OTTAWA, Ontario (LifeSiteNews) — Thousands of pro-lifers are gathered near Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Thursday for the 27th annual National March for Life.
Canadians from across the country are gathered in the nation’s capital in defense of unborn life and to voice their opposition to the deadly practice of abortion – which is legally permitted in Canada on-demand through all nine months of pregnancy.
LifeSiteNews is on the ground at the March for Life, and can confirm the attendance of thousands of pro-life Canadians, with many holding signs promoting the sanctity of life from the moment of conception until natural death, as taught infallibly by the Catholic Church.
In one photograph, a number of young people can be seen holding identical “I am pro-life” signs while marching.
Before the march, at the rally on Parliament Hill, many Canadians posed with their signs and pro-life shirts indicating their commitment to ending abortion.
In one video taken by LifeSiteNews at the rally before the march began, a crowd of pro-lifers can be seen making a “wave” to signal their enthusiasm for the sanctity of life
The wave at #marchforlofe pic.twitter.com/FgFIUnjzH4
— John-Henry Westen (@JhWesten) May 9, 2024
The pre-march rally also featured a number of high-profile speakers, including former Planned Parenthood employee Abby Johnson, who urged Canadians to stand firm for life.
Abby urges Canada to stand firm for #life pic.twitter.com/hSoEqFol1p
— John-Henry Westen (@JhWesten) May 9, 2024
One young women bravely shared her own story of having an abortion, outlining the devastating impact it had on her life before she was able to begin healing through post-abortion counseling offered by the Sisters for Life.
How #SistersForLife helped my healing after aborting my son pic.twitter.com/f3hrwHvFsz
— John-Henry Westen (@JhWesten) May 9, 2024
As Campaign Life Coalition’s communications director Pete Baklinski stated yesterday at a press conference leading up to the march, this year’s theme is “I will never forget you” (Isaiah 49:15-16).
Explaining this theme, Baklinski added:
These victims must never be forgotten. They were our brothers, our sisters, our neighbors, [and] our fellow citizens on this earthly journey to the life to come. Their lives mattered. To forget them would mean that we have forgotten ourselves, what it means to live, what it means to be human.
So we rally and march, remembering the victims of abortion as we in the pro-life movement continue to fight for a day when the preborn are loved, valued, and protected from the moment of conception onwards. In today’s press conference, I am joined by a few of my colleagues who will be speaking about the anti-life priorities and policies of Prime Minister Trudeau and the Liberal/NDP coalition government that are gutting Canada of its future.
This story is developing…