Pro-life protesters in front of Kelowna school, this time without graphic images

KELOWNA – Ten thousand blue and pink ribbons line Gordon Drive in front of KLO Middle School and the Evangel Church today to remind people abortions are legal even in the third trimester.

Marietta Egan of Kelowna is the organizer of the event, which also set up along Mission Creek Park on Springfield three weeks ago. She says each flag represents ten legal abortions that happen in Canada each year.

“A lot of people in Canada do not know that abortion happens legally throughout all nine months of pregnancy,” she says. The campaign is collecting signatures to petition the federal government to make some changes.

“We’d like to see a law of protection to the greatest extent possible. That would start with the third trimester,” Egan says. “I don’t think you have to be pro-life to take issue with third trimester abortion.”

While third trimester abortions are legal in Canada, they are almost never performed unless there is a greater health risk to the mother to carry the pregnancy to term than aborting the fetus, according to the University of Ottawa. The flags were set up along both sides of Gordon Drive, something Egan admits has caused some concern. She says the principal of KLO Middle School approached her to make sure the volunteers were not bothering students.

“That is not what we are trying to do,” Egan says. “We just want to catch the adults driving to and from work.”

For more information on the federal campaign visit the We Need A Law website.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Adam Proskiw at aproskiw@infonews.ca or call 250-718-0428. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.