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In Defence of Life
Edmonton Prolife’s Newsletter
Volume 13, Issue 1
www.edmontonprolife.org
‘educating for life’
Hearts first, then the culture, lastly
the law.
Did you know that from 1869 to 1969 abortion was
completely illegal in Canada? We had a law against all
abortion. In spite of that law abortions were being carried
out in private clinics and even hospitals. You see the
culture had begun to change and even though there was a
law it did not stop people from obtaining an abortion. Fear
of the law was not enough to stop people because their
hearts had hardened.
One of the people who blatantly went against the law was
Morgentaler. Morgentaler was arrested, then brought to
trial three times by the province of Quebec (where he
practiced), and three times Quebec juries refused to
convict him. The courts were outraged at this rebellion by
the juries against the law, because Morgentaler had clearly
broken the law, and even boasted about it. The jury – the
people who make up the culture – were not convinced he
had done anything wrong! Morgentaler then spent the next
15 years opening and running abortion clinics across
Canada, in clear violation of the law. No one in authority
stopped him – the culture had changed and no law would
be used to protect the innocent in the womb. Eventually
any perceived small protection that the law afforded the
unborn would be completely struck down in 1988. Canada
now has no legal restriction on abortion.
Fast forward to 2015. Canadians to some degree do not
agree with the status quo. Poll after poll would indicate that
the issue is far from settled. Depending on the specific
question asked regarding abortion restriction; somewhere
in the neighborhood of 45 to 55 percent of the people
polled do not agree with the current abortion status in
Canada. -That large majorities have no idea what the
current laws or lack of laws is is another issue! More on
that too- Sadly we have not moved the needle much on the
question of abortion. Why is it that more people do not
know about the truth regarding abortion in Canada and
why once the truth is revealed do they not take a stand
against the status quo? Why have we not garnered more
than a 50% average on polling on the abortion issue?
Human beings living in the womb – the natural place for all
human life to be for approximately nine months – are killed
for any reason or no reason at all. That should bother us!
That should be enough to move the culture to action and
yet somehow it has not happened.
Spring 2015
If you are satisfied with 50% then do nothing, but if you want
to help move the needle, if this matters to you then we must
set aside our individual priorities and strategical differences
and work together on common priorities and strategies. We
have the numbers and the organization but the question is
this: Do we have the will to make this issue a priority in our
daily lives? Or will we continue to do what we have done for
the last 40 plus years and be content with the status quo?
We have had many opportunities to move the needle in
recent years. From federal bills, defunding, personal witness
and testimony etc – but always with the same result. Why?
Because the culture needs more hearts changed!
If the MP’s heard from a majority of their constituents on the
prolife bills that had been brought forth would they not have
felt confident enacting those bills? If the masses
communicated to the province about the issue of funding
abortion, the government would respond. If doctors were
told by their patients that they do not want doctors to kill but
rather live the Hippocratic oath, and do no harm, then would
the medical associations be endorsing abortion and
euthanasia? If our faith communities proclaimed the dignity
of every life and those faith communities responded with the
same action that they afford other charitable social issues in
letter writing, praying, witnessing, financially supporting, etc
– what a difference we could make!
Hearts would be moved, the culture would be changed –
then laws would be enacted and adhered too! Is that not
what we all want?
Incremental gestational limits and
laws
There are many opportunities for the prolife community to
support efforts initiated by others. It would be absurd not to.
But just as it would be absurd not to it is absurd to imagine a
prolife group initiating and facilitating incremental gestational
limits initiatives. It does not align with our goal of defending
all human life.
Just so no one gets the wrong idea from the previous article.
There will be time for laws and laws do speak to right and
wrong on our country, but only when the law is respected.
The law will be respected when the culture respects human
life in all its stages.
There is much work to be done in the prolife movement. It is
not hard work – its heart work! and we would love to have
you join us.
Upcoming Events and Notices — Save the Dates!
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May 2, 2015 Edmonton Prolife AGM - Smittys Restaurant Westmount
Mall. Breakfast will be served from 7:30 am to 8:30 am. AGM will begin at
8:30. Please mark your calendars Saturday May 2 at the Westmount
Smittys Lounge located at 146, 111 Avenue & Groat Road,Edmonton,.
Cost your breakfast!. Call Karen at 425-1637 for more information. 
14 May 2015 from 11:30 AM to 4:00 PM. March For Life –******NOTE 
NEW LOCATION!!!******
Solidarity March in support of the National
March for Life in Ottawa. Mark your calendar for the Edmonton March for
Life, Thursday May 14, plan
on attending now. Churchill Square #1 Sir
Winston Churchill Square 102A Ave and 100 St Edmonton, AB T5J 2V4 . Watch your church bulletin and emails for
further details. Contact Karen at 780-425-1637 for more information.
May 22-24 2015 -YC Alberta - Rexall Place, Edmonton, Alberta. Edmonton Prolife will have an educational
awareness booth at the conference - please stop by. YC is a multi-denominational Christian Youth Conference and is
committed to reaching out to youth and young adults all over Canada and internationally. These events feature
motivational and inspiring speakers, great concerts, powerful workshops, and lots of activities. YC Alberta has
become Canada's largest annual youth conference. It has grown from just 500 registrants in 1994 to over 10,000
participants. YC Alberta is a weekend where students from junior high to university age come together to be
spiritually challenged and changed for the purposes of God. 
June 13 -14 2015 Crossroads conducts a pro-life walk across Canada from Vancouver to Ottawa. They will be in
Edmonton June 13 and 14. Crossroads recognizes the need to spread the message of life and love through the
means that the modern world provides. We actively participate in radio, television and newspaper interviews with the
mainstream media as well as religious media outlets. During the walk, we stop at local abortion clinics along the route
to participate in prayerful, peaceful protests and sidewalk counseling. Watch for further details and plan on joining
these walkers in support of their mission when they visit Edmonton. 
July 17 to 26, 2015 K Days. BIG Volunteer Opportunity! The biggest educational booth for Edmonton Prolife takes
place during K Days. Over 800 000 people will visit K Days during these 10 days. We need over 60 volunteers to fill
our shifts. If you would like to help Edmonton Prolife by volunteering to sit at our booth for a four-hour shift, please
call Karen at 425- 1637 or email [email protected]. We value and appreciate your commitment to our cause;
Edmonton Prolife will pay for your admission to the grounds. 
Rachel's Vineyard weekends for healing after abortion are offered throughout the year in Alberta. Dates TBD .
Contact Lorie 780-232-3203 [email protected] 
Break out the Popcorn - Prolife movies available on netflix now! Gimme Shelter -PG-13. It’s a Girl-NR. Doonby -PG13. Rabbit-Proof Fence -PG. Life is Beautiful-PG-13. Amistad - R. October Baby-PG-13. 
Join others in an hour of peaceful, prayerful activism against the daily slaughter of innocent babies.Woman's Health
Options Abortion Clinic: 12409 - 109A Ave. The fourth Sunday of every month (*subject to change please call
MaryEllen to confirm). Candle light Rosary at 7:30 pm. Contact Maryellen at 780-474-8011 
For information on any of the above events, call the Edmonton Prolife office at 780-425-1637
or email us at [email protected]
In Defence of Life: Edmonton Prolife’s Newsletter is published four times a year by Edmonton Prolife Association, #212, 11125-107
Ave. Edmonton, AB T5H OX9. Ph. (780) 425-1637, Fax. (780) 425-1320, [email protected], website:
www.edmontonprolife.org Editor: Karen Richert EPL Board President Phil Steele, Treasurer: Glenn Woolger, Recording Secretary:
Dale Lunty, Directors: Alming Steele, and Bill Smith. Office Manager: Karen Richert New board members welcomed. Meetings held
bimonthly, call to confirm date and time, at EPL office. All EPL members welcome to attend
Edmonton Prolife
A Truly Bizarre Lapse by Peter Stockland | February 7,
2015 | Death, Justice, Law
Notice of
Terrible as the Supreme Court’s judgement on doctorassisted suicide will be for many overall, there are at least
three good potential outcomes to it. Of course, there are
also at least two things—one bad, one very ugly—that
could come of it as well.
Annual General Meeting
Saturday May 2, 2015
Westmount Smittys
located at
146, 111 Avenue & Groat Road, Edmonton.
Breakfast from 7:30 am to 8:30 am.
AGM 8:30 am – 9:30 am .
Cost - your breakfast
Edmonton Prolife is in need of board members. We
cannot operate without a board. Please consider making
this small commitment to leadership. A brief job
description with approximate time commitment is being
provided. Please prayerfully consider if you could serve
the prolife movement in this role. Serving on the board
of Edmonton Prolife provides generous support towards
building a culture of life.
Please ask yourself if this is the year for you to make a
difference – help build a culture of life. The current
status quo is not an option.
Board Member for EPL job description: -Attend
bimonthly board meeting – 2 hours per meeting. Assist
as you talent time and treasure allow
Internal Auditor for EPL: We require 2 people to go
through the paper copies of our banking records,
checking to see that things are in order. The job can be
done on your own time, when it is best for you. Takes
approx. 8 hours per year.
If you think that you can help in either of these two jobs
or require more information please call Karen at 780425-1637
Supreme Court’s judgement on
doctor-assisted suicide
Peter Stockland provides a very comprehensive
summary of the Supreme Court decision and the
potential – Good, bad and the ugly that may emerge.
This is by far the best I have read on the ruling. I will
provide the highlights here taken from the article
appearing on the Cardus blog and provide the link for
you to follow up on if you would like to read the entire
article.
http://www.cardus.ca/blog/2015/02/a-truly-bizarre-lapse
The Court’s decision to invalidate the existing law
against assisted suicide opens the door for a
powerful political response from Parliament. That is
potentially good because Parliament has voted six times
since 1993 to reject legalization of assisted suicide or
euthanasia. One of the government of Canada’s
arguments before the Supreme Court was that
Parliament has spoken on the issue. The Court’s
response was that it wants Parliament to speak again.
This time, It wants Parliament to answer with a new law
that at least allows doctors to assist in the suicide of
those suffering from “grievous and irremediable medical
conditions” such that failing to help them commit suicide
would deprive them of the Charter‘s sec. 7 rights to life,
liberty and security of the person. It is possible to write a
law so tight that there may be no one in Canada who
would qualify.
The Court took full notice of conscience rights in the
decision. A major good is the decision’s clear, strong
language that goes a long way, on paper at least, toward
protecting those who would refuse to participate in
doctor-assisted suicide for reasons of conscience or
religious belief.
The Court has slammed the door on provinces using
health care—and any provincial jurisdictional claim—
as a pretext to circumvent the federal Criminal Code.
The third potential good may seem like a consolation
prize, and a highly technical one at that. But it has
significant and immediate implications for Quebec’s Bill
52, which legalized doctor-assisted death in the province
a year before the Supreme Court’s decision and in
defiance of Canadian criminal law. During the Court
hearing, Quebec argued that its share of jurisdiction over
health care gives it the power to legalize assisted suicide
regardless of any laws that Canada has on the federal
books. It was the second time Quebec has tried to
advance the same argument in a Supreme Court case
under the pretext of a constitutional principle called
interjurisdictional immunity. The nine justices reminded
the province quite sharply that it had already been told
once the claim is a non-starter.
There will be some form of assisted suicide available
in Canada within the next 13 months.
It’s entirely possible assisted suicides will take place
in the absence of any law. This is the ugly prospect that
few seem to fully recognize in the aftermath of the
decision. It stems from the media-fed mistake that the
Supreme Court decision struck down a law against
doctor-assisted suicide. It didn’t.
Our Aims and Objectives
To promote respect for all human life from conception to natural death.
To uphold and defend the right to life, the basic human right on which all other rights
depend.
To contribute to the understanding of the people of Edmonton and the surrounding
areas, by education, that society has a duty to protect this right.
We are committed to peaceful actions to fulfill our mission.
Pregnant? Need Help?
Edmonton Pregnancy Crisis Centre
(780) 482-5111
Pregnancy Care Centre
(780) 424-2624
24 Hour Crisis Pregnancy Line
1-800-665-0570
Are You Suffering from a Past Abortion Experience? There is
HELP! Call 1-866-482-5433 or visit www.afterabortion.org
What do you know about RU486? RU486 is not yet approved for use in Canada. During clinical trials a
Canadian woman died as a result of infection after using RU486. An RU-486 abortion requires 3 visits to a health care
provider. Most medical abortions using mifepristone are completed within 2 weeks, but some can take up to 3 or even 4
weeks. Side effects include heavy bleeding, headache, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and cramping. If this method fails, a
surgical abortion will be required. Does this really sound like good medicine?
.
PLEDGE OF RE-COMMITMENT
I thank God today for the gift of my life and for the lives of my brothers and sisters. I know I am responsible for the unborn who
cannot speak for themselves. I know that the most serious tragedy of our day is the tragedy of abortion. Today I commit
myself never to be silent, never to be passive, and never to be forgetful of the unborn. I commit myself to be active in the
pro-life movement, and never to stop defending life until all my brothers and sisters are protected, and our country once
again becomes a country that ensures justice for all of humanity not just for some. Amen!
Yes, I would like to help Edmonton Prolife in their work in defence of life.
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MC