News
Abortion deaths reach 10-year high
According to the Canadian Institute of Health Information (CIHI), the number of abortions reported in Canada increased to a staggering 101,553 in 2023, the highest number of deaths in the past decade. It is important to recognize that these are just the reported abortions. The real figure could be much higher, as abortion clinics are not required to report their data. The numbers also don’t account for the fact that Canada has allowed “emergency contraceptive” drugs like Plan B since 2005, which can prevent a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterus, ending the life of a tiny human being. These drugs are now being handed out freely in parts of Canada.
Pro-Life group We Need a Law, a campaign of ARPA Canada, explained that the reasons for the increase are varied and not entirely clear. One reason could be the increased population in Canada. But the population has been growing for decades now, while the number of abortions peaked in 1997.
Another reason they cite is that CIHI has adjusted its methodology for how it reports abortion, leading to more accurate reporting. ARPA Canada was part of a successful court challenge in 2017, when a court ruled that the Ontario government was wrong to hide abortion statistics from public access.
Another possible reason We Need a Law cites is the turmoil pregnant women experienced in the past five years, from Covid concerns to surging inflation.
There was one glimmer of hope. Until 2013, the most likely age group to have an abortion was women under 25. Their rate is now half of what it used to be. This gives hope that their increasing resistance to abortion will continue as they age. In contrast, as the chart shows, it is women over the age of 30 that are having more abortions.
Although the data remains murky, the matter itself is very clear. Whether they acknowledge it or not, many of the women we meet and know are living through the pain and grief of their choice, or the choice that was inflicted on them, to end the life of their precious child. If they haven’t already repented and experienced forgiveness and peace through the cross of Christ, there is a pressing need to share this message with them. And these preborn children, our neighbours, deserve the same love and protection that we all do. Simply acknowledging their death is a very small step in this direction.
Graph used with permission of We Need a Law.
