Lydia Melesko of the Vernon and District Pro-Life Society addresses the group of 38 people at a Pro-Life Vigil at the Cenotaph in Vernon. (Liam Verster/Vernon Matters)

By Liam Verster

Honouring the aborted

Small group gathers for pro-life vigil in Vernon

May 12, 2022 | 2:28 PM

A small group of 38 people gathered at the Cenotaph in Vernon for a pro-life vigil.

The 30-minute event featured several prayers and a few songs.

The speakers repeatedly stated that they do not wish to condemn women who choose to have abortions, or the doctors who perform them, but wish to remember and honour the aborted.

Speaking with Vernon Matters, Lydia Melesko, a member of the Vernon and Area Pro-Life Society Board and organizer of the vigil, explained why they chose to hold the event.

“The purpose of this event is to remember the lives of those who weren’t allowed to live, because they’re lives were cut short because of abortion,” said Melesko.

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“It’s to remember the anniversary of abortion becoming legal in Canada, and at this point we have no laws in Canada to control any abortion, so abortion is legal.”

The vigil was held in conjunction with the nationwide ‘March for Life.’

“It’s a national event taking place in Ottawa on Parliament Hill where they have millions of people there trying to let the government know that we are not in favour of taking the lives of pre-born children,” Melesko said.

The event in Vernon was held at the Cenotaph, which Melesko said was deliberate.

“This is a close location for us, but it’s also a place where we remember those who have gone before us, supporting the freedom of our nation. So this is for the freedom of the rights of the children who are not yet born,” said Melesko.

When asked why the vigil was not held in front of the MP or MLA offices in Vernon, Melesko admitted they hadn’t considered to hold it in those locations.

Melesko stated that over 4 million abortions have taken place since it became legal 53 years ago, and that over 100,000 are completed each year.

Data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) did support Melesko’s claim of the amount of abortions performed in Canada. CHIH’s data showed there were 74,155 abortions completed in hospitals or clinics across Canada in 2020, 11,934 of which were in B.C. The 10 year average for abortions in Canada up to 2020 was 94,686 per year, while the 10 year average in B.C. was 10,145 annually.

Melesko stated that women can get abortions all the way up to 9 months (40 weeks) into a pregnancy. Data from the CIHI shows that of the more than 74,000 abortions in Canada in 2020, an estimate of only 9,797 were done after the 12 week mark, less than 15 per cent of the abortions completed that year.

A recent poll from Leger and the Association for Canadian Studies showed that 80 per cent of respondents were in favour of a women’s right to an abortion if she chooses, while 14 per cent were opposed and six per cent were undecided.

However, Melesko said that ‘choice’ needs to be questioned.

“What is the choice they have? Many women feel they don’t have a choice and they abort because they feel they have no support and no choice,” said Melesko.

“When we say ‘Pro-Choice,’ what is that choice? Is that the choice to choose death for their child? Is it real? Do they have an informed opinion? Do they know that they’re carrying a life within them? Do they have the support that they need?”

Abortion is covered by health care in Canada. Melesko said she would prefer to see Canadian taxpayers fund programs and services to support women other than abortion. Though she did not provide specifics she did state that, “mothers could be paid to stay home and look after their children.”

Data from the Ministry of Children and Family Development showed there were 1,005 children and youth up for adoption in B.C. in 2019-20. While 265 of those children and youth were successfully placed or adopted, another 446 of them aged out of care.

Melesko said she would also like to see more funding and support go into streams to help kids and families in the foster and adoption programs should abortion become illegal.

“If the government wasn’t putting millions of dollars into abortions there would be plenty of money to fund the families that these children could go into.”