National Campus Life Network

National Campus Life Network is pleased to announce that we have hired additional staff for two new positions within the organization.  The new full-time Central Campus Coordinator will work directly with the Ontario campus clubs and the part-time Western Assistant will strengthen our Western Office. These positions will allow us to more effectively support the pro-life message on Canadian campuses and have a greater impact on Canadian campuses.

Clarissa Luluquisin, who graduated from the University of Toronto in 2011, will be taking on the new Central Campus Coordinator position.  As the former President of the U of T Students for Life, she is enthusiastic about her new role supporting students across the province.  Since graduation she has also been active in volunteering for Toronto Right to Life and NCLN.

Kathleen Dunn, a recent graduate from Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Academy, is our new Western Assistant, and will be working part-time in B.C. with Anastasia Pearse, our Western Campus Coordinator.  Kathleen was the President of the Academy’s Pro-Life club for the past two years and also assisted in the coordination of last year’s De-Fund Abortion Rally in Toronto.  A recording artist, she has performed for events across Canada, including the National March for Life.  This upcoming school year Kathleen will be studying Theology at Trinity Western University in Langley, B.C.

The Assistant position was created to support Anastasia Pearse, who, along with her position as Western Campus Coordinator, will be starting a Masters in Leadership at Trinity Western University.  The Masters in Leadership program will equip Anastasia to support the continued strategic growth of NCLN.

Your help is needed

Both new positions are dependent on successful fundraising on the part of the new staff, and Kathleen and Clarissa will be looking for individuals to join them in their work as part of their support teams.  Please consider joining their support team by making a donation today.  Your support will lead to a stronger pro-life presence on campuses across Canada!

Filmed at NCLN’s 4th Annual Life & Justice Pro-Life Student Dinner on May 10th.

The video pretty much speaks for itself.

Last fall, we wrote about ‘the Pridgen Precedent’, or the ruling made by Madam Justice J. Strekaf in Pridgen v. University of Calgary.  John Carpay’s recent article gives a good refresher on the case.  This ruling was not about pro-life students or even abortion at all, but the ruling would, we wrote, set a positive precedent for our pro-life students.  Why?  Because the ruling stated that the Charter of Rights and Freedoms DOES, in fact, apply to universities.  And this means that the freedom of speech of students is protected on campus.

The University of Calgary appealed the decision but, last week, the Alberta Court of Appeal upheld the ruling.

John Carpay, who is also the lawyer for the University of Calgary’s Campus Pro-Life group, wrote a column in the National Post regarding the decision.  He wrote:

If universities were private, they would not be engaging in “government action” so as to invite the Charter’s application. But when the University of Calgary obtains over $600 million from taxpayers each year by claiming to be a forum for free expression for all people and for all views, it forfeits its right to censor speech it dislikes. Holding the U of C to account, as this court ruling does, is good news for students and for taxpayers.

In particular, this precedent will help the students in Ontario and Alberta who have taken Carleton University and the University of Calgary to court in regard to the censorship of pro-life viewpoints. But that is a subject for another column.

This is certainly a victory for not just the Pridgens, but also for students nationwide.

Pro-Life Rally in Victoria to “Speak for Life.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

On May 10th, Pro-Life British Columbians from across the province will march to the Legislature in the 5th Annual March for Life in Victoria.  With the abortion issue receiving such prominent attention in the media lately, organizers expect a large turnout this year.  This year’s theme, “SPEAK UP FOR LIFE,” challenges all British Columbians to raise their voice for the protection of the lives of the unborn.

Recent news stories about gender selection abortion and designer babies, and the current Parliamentary Motion calling for a committee to review the Criminal Code’s definition of a human being, have all drawn much needed attention to this issue. “The attention these issues have received, and polling data results, clearly show that Canadians are concerned by the complete lack of restrictions on abortion,” said March for Life media spokesperson, Anastasia Pearse.

“Our intention here today is to peacefully and prayerfully bring attention to the victims of abortion in our province,” she added. “We want to raise awareness and ask people to think before they choose abortion. They need to know the facts and be fully informed of all of the risks before they make these life changing decisions.”

The March for Life is organized to be a celebration of lives saved as well as a commemoration of lives lost. In BC, despite a severe lack of transparency in abortion record keeping, it is estimated that over 14,000 abortions are performed every year. “As tax-paying citizens, our money is being used to fund these abortions,” states Pearse. “We are marching today to speak out against this atrocity, to speak up for those 14,000 British Columbians who never had the chance to speak for themselves. We cannot remain silent when so many lives are at stake.”

This year’s March for Life is part of a national day of marches across the country. The BC March is co-sponsored by the Knights of Columbus BC & Yukon State and Campaign Life Coalition British Columbia. The March begins at 2:00pm in Centennial Square.

For more information, contact:

Anastasia Pearse,

March for Life Media Relations

westerncanada@ncln.ca

604-365-3484

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Tomorrow, tens of thousands of pro-lifers from across Canada will march for life, assembling at their provincial and national legislatures in protest of the injustice of abortion. NCLN and its students will be at many of these events.

There were over 15,000 gathered at last year’s National March for Life in Ottawa, and NCLN hopes to see even more at this year’s event. You can find the NCLN group on the right lawn – look for our banner or that of uOttawa Students for Life! After the March there are many other events to be involved in. NCLN is hosting our annual student dinner, which is SOLD OUT! If you didn’t get a ticket this year, don’t worry, there is always next year! Executive Director, Rebecca Richmond is also speaking to hundreds of students at the youth conference on Friday.

If you are unable to attend the National March, there are regional Marches across the country that may be closer to home for you. Visit Campaign Life Coalition to find out where the March for Life is taking place in your community.

NCLN will also have a presence in two other locations. Sara Hall, as the Maritime Campus Coordinator, will be in Halifax to speak at their March, and at the other end of the country, Anastasia, our Western Campus Coordinator, will be speaking to the crowds at the March for Life in Victoria, BC. If you can find us at any of these three locations come say “Hi” – we would love to meet you!

http://www.campaignlifecoalition.com/index.php?p=Regional_marches

By Rebecca Richmond

“Not a single boy from our club came to help,” noted the club president with a sigh. We had just spent two days outside in the cold, sharing the pro-life message with thousands of students on this campus. But it had been the women of the club who had endured the name calling, insults and outright hostility from their peers.

“There’s the problem,” I quipped. “You have boys. We need some men.”

Though pro-choicers will sometimes accuse our movement of being run by old men, the opposite is more likely true. Just last week, one protestor at UBC wielded a sign that read, “77% of anti-abortion leaders are male. 100% will never get pregnant.” I don’t know where the 77% statistic came from, for even a cursory look at the Movement would show the reverse. NCLN, for example, has an all-female staff and a mostly female board. Numerous organizations have similarly skewed demographics.

So I chuckle when I hear those accusations, but the reality is no laughing matter.

Through my pro-life work, now and previously as a student, I have been privileged to work alongside incredible young men. They are pro-life in principle and in action. These men often face more hostility, from men and women alike, whenever they are publically pro-life. They take the abuse in stride and continue to pray in front of abortion clinics, to engage in dialogue on street corners with Choice Chain, to stand in front of a pro-life table at the university centre, and to speak up in class. Unfortunately, they are rarer than they ought to be.

Sadly, although there are other men out there who are opposed to abortion, many won’t lift a finger to stop the carnage. They’ll give a thumbs up or a “God bless” when they pass 40 Days for Life, but you won’t catch them taking an active, let alone public, role.
Then, there are men out there who intuitively dislike abortion and who would support their significant other through a pregnancy, but they can’t “force their opinions on anyone else.”

Many more refuse to really look at the issue at all.

“What do you think about abortion?” I’ve asked countless young men on campuses and on street corners.

If I had a dollar for every time I heard, “I’m a guy. It’s a woman’s issue,” well, I’d be a wealthy woman.
These “men” place the issue squarely on women’s shoulders. Perhaps it’s because they’ve been brainwashed to think this is what respecting women’s rights is all about, and perhaps it’s because this “choice” allows them to continue living their lifestyle “consequence-free”. It’s probably a combination of both.

Abortion definitely affects men and women differently, but it is not solely a woman’s issue. It is a human rights violation and, since responsibility for this atrocity rests on both men and women, so too does the remedy.

So to all my stalwart, courageous, compassionate, selfless pro-life brothers: thank you. You inspire and encourage me. You give me hope for the future. Thank you for standing up for women, for babies, for the future generations. Thank you for respecting and honoring me and the pro-life women you stand with.

To all the other good men out there: I’ve heard you say that you’re afraid, nervous of saying the wrong thing, not sure how to handle the anger and emotion you might encounter. I know you have other things to do: commitments, ministries, jobs, activities. But are the fears and obstacles that hold you back more important than the cause I know you believe in? Please, won’t you stand up and stand alongside us?

Our society has more than enough boys. What are we need are many more good men.

Canadian universities and colleges are in desperate need of the pro-life message. Not only is the university the place where the ideas, values and culture of our society take root, but it is also the demographic most vulnerable to abortion. Since 1997, National Campus Life Network (NCLN) has existed to support the pro-life message on Canadian campuses by educating, equipping, and empowering young men and women to build and sustain strong pro-life presences on campus and engage their student body as effectively as possible.

NCLN is now accepting applications for two staff positions and a summer internship program.  NCLN’s staff members are passionate and dynamic young adults who teach, support and connect pro-life university students across the country. If you are interested in an exciting, challenging and fulfilling career that is making a difference in Canada, one of these positions may be for you!

The Central Campus Coordinator is a full-time position in our Toronto office.  This is a new position, created to provide pro-life students across Ontario with more support in their pro-life efforts.  The new staff member will work directly with Ontario pro-life students with direction from the Executive Director.

Please click here for the Central Campus Coordinator job description.

The Assistant to the Western Campus Coordinator is a part-time position at 10 hours a week in our Vancouver office.  This position is ideal for students, particularly those who are interested in pursuing full-time work in the Pro-Life Movement after graduation.

Please click here for the Assistant to the Western Campus Coordinator job description.

Please note that the application deadline for both these positions is March 30, 2012.

We are also seeking applications from students for Summer Intern Positions, based out of our Vancouver, Toronto, and St John offices. This position offers students valuable opportunities to develop important communication, organization, and leadership skills. This would be achieved through their work on projects as well as through our Internship Development Program, which includes mentoring and a training and study program.

Please click here for Summer Intern Positions job description.

Please note that the application deadline for our summer internship positions is April 16th, 2012.

Some of our board and staff members at a February 2012 meeting.

March 14, 2012: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Ontario students want abortion debate but abortion advocates unwilling to defend their position

Toronto, ON: This March, two Ontario university clubs are hosting abortion debates on campus, but pro-choicers have been unwilling to debate.  Despite contacting over 120 professors, feminist organizations, and abortion advocacy groups, Guelph Life Choice and McMaster Lifeline have been unable to find anyone willing to debate.  Pro-life students from McMaster and Guelph are now issuing a public challenge to pro-choice proponents (specifically professors, doctors, clinic workers, and advocates from pro-choice organizations), inviting them to defend their position on abortion and join in an open and respectful debate.

“There’s been great student interest in having this debate,” states Hanna Barlow, President of the University of Guelph Life Choice.  “But everyone we’ve contacted to represent the pro-choice side has either rejected the invitation or simply ignored it.  It’s very disappointing.”

With the debate scheduled for the end of the month, Guelph Life Choice contacted the Student Help and Advocacy Centre (SHAC) from the student union for help finding a pro-choice advocate.  They declined, stating, “We do not believe that the sexual and reproductive rights of women is [sic] something that should be debated because we see ‘pro-choice’ as the only option. For us, reproductive rights are non-debatable.” (See full email text at: http://uofguelphlifechoice.ncln.ca/2012/03/14/email/)

“Unwillingness to debate is something we’ve seen before on other campuses,” states Rebecca Richmond, Executive Director for the National Campus Life Network, a national pro-life student organization.   “Despite accusations from pro-choicers that we’re closed minded and backwards, they are the ones who keep rejecting our offers to engage in dialogue.”

“Anyone who holds a belief on an issue must have evidence to back up their belief,” states Julia Bolzon, President of McMaster Lifeline.  “If pro-choicers are confident in their position, then they should be willing to defend it in a debate.  We hope pro-choicers will rise to the challenge.”

For more information or for those interested in representing the pro-choice side of the debate, contact:

Julia Bolzon – President McMaster Lifeline, 647 221 0912, jbolzon@gmail.com

Hanna Barlow – President Guelph Life Choice, 519 830 9072, hannabarlow@gmail.com

Rebecca Richmond – Executive Director, National Campus Life Network, 416 388 0461 director@ncln.ca

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By Rebecca Richmond

The Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada (ARCC) started a student project a few years ago called ‘Synergy’, or the Student and Youth Network for Reproductive Justice, and a post on their website caught my eye last week because the author made a number of points that I actually agreed with.  Surprising?  No, not really.

Consider that our two organizations, despite being on opposite sides of “reproductive justice” issues, exist for similar purposes. Both Synergy and NCLN exist to help network and support efforts across the country at the post-secondary level.  Naturally, both organizations believe strongly that the university environment is a critical place to promote our cause and both Tara Paterson, the article’s author, and I both emphasize the importance of being active on issues of injustice.

Tara, Synergy’s Student Network Coordinator and the Chair of the University of Victoria Students’ Society (not our favourite student union), points to the growing momentum of pro-life activities on university campuses (“hotbeds for anti-choice activities”) and the fact that, historically, activism on universities was a significant part of the pro-choice movement.  “The shift,” she writes, “from campus as a hub for pro-choice activity to one where anti-choice clubs monopolize a lot of student media and politics is worth noting.  We have a unique opportunity here to reclaim the campus as a site of political organizing for reproductive justice.”  So although I believe we are still far from “monopolizing” campuses, Tara and I both identify universities as critical ground to take in the fight for justice and human rights

Unfortunately, Tara failed to understand the purpose of some of the projects used on campus, such as those used by the Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform.  She also errs in her description of Carleton Lifeline’s lawsuit against the administration.  And I will not bother to address her laughable statement that, “the anti-choice lobby is a well-funded machine backed by right-wing bigwigs and the Catholic Church.” (But if anyone knows a right-wing bigwig with deep pockets and a hankering to support a worthy pro-life organization, please send them our way.)

But Tara is absolutely right to insist upon a pro-active stance when it comes to fighting injustice.  She calls pro-choice students to action.  As pro-lifers, we need to bear this in mind as well.  If our position on abortion is just that – simply a belief that abortion is wrong – then we will never end this atrocity in our country and we will never succeed in building a society that respects and affirms the value and dignity of every human life.  But if our respect for human life and our love of our fellow human beings flows into pro-life action, then consider the impact that would have!

And like Tara, we too should “grow our networks, hold events, share resources and otherwise inspire our campuses.”  We must continue and increase our activities.  Synergy may accuse us of ‘taking it upon ourselves to offend them’, but the reality is that abortion IS, itself, offensive because it takes the life of an innocent human being.   And while both Tara and I may share a passion for ‘justice’, we must root that justice in an objective morality that ensures that all human beings, regardless of their size, location, dependence or development, are given human rights.  Without this, Synergy’s call to action does not right an injustice, but, sadly deepens and perpetuates one.

We are now at capacity for the Life & Justice Dinner.  However, additional tickets may become available.  Please email director@ncln.ca or call 416 388 0461  for more information.

Join National Campus Life Network and students from all over to celebrate the accomplishments of the campus pro-life movement following the National March for Life in Ottawa on Thursday May 10th.

Full buffet dinner served.

Early bird ticket prices: $20.00 (students) $30.00 (non-students)

After April 30: $25.00 (students) $35.00 (non-students)

Tickets sales end on May 7th.

For organizations, please contact us for more information on a ticket and promotional booth package.

Tickets are available online and will NOT be available at the door. Tickets are limited so please purchase yours early.  Ticket sales will close on May 7th.   If you have concerns or questions, please contact us.

Featured Speaker:  Andrea Mrozek, Founder of ProWomanProLife.org

Please note: If you are looking for the Rose Dinner or the Rose Youth Dinner at the Hampton Inn, please visit Campaign Life Coalition’s website.  This dinner is separate and at a different location.