Participants of Nationwide Pro-Life Rally ‘Bear Witness to the Sanctity of Life’

Participants of a pro-life rally at the Holy Family Parish in Toronto on Oct. 6, 2024. The rally is part of a nationwide “Life Chain” that included hundreds of similar events across Canada. Andrew Chen/The Epoch Times

TORONTO—Participants across Canada gathered at more than 300 locations on Oct. 6 in support of an annual pro-life event that advocates for the preservation of life at all stages.

Organized by Campaign Life Coalition, the “Life Chain” rally is described as “an annual day of public witness for children killed in their mothers’ wombs by abortion.” The event was brought to Canada from the United States in 1990 and has garnered support from thousands of advocates and various community groups across the country.

Ontario saw the largest turnout, with nearly 200 rallies taking place simultaneously across the province, while residents in other provinces also joined in the nationwide event.

One of the gatherings took place near Holy Family Parish in downtown Toronto, where rallygoers assembled at a nearby intersection quietly holding signs reading, “Abortion Hurts Women,” “Life is the First Inalienable Right,” and “Choose the Loving Option.”

Organizer Miles Smit said the participants were there to “bear witness to the sanctity of life.”

“Our belief is that life is holy, so you can’t just destroy it,” Smit told The Epoch Times.

“What we’re looking for is a way to convey that message both truthfully and in a way which is gently provocative—not alienating or upsetting unnecessarily. So we often have messages that are positive in their focus. For example, adoption is a more loving option than ending the life of your unborn child.”

Miles Smit, organizer of a pro-life rally at Holy Family Parish in Toronto on Oct. 6, 2024. The rally is part of a nationwide "Life Chain," which included hundreds of similar events across the country. Andrew Chen/The Epoch Times

Smit acknowledged that women who choose abortion may be facing various challenges such as financial difficulties and lack of spousal support. Moreover, advocates for the procedure often argue that it is a personal choice for women.

Smit, for his part, said it’s “a very destructive choice” and that there are communities offering support for these individuals, such as the Sisters of Life and Project Rachel.

He said that discomfort with abortion is not limited to Christianity or any specific religion but reflects a broader perspective based on traditional morality, noting that almost all perennial traditions will hold “at least discomfort with abortion.”

“It’s very hard, on the one hand, to have a society based on the idea of rights when you can’t have a right to be born,” Smit said. “Once you have the idea in your head that if a person is powerless and inconvenient, they can be destroyed, [and] once you internalize that idea, why would you take other rights seriously?

“The refusal to enshrine really basic rights is corrosive to the health of society as a whole,” he added.

Patricia Coffey (1st R), a participant at a pro-life rally at Holy Family Parish in Toronto  on Oct. 6, 2024. The rally is part of a nationwide “Life Chain,” which included hundreds of similar events across Canada. Andrew Chen/The Epoch Times

Patricia Coffey, a member of Holy Family Parish, shared her daughter’s experience of being “in a very vulnerable position” when she became pregnant. Coffey mentioned that some encouraged her daughter to consider abortion, but she ultimately decided to keep the baby.

“That baby has changed her life in an amazing way. She has joy in her life,” Coffey said.