Right to Life held their annual vigil Jan. 28, to bring attention to the Supreme Court of Canada’s case R v Morgentaler [1988] when Canada’s abortion law was struck down and instructions were given to develop a new law that would balance the rights of the woman and the “foetus.” This year marked the 31st anniversary of the decision and Canadians continue to wait for a law. Currently it is lawful in Canada for a woman to have an abortion for any reason right up to birth.
This year’s vigil drew 14 participants who stood in -34C windchills; some displayed new signs provided by We Need a Law (weneedalaw.ca), a Canadian pro-life group who advocates for the introduction of an International Standards Abortion Law. Parkland Right to Life’s President, Ted Deneschuk, and his wife, Emily, were present along with Rev. Ron & Mrs. Ferguson of the Alliance Church, and Rev. & Mrs. Steve Rosluk of First Baptist Church. Ken Grey, the new Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan, drove from Regina to show his support for life, and later met with participants to discuss life issues and politics. Ken and his wife, Jodie, are adoptive parents of three special needs children.
The pro-life group experienced several honks of support and waves of encouragement during their one-hour vigil. When Rev. Rosluk was holding an “Adoption is a loving option” sign, people in a minivan stopped, rolled down their window, showed two thumbs up and yelled “Right on! Our child sitting in the back is adopted!” Rev. Rosluk responded with a wave and yelled back “So is my wife!” The Rosluks encourage people to “choose love... choose life.”
