. “In November, we found out that our child had genetic disorders that were terminal.”
“Everyone told us we should abort that child,” Seeback said. “My wife and I said, 'Elijah, you have a life that is worth living, no matter how short that life might be.'”
Several speakers discussed how babies conceived under daunting circumstances or facing difficult obstacles overcame the odds.
James Lunney, a Tory for the riding of Nanaimo-Alberni, spoke about his nephew, who has Down Syndrome. “He's in his mid-30s now. He's a wonderful young man,” he said. “He's got a job. He contributes to the community, competes in the Special Olympics.”
“I'm so glad that he's here and my sister made the right choice,” he said.
Experiencing these joyful life markers impacted the MPs and all who saw their children.
“Last year, I had the privilege of walking my daughter down the aisle,” said Kevin Sorenson MP fpr Crowfoot. “Twenty-one years ago, she was adopted. At that wedding, we had her birth mother and the birth father there.”
“They realized that they made the right choice when they put Kristen up for adoption,” he said.
The MPs encouraged grassroots Canadians to keep up the pressure on their own elected representatives – and to remember pro-life MPs during upcoming nominations in 2015.