CLC Blog

The 2024 Life Chain was an outstanding success.

We met our goal of bringing this pro-life witness to 350 locations across Canada, which is even more impressive considering that just four years ago, in 2020, fewer than 250 locations held a Life Chain.

Not only did pro-lifers from all over the country (including the Northwest Territories!) participate for the first time, but also a pro-life group in Togo (in Africa), Association Vie Féconde, was so inspired by Campagne Québec Vie’s outreach, that they decided to participate in Life Chain too!

Life Chain in Lomé, Togo 

To think that Life Chain was started in 1987 by a small pro-life group called Please Let Me Live in Yuba City, California… and now we’ve had our 35th Life Chain in Canada, and the first one in Togo! 

Of course, we wish this witness wasn’t necessary—but while abortion persists, we must ensure that a vigorous and visible opposition to it persists as well.

From left to right: 96 & 201 in Langley, BC; Bracebridge, ON; Lindsay, ON 

We’re still compiling attendance figures, reports, photos, etc., but we can project that attendance was similar to last year, with well over 15,000 pro-lifers participating, despite a depression in turnout in some of the locations affected by rain.  

And because we were out on the streets, people who needed to see our message did.  

Please pray for “Teresa” who encountered the Life Chain in Niagara Falls, ON. She is pregnant and considering abortion because she is afraid of being kicked out of her house by her parents. The local Life Chain organizer was able to offer her encouragement to choose life and refer her to a couple of different crisis pregnancy services.  

From left to right: Brantford, St. George & Hoskin in Toronto, and Burlington, ON 

Here are some heartwarming stories from this year: 

• In Portage la Prairie, MB, the local organizer reported: “2 teen boys pulled up in their car to give us a bit of a hard time, and insist that women who have been raped should have a right to choose, and that unborn babies aren't human. After 3 of us shared the trauma abortion causes the mother, and the cruelty of the abortion process for the baby, they were willing to see things differently.” She added: “A gentleman with us shared the story of a friend who was conceived when his mother was raped. She chose life for him, and he went on to live a full and happy life as a husband and also grandfather before he passed away. This story I believe also encouraged them to see that rape isn't the end of the story.” In the end, “they shook our hands through the window, gave us their names, and left with smiles on their faces.” While we encourage Life Chain to be a silent witness, sometimes prudential judgment can be used to have a conversation like this one, when it seems it can be productive.  
• In Alliston, ON, a 14-year-old boy biking by the Life Chain decided to join in when he heard what the demonstration was for. He was adopted himself, and happily held an “Adoption: A Loving Option” sign.  
• In Tottenham, ON, an employee at a local pizza place saw the Life Chain and told his boss about it, who sent over some free boxes of pizza.  

From left to right: Chatham, Timmins, Bracebridge, and London, ON 

Whether you have heartwarming stories of your own or simply got rained on and yelled at for an hour, I want to thank you for participating in Life Chain.  

We live in a world that prioritizes pleasure, comfort, convenience… but pro-life activism is not supposed to be comfortable. There’s no comfortable way to tell people that our country is complicit in a human rights injustice.  

So, thank you, for having the courage to go against the grain, to disrupt the blissful ignorance of your neighbours—for the sake of the pre-born and all those harmed by abortion.

From left to right: Don Mills & Sheppard in Toronto, ON; Brantford, ON; Collingwood, ON; and Lethbridge, AB 

Next year’s Life Chain will be on Sunday, October 5. That said, don’t let the next time you pick up a pro-life sign be a whole year from now. May Life Chain be just the beginning of your pro-life efforts, and not the end of them.  

We are mid-way through the 40 Days for Life campaign! If you have the chutzpah for Life Chain, you have the chutzpah for 40 Days for Life! It’s the same premise—stand on the sidewalk with a sign like “Pray to End Abortion” …and pray to end abortion. What makes 40 Days for Life special is that you’re witnessing outside one of the “killing places,” a hospital or abortion facility that commits abortion. Our presence over a 40-day period can and does save lives. Find your nearest 40 Days for Life location here.  

If you’re willing to do activism with abortion victim photography and have conversations with passersby, you can see here if there’s a local community group employing this sort of “End the Killing” project.   

And there are so many other ways to get involved! There are upcoming elections in Yukon, New Brunswick, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan. Make sure to vote pro-life.  

If you want to serve as a church contact, responsible for passing along information about upcoming pro-life events and opportunities to your pastor or church administration, let us know!  

From left to right: St. John the Apostle Church in Nepean, Markdale, Dixon & Kipling in Toronto, and Montreal & St. Laurent in Ottawa, ON 

Please reach out to us if you’re looking to get more involved. It won’t be “Campaign Life Coalition” that ends abortion—or at least not any particular organization. It will be you—the pro-life grassroots—making small and big sacrifices, over and over.  

To scroll through more Life Chain photos, from 100+ other Life Chain locations, click here.