Drivers and pedestrians at some local intersections in Newmarket and Aurora had their heads turned by members of a pro-life group waving signs with graphic anti-images at the intersection.
Members of the Canadian Center for Bio-Ethical Reform said they were rallying at Leslie Street and Davis Drive and Bayview Avenue and Wellington Street Tuesday to spread awareness of the realities of abortion.
“Abortion is a violent act which ends the life of an innocent human being,” said Keturah Dumaine, a speaker with the group. “When we show people the visual evidence of that injustice that innocent children are being decapitated, dismembered, and disemboweled every day in our country, that goes a long way in showing people the realities of what is happening with abortion in Canada.”
The centre for bio-ethical reform states it is an educational organization "dedicated to making abortion unthinkable in Canada." It holds public demonstrations on college and university campuses, churches, and streets, as well as debates.
Abortion has been legal in Canada for five decades, however many women face barriers to access. According to a poll by the Angus Reid Institute, two in five women said someone close to them, a friend or family member has had an abortion.
Dumaine said the organization recognizes that pictures of abortion are difficult for people to see, which is why they are sensitive in conversations they have with people who have dealt with abortion or had a personal experience.
“We recognize a lot of the reasons why people would choose abortion are in very difficult circumstances,” said Dumaine. "We have a lot of compassion and empathy for women. We want people to do the best thing for women which can’t be killing children.”
Pro-choice organizations, such as the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada, provide a list of clinics that perform the procedure in each province and how far along a woman can have one in a pregnancy.
About one in six have personally undergone a procedure. Of those that had one, 65 per cent said they had no regrets, another 28 per cent said they had some regrets, and six per cent said they wished they never had one.
Dumaine said the organization's approach is to advocate for human rights for mothers, in situations of abuse and their children, which in their mind does not include termination.
“There are people who go through horrible things,” said Dumaine. “We condemn any sort of human rights violation. We have to start by recognizing injustice wherever we see it, when it is against women, when it is against children, and when it is against anyone. We condemn that and do whatever we can to support and help women who are going through difficult circumstances but we can’t respond to acts of violence or abuse with other acts of violence or acts of injustice.”
