They ‘need to understand the gravity of our situation,’ says pro-lifer and student Emily Ryznar

The B.C. Catholic



More than 1,000 Canadian children are killed each week, said the president of SFU’s pro-life club.

Emily Ryznar, head of the SFU Lifeline Club, gave an animated speech to the North Shore Pro-Life Society general meeting on the importance of educating youth about life issues.

“Many people are not aware that 300 children were decapitated, dismembered, and disembowelled today in our country, and more than 300 will be killed again tomorrow,” she explained.

“Many are not aware that abortion is completely legal in Canada through all nine months of pregnancy for any reason at all. Many are not aware that our own prime minister supports all abortions, even sex-selection abortions.”

This lack of knowledge acts as the prime cause for apathy in youth regarding the topic of abortion. “Young people need to understand the gravity of our situation,” said Ryznar. “They need to be exposed to the truth of who pre-born children are and what abortion does to them.”

“If young people are going to become involved in the pro-life movement, they must first understand what we are fighting.”

Besides the change in perspective, Ryznar noted the need to inspire youth. Young people need to understand their own potential to change the world and influence culture, she said.

“Throughout history, young people have led the way towards equality in so many areas: ending slavery and segregation; providing education, health care, and clean water to children across the world,” she said. “In today’s culture, young people have the power to do the exact same thing.”

Ross Labrie, the North Shore Pro-Life leader, commented on the style of dialogue Ryznar brought to the meeting. As a young person, Ryznar “has a greater ability to speak to young people,” said Labrie. “I found that everybody there was impressed by the rational approach of these young university speakers.”

“University students are often sexually active, and as such, have the most abortions,” Labrie added. Ryznar and others like her “bring dialogue in an age where people are reluctant to discuss these topics.”

The media mutes issues like abortion, making it even more important to promote pro-life issues among all individuals, said Labrie. Censorship of this grave issue could lead to a sense of normalcy in the future, which would be an extreme danger.

With a recent ruling legalizing euthanasia, Labrie feared that both abortion and euthanasia could become everyday occurrences. “The killing of the preborn child is not normal,” he emphasized. “We must not allow a sense of normalcy” about these issues.

“The more one thinks about life issues, the more likely one is to be pro-life,” Labrie added. The pro-life position has little to no visibility, “as modern media marginalizes these issues.”

“The darkness of ignorance is more likely to favour the other side of these issues. It’s against this background of widespread silence that our efforts are now focused.”