Display on parliamentary lawn stresses need to protect the pre-born

Craig Macartney
Spur Ottawa Writer

As Parliament Hill prepares for the annual March for Life, pro-life activists have already made their mark on the parliamentary lawns. Early this afternoon, pro-life advocacy group We Need A Law held a press conference in front of parliament’s Centre Block, displaying nearly 7000 baby booties.

Some booties came from as far away as Australia. Photo by Craig Macartney.

“What we try to do as much as possible is use creative ways to touch hearts about this important issue,” explains Mark Penninga, one of the representatives on the Hill. “These baby booties do that in a way few other things can.”

Each of the 6800 pairs of booties displayed represents 15 pre-born babies killed in Canada every year.

“We brought this to parliament because we want everyone, especially parliamentarians, to be reminded that there are people in our country who are not protected,” explains volunteer Sjanie Wildeboer. “There are no laws [against abortion] in Canada. Every year more than 100,000 pre-born Canadians lose their lives to abortion.”

Speaking at the press conference, Conservative MP Kelly Block thanked the numerous Canadians who hand-made each pair of baby booties. She also shared that she is expecting her fifth grandchild this fall.

MP Kelly Block greets event organizers before the press conference. Photo by Craig Macartney.

“As I reflect on meeting this new grandchild, I am reminded of a number of facts. First, only a few weeks after conception, a baby’s heart starts beating. A few weeks later, the baby’s brain waves can be detected. Approximately 14 weeks from conception, a baby’s unique fingerprints are formed. Whether or not the law recognizes these wonderful facts does not change the truthfulness of them.”

Block added she hopes through initiatives like this that “Canadians will be moved to open their eyes to this tragedy, open their hearts to the solution, and open their mouths to call for an end to it”.

We Need A Law plans to send the booties to every member of parliament and senator, asking them to donate the booties to crisis pregnancy centres in their home riding. Each pair also includes a hand-written note from the maker, emphasising the importance of the issue.

The booties will go to parliamentarians with personalized messages about the importance of protecting life. Photo by Craig Macartney.

Penninga says they were overwhelmed by the response they received from Canadians. Initially, he says, they only planned to have 1000 booties and did little to promote the campaign.

“The response has been so touching to see. Hundreds contributed. Some people made one pair of baby booties. Others made as many as 100. I heard some even came in from as far away as Australia.”

Wildeboer encourages all Canadians to actively advocate for pre-born rights. She says one of the easiest ways is through their website.

“We Need A Law focuses on reaching members of parliament. They set up a really cool system online called SimpleMail. They have scripted emails people can edit and send to MPs and senators. All Canadians should be protected.”