March For Life Ottawa: Passionate Demonstrators Speak Out

Thousands of demonstrators attended the event – ten thousand, according to an RCMP estimate – to express their views on the sanctity of unborn children, and their opposition to Canada's legal status quo of denying human rights to the unborn via unrestricted lawful access to abortion.

"If we value human life, then we need to be protecting these unborn children from conception," Kim added.

Counterdemonstrators at the event held signs with messages including, "My Body, My Choice," "If I wanted the Bible in my uterus, I'd f**k a pastor," "NOT THE CHURCH, NOT THE STATE, WOMEN MUST DECIDE THEIR FATE," "EVERY CHILD A WANTED CHILD, EVERY PARENT A WANTED PARENT," "Pro-Women, Pro-Choice," and, "BODIES ARE NOT PROPERTY."

Several counterdemonstrators wore masks on their faces and others held rainbow-themed flags.

Government-funded news media outlets such as the CBC and National Post focused on Bill C-311 – a private member's pill introduced by Cathay Wagantall, a Conservative MP from Saskatchewan – in their reports of the March for Life demonstration. Bill C-311 would amend the Criminal Code to include pregnancy on the part of a victim of assault as an aggravating factor during sentencing.

Two police officers stood at a pedestrian gate to Parliament Hill leading to a temporarily fenced off section within which counterdemonstrators organized. "Pro-life or pro-choice?" asked one of the officers to this reporter prior to entering the gate. "That's my business," I replied. "I'm here in a professional capacity." My partner was asked the same question as he entered a moment after I. While pointing to me, he told the officers, "I'm with him." We entered without further incident.

After several speeches and musical performances from assorted event organizers and invited speakers and artists, the crowd assembled for a brief march around downtown before returning to Parliament Hill for the rally's conclusion.