“A Canadian woman can choose to abort at any stage of pregnancy up to delivery and for any reason,” COLF points out.  

It blasts the myth that the Supreme Court of Canada established a “right to abortion” when it struck down Canada’s existing abortion laws, saying, “Instead it created a legal vacuum, leaving it to future parliamentarians to create a new law recognizing the humanity of the unborn and protecting their right to life.” 

COLF urged a reopening of the abortion debate in Parliament, in the news media and the local community. It called for publicly funded services to help women find alternatives to abortion, especially adoption. On the legislative front, COLF advocated “informed consent” and “parental notification laws.”

It also called for a “radical transformation” of social and corporate attitudes so women can be both mothers and fulfilled professionally.

“Every year 100,000 unborn Canadian children are extinguished before they have the opportunity to look into their mother’s eyes... to take their first step or to contribute to the world which was their inheritance,” the document says.

Canada’s birth rate, at 1.68 children per women, cannot maintain current population levels and jeopardizes the nation’s future socio-economic health, COLF warns.

The publication lays out precisely when, from a scientific point of view, human life begins — at conception or fertilization — and describes the various abortion methods performed at various stages of pregnancy. Accompanied by colour photos of unborn children from seven weeks on to 20 weeks gestation, the publication details the health and psychological effects of abortion on women, men and would-be grandparents.  

COLF lays out the Catholic Church’s position on abortion, noting that intentional abortion is a “grave moral evil,” even in cases of rape or incest.  

“When considering these ‘difficult cases,’ many fail to remember that the child conceived is a victim along with his or her mother.”

For many, the links between sex and procreation have been broken, so that sexual intercourse is viewed as a “recreational activity” and an unplanned pregnancy as a “mistake or an illness.”

The logical solution to failed contraception seems to be abortion, the publication argues. It deals sympathetically with the plight of women who often feel trapped, alone and unsupported when they find themselves with an unplanned pregnancy.

“Whatever motivates a woman to seek an abortion, her decision is almost always, at least in part, a response to some form of injustice,” COLF says. “In a culture of death, which separates sex from parenthood, men are encouraged to blame their fatherhood on their partner’s choice, rather than on their own actions.

“At the same time, with the acceptance of abortion, responsibility for parenthood has shifted disproportionately onto women.”