The CRY: Abortion

A key issue surrounding the CRY this time was that of abortion.  It wasn't really what all of the event was about, but there was significant discussion and prayer about this issue.

One of the men on the worship team got up, identified himself as a Catholic, and went on to tell his story about how he pressured his ex-girlfriend to abort her baby (his child).  She plunged into depression and drug addiction after her abortion.  He talked about the difference that he now saw in life.  When his girlfriend was pregnant, he was not just a potential father, he was a father already.

During a part of the day where the First Nations people were doing some prayers, one of the women that stood on the platform told us a story about her mother.  On the day JFK was assassinated, her mother was on her way to abort her baby.  She was so distraught about all that was going on with the President, that she went to her sisters house.  In the process of speaking to her sister, her plans to abort her baby came up, and her sister was able to talk her out of it.  The woman telling the story identified herself as the one her mother was going to abort, but she chose not to.  This woman felt that God had restored her mother.  She was born on Mother's Day.

The most poignant part of the day with respect to abortion was that of the Life Siege.  All the people on the Hill were given a piece of red tape with the word Life/Vie written on it.  We all took it and taped over our mouth with it.  The idea was that we were silently praying on behalf of the unborn.  It was very symbolic and moving.  For 15 minutes we prayed in the direction of the Supreme Court.  15 minutes was towards the House of Commons, and 15 minutes was in the direction of the Senate.  Several people were deeply impacted.  Several people had old wounds healed.  Leigh-Anne took some very cool pictures.

The next day at church we found out about someone that was deeply touched by the experience.  He was asked to share what he had gone through in the past.  He was impacted by the man that stood up and spoke about being a father already.  In this man's life (the guy from my church) he had gotten into drug and alcohol addiction.  He admitted through tears about having pressured 4 women into abortions.  He found comfort in the fact that he would see those innocent children in heaven.  "Honey, when we get to heaven we're going to have 6 kids", he said as he left the platform.

One thing that this giving the Order of Canada to Morgentaler  has done is remind people how they feel about abortion.  It still hurts.  It still brings a sense of injustice.  People seem to have such a passionate view one way or the other.  When we live in a country like Canada where there is no abortion law, the church must stand up on behalf of those that cannot speak for themselves... the unborn... the innocent...