POLITICAL
The political branch of the pro-life movement seeks to make abortion unavailable. Their aim is to make abortion illegal.
Currently, the political branch is focused on electing pro-lifers, lobbying elected officials, and supporting pro-life policies and opposing pro-choice policies at all levels of government. For example…
Municipal governments choose whether or not to fund pro-abortion organizations like local Planned Parenthood chapters. They can pass by-laws which restrict pro-life activism.
Provincial governments can also choose whether or not to fund abortion as “health care.” Some have passed “bubble zone” laws, which prohibit pro-life activism around abortion facilities.
The federal government can choose whether or not to fund abortion overseas as “international aid.” It could criminalize abortion completely or provide partial protection for the preborn, e.g. by criminalizing sex-selective or coerced abortions.
There are different pathways to ending abortion. Most likely, we will need to build a pro-life majority in the House of Commons and in the Senate.
The definition of “human being” in the Criminal Code of Canada should be changed to reflect the scientific consensus that a new human being is created at fertilization.
When a child becomes human being
233 (1) A child becomes a human being within the meaning of this Act when it has completely proceeded, in a living state, from the body of its mother, whether or not
a) It has breathed;
b) It has an independent circulation; or
c) The navel string is severed
Any legal ban on abortion would then have to be upheld by the Supreme Court of Canada should it be challenged.
Such a transformation of Parliament and our courts will realistically require making gains during several election cycles.
Below are some of the pro-life organizations seeking to achieve political change, be it on a municipal, provincial, or federal level.
A movement protecting faith, family, and freedom
Association for Reformed Political Action Canada
An advocacy organization mobilizing Reformed Christians to become politically active
A national organization working at all levels of government to secure legal protection for all human beings from conception to natural death
A national organization encouraging Christians to promote their worldview in politics
A petition platform defending life, family, and freedom
Promotes pro-life public policy on the provincial level
A socially conservative women’s advocacy group
Focuses on nominating and electing pro-life candidates
Advocates for the adoption of incremental pro-life legislation, particularly an International Standards Abortion Law
Activates pro-lifers to support pro-life candidates in Alberta at all levels of government
Mobilizes Canadians to become politically engaged on a variety of conservative issues
As these organizations work to criminalize abortion, events like the National March for Life and provincial marches serve to rally the movement and remind legislators of their duty to protect life from conception to natural death. The Alberta March for Life and March for Life Victoria maintain separate websites.
There are also legal groups, like the ones Albertos Polizogopoulos and Phil Horgan are a part of, which are perhaps not explicitly pro-life, but seek to defend the constitutional rights and freedoms of pro-lifers, and challenge unconstitutional laws.