Flags on Langley church lawn represent number of abortions, protest organizer says

Close to 10,000 small pink and blue flags were placed on the lawn of Christ Covenant Church at 6866 Glover Rd. in Milner Saturday, Oct. 16, by people calling for a law against late-stage and sex-selective abortions.

Organizer Elyse Vroom, an Abbotsford resident who attends services at the Langley church, said each flag represented an estimated “10 pre-born children who are aborted in Canada every year,” for a total of 100,000.

“We are doing this to show to our community the momentous impact that abortion has on our community and nation,” Vroom explained.

“Although some claim that abortion should be safe, legal and rare, these flags show that it is happening 100,000 times every year in Canada and it is never safe for the baby in the womb.”

READ ALSO: Pink flags on Langley church grounds raise awareness about sex-selective abortion

A sign among the flags referred to a national campaign, “We Need A Law,” that has been lobbying the federal government to impose limits on late-stage abortions.

“When Canadians are informed that there are no laws, a majority consistently say pre-born children should be protected by the law,” Vroom said.

“The Supreme Court of Canada, in the 1988 Morgentaler decision, made it very clear that it is Parliament’s responsibility to enact an abortion law. It has been almost 30 years and we still do not have a law,” Vroom added.

“We are calling upon our member of parliament, Tako Van Popta [Langley – Aldergrove], to do everything he can to protect the human rights of all human beings, and we respectfully ask Prime Minister Trudeau to stop treating preborn children as if they are just a political liability.”

READ ALSO: Anti-abortion groups plants 10,000 flags in Maple Ridge

Online, We Need A Law describes itself as “a brand new pro-life initiative that is being initiated with an earnest desire that the right to life of our pre-born neighbour is protected by law.

Canada is way out of line with its international counterparts with respect to legislation protecting children in the womb and it’s high time we have an abortion law.”

Figures available from Statistics Canada show the total number of abortions among women of childbearing age (15-44) reported to the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) was 84,000 in 2019, down from a high of 109,000 in 2011.