Coming from a Catholic high school, I had little to no exposure to pro-choice arguments. Even in university, though I have friends and know people who are pro-choice, it’s not exactly a hot topic and rarely comes up.
So being yelled at by the counter-protesters was a new experience for me. Why were some of them so angry and unhappy? After all, abortion is not illegal in Canada and our prime minister says he has no intention of opening the debate. If anyone had the right to be upset, wouldn’t it be the 15,000 gathered to protest a lack of restrictions on abortions in Canada?
I returned home to Toronto feeling unsettled and deeply bothered. I quickly realized I had never needed to defend my beliefs before, and for this reason, I wasn’t as prepared as I thought I was.
In an attempt to educate myself further on the issue, I read coverage of the march. I was disheartened to see a lack of respect for both sides of the issue in many of the reports — particularly in the comments accompanying the stories. Pro-life marchers were commonly portrayed as sexist enemies of human rights and nothing more than a traffic problem. The pro-choice protesters were depicted as confrontational and unruly. None of these sweeping generalizations or arbitrary terms accurately represented either group, but they dominated the commentary.
Whether pro-life or pro-choice, all of us are human beings. If we don’t respect each other when we all agree, how are we supposed to respect the life of the unborn, when many don’t agree they are human at all? I doubt that the convictions of the pro-choice protesters did anything to change the minds of pro-life marchers and vice versa. What we need is education and respect and the peaceful nature of the march is promoting just that. It is a humble and appropriate plea for Canadians to value life.
If we, as human beings, were to engage in respectful conversation, I think we would discover that the majority of Canadians, pro-life or pro-choice, would support a reformation of abortion laws. While for Catholics, this is obviously not the ultimate destination, it is definitely a step in the right direction.
Seeing the other side
By Luc Rinaldi, Catholic Register SpecialBefore the 2011 March for Life in Ottawa, I always assumed I’d be able to take on any pro-choice arguments and brush off any criticism that came my way in response to the unpopular, “sexist” and “outdated” pro-life beliefs I held. The only problem was that I’d never actually heard those arguments or received that criticism — until the march.
The most memorable and impacting part of the march was encountering the pro-choice protesters along the side of the streets as we walked through our nation’s capital. The unfamiliar conflict was unsettling and uncomfortable. The lingering impact of these protesters, though I didn’t realize it at the time, would ultimately lead to a renewed perspective on this complex issue.
I was shocked by the anger of many on the pro-choice side, especially in contrast with the overall joyful and peaceful atmosphere of the march. Some of them were swearing at the marchers, singing vulgar chants and holding offensive signs.
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