Two years after Roe v. Wade was overturned in the United States, a newly released Canadian film suggests that Canada’s abortion regime could also be curtailed through pro-life activism.
In the 80-minute documentary “Roe Canada: The True North in a Post-Roe World,” Canadian pro-life activists Josie Luetke and Ruth Robert, both in their 20s, travel through the United States and Canada seeking answers to their questions about ending abortion in Canada.
“By providing a blueprint forward—modelled after the successful approach of the U.S. pro-life movement—my hope is that this film will inspire more people to get involved in the cause and, ultimately, reignite the abortion debate in Canada,” Ms. Luetke, director of education and advocacy for Campaign Life Coalition (CLC), said in a Jan. 18 CLC press release.
“As I mention near the end of the documentary, in front of thousands at the National March for Life: ‘It will not be easy, but it is possible.’ More importantly, this work is necessary, and it requires the selfless commitment of all of us.”
Ms. Luetke wrote the script along with Kevin Dunn of DunnMedia & Entertainment, which released the film on Vimeo on Jan. 12. The film can be rented for 48 hours at the cost of $20. A trailer, excerpts, and bonus segments are available at RoeCanada.com.
The 2019 movie “Unplanned,” which dramatized the story of Abby Johnson, a Planned Parenthood clinic director turned vocal pro-life activist, struggled to find distribution in Canadian theatres. Mr. Dunn told The Epoch Times that “Roe Canada” will find screenings in less conventional ways.
“It’ll happen in church basements. It’s going to happen in small school theatres, and [via] good-minded pro-lifers who want to rent a venue and play the film,” Mr. Dunn said.
“This film is for a beleaguered pro-life movement in Canada, to give hope, to give inspiration to those who feel the situation is hopeless here.”
Mr. Dunn said his own wife was impacted by the movie.
“I looked over at the end of the film. She was on the phone, and I said, ‘What are you doing? I just put my whole year’s work into this.’ And she said, ‘I’m reaching out to the local pro-life organization to see what I can do.’”
In the press release, CLC national president Jeff Gunnarson said the film could change Canada.
“The film addresses the issue of abortion from a Canadian perspective and features Canadian voices,” he said. “It’s exactly the kind of film that could create a cultural movement, inspiring a new wave of pro-life activism across the country.”
‘Hope Comes First’
Pro-life advocates interviewed in the film include Ms. Johnson, Students for Life of America’s Kristan Hawkins, The Babylon Bee’s Seth Dillon, Canadian Centre for Bioethical Reform’s Jonathon Van Maren, and others. Canadian columnist and writer Barbara Kay, a contributor to The Epoch Times, was also interviewed.An accompanying guide for schools and a French-dubbed version of the film are in development, and a version with graphic images blurred is also available. Ms. Robert told The Epoch Times the film has already prompted allies to tell her she’s not alone.
“It serves two purposes. One is to remind everyone that hope comes first. We have to all act towards the goal of criminalizing abortion. If we do nothing, because we say it can’t be done, we guarantee it can’t be done,” Ms. Robert said by email.
“Secondly, I hope it will educate people on the reality that abortions happen in our country, and it certainly is not rare. It is common, and permissible for any reason at all up until birth.”
In the movie, Ms. Luetke and Ms. Robert confront Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as he arrives for an event, asking, “Do you believe in equal rights for all human beings?”
“I believe in a woman’s right to choose,” replied Mr. Trudeau. “I will stand up for women’s rights every day.”
In the film, Ms. Luetke says recent years have shown that abortion is not the settled issue some Canadians thought it was.
“The overturn of Roe v. Wade had finally managed to get Canadians to sit up and start paying attention, to ask long-overdue questions. Why has there been a lively debate on this topic south of the border on this topic, but just crickets in Canada? Could we ever follow in the footsteps of our American neighbours?”
Legal Definition, Legislative Efforts
The Supreme Court of Canada’s 1988 Mortgentaler decision struck down Canada’s abortion law as unconstitutional, thereby decriminalizing the procedure. Lawyer Albertos Polizogopoulos suggests in the film Canada’s landmark decision didn’t have the same legal significance as the U.S. ruling.“Roe v. Wade created a positive right to abortion in the United States. Morgentaler did no such thing in Canada. All the judges who concurred in the reasons acknowledged that Parliament has a legitimate interest in protecting the fetus,” said Mr. Polizogopoulos, principal and founder of The Acacia Group.
“If Canada as a society or a country wants to protect the pre-born child, it needs to start with defining when that child becomes a human being. The Canadian definition is about 400 years old, so it’s completely outdated, and it’s completely unfounded in science.”
The legal definition in line 223 (1) of the Criminal Code says, “A child becomes a human being within the meaning of this Act when it has completely proceeded, in a living state, from the body of its mother, whether or not ... the navel string is severed.”
Efforts to reintroduce abortion laws since the Mortgentaler ruling have failed, leaving a legal void. Alberta Conservative MP Arnold Viersen, chair of a pro-life parliamentary caucus, suggests in the film that some abortion restrictions could have wide support.
“I work to try to convince party leadership that this is a winning issue for us. There are things that they can do that have broad support. Gender-selective abortion in Canada is not popular. That would be something that we can legislate on,” Mr. Viersen said.
Saskatchewan Conservative MP Cathay Wagantall has made repeated but unsuccessful legislative attempts to ban sex-selective abortions. She told Ms. Luetke in the film that “controlled dynamics” hinder “important” legislative changes.
“We’re being stymied by a government and media that do not reflect Canadian values. There’s a number of fears involved in the whole process—fear that you’re not going to get to run again, because there are powers that be that control whether or not they will sign your papers to allow you to run,” Ms. Wagantall said.
“I believe if the people being elected to those seats in the House of Commons were allowed to express their personal perspectives and their values and run for nomination, we would have a different makeup in that place.”
Respectful Dialogue
In the film, Ms. Robert and Ms. Luetke say they often feel hurt from backlash against their activism, but they suffer willingly. Canadians need to engage in respectful dialogue, they said. In this vein, they talked with retired physician Fraser Fellows, a former abortionist, who said that life is sacred and begins at birth.U.S. speaker and author Stephanie Gray Connors shared a final thought: “Whom you would change, you must first love, and they must know that you love them.”
