Opinion
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 Life Chain

September 26, 2019 (Campaign Life Coalition) — On Sunday, October 6, 2019, Canada will partake in its 30th Life Chain since this pro-life witness was first brought north of the border in 1990.

In a nutshell, Life Chain consists of pro-lifers standing at intersections across the country, silently praying for an end to abortion for an hour while holding signs with messages like: “Abortion kills children,” “Abortion hurts women,” “Adoption, the loving option,” and “Life, the first inalienable right.”

I know some pro-lifers wonder if this is an effective form of activism any longer. Is it still relevant? Is it worth the effort?

Yes.

Simply look at this map of all the Life Chains in Canada.

The “chain” aspect of “Life Chain” is evident at each intersection, as there are lines of individual participants, but it is also evident seeing how Life Chain literally stretches from the Pacific to the Atlantic. And each of the balloons denoting a Life Chain location also signifies a community exposed to the truth that abortion kills children. No other form of pro-life activism offers the same extent of local outreach. Countless people driving or walking by these Life Chains will have their consciences pricked and their heartstrings pulled, even if just momentarily, and that matters.

Furthermore, Life Chain is a pro-life event you can bring your whole family to. It is accessible to both young and old. Those who have no experience talking about abortion, or who cannot travel far, can still participate. It's an opportunity for parents to teach their children that yes, something very wrong is happening in our nation, but there are also a lot of good people united in doing something about it.

In fact, Life Chain was the first time I engaged in pro-life activism as a child, and many other pro-life young people I know were also introduced to the movement this way.

Life Chain doesn't require a lot of work on the part of local organizers, nor is it costly. It can be comprised of just a handful of people in a hamlet or hundreds of people in a city, all doing their part to connect the chain of pro-life witness.

There are other types of pro-life activism with their own respective advantages, but Life Chain is irreplaceable in its accessibility and its reach. Ideally, there would be one in every community in Canada, and ideally, Life Chain will mobilize participants to get more involved, to continue their pro-life work year-round, so that each time pro-lifers return to their local Life Chain, they do so in a community that is a little bit more pro-life than it was the year prior.

Commit to attending your local Life Chain this year. Find out more here.

Published with permission from the Campaign Life Coalition.