ANGELINA STEENSTRA

HENRY MORGENTALER

ORDER OF CANADA PROTEST

OTTAWA, ONTARIO

GOVERNOR GENERAL’S RESIDENCE

JULY 9, 2008

PREPARED BY:

GOVERNMENT RELATIONS OFFICE

CAMPAIGN LIFE COALITION

Hello, and welcome to all of you who have come here today for this protest.

My name is Angelina Steenstra, and I am the National Coordinator of the Silent No More Awareness Campaign; an outreach to people hurt after abortion. I am also speaking on behalf of Campaign Life Coalition, who organized this protest.

I survived my abortion, but my baby did not.

Every time a baby is torn from its’ Mother’s womb it tears our country apart!

Giving an abortionist Canada’s “highest honour” is dividing the Nation, contrary to its intent!

Abortion divides. Abortion divides Mother from child, Father from child, child from family and it divides the family, the community, the Nation.

The Heart of Canada is Divided.

Tearing the fabric of our nation is NOT what the Order of Canada award was or is intended to do.

The Order of Canada is supposed to be awarded to those who exemplify the order’s Latin motto.

Ironically, their motto is: “DESIDERANTES MELIOREM PATRIAM”

meaning “THEY DESIRE A BETTER COUNTRY”.

This very motto is taken from St. Paul to the Hebrews (Hebrews 11:16).

I quote, “But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly country: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.”End quote.

What country gives its highest award to a citizen who aborts a baby . . . and leaves yet another citizen with pain . . . psychological, spiritual and emotional pain?

Clearly, the advisory council and the Governor General have not lived up to the dignity of their own motto!

In the past 40 years, Henry Morgentaler has boasted about his abortion activities and is still unrepentent. Let us not forget that this is the same man, who re-used disposable abortion vacurettes, as reported by the Montreal Gazette on December 24, 1975.

The historic record reveals a series of practices which should have discouraged any advisory council from selecting him for this award.

The award advisory council HAD to realize how divisive Henry Morgentaler is, YET, THEY PROCEEDED ANYWAY.

The Order of Canada Advisory Council that gave him the award CANNOT be the same committee that is asked to REVOKE the award. YET, that IS the way the Constitution of the Order of Canada stands today.

If the Governor General does not change this Order of Canada revocation process, then the Prime Minister and members of Parliament must ensure the change.

Avoid more national division and begin to heal this wound!

Abortion is divisive. Instead let us award those who heal women after the psychological and spiritual scarring of abortion.

We ask these important questions:

1. How many women has Henry Morgentaler healed from the pain and guilt suffered by these same women after he aborts their child?

2. Has Henry Morgentaler ever shared the podium at a post-abortion syndrome conference on the aftermath of Abortion?

3. Are we convinced that Henry Morgentaler weighs the long-term damage done to women?

4. And, . . . how long does it take to “heal” the damage done to a conscience?

Let us pray for a conversion of the conscience for Henry Morgentaler.

I have suffered an abortion. And there is NOTHING heroic OR NOTHING award-winning about it. Absolutely nothing.

So why give the highest honour in the land to someone who – for 40 years – has promoted a practice that does not heal millions of babies, their mothers, their fathers, family, communities and the Nation.

(PAUSE)

Let me re-emphasize what we are looking for:

NUMBER ONE (pause):

REVOKE THE ORDER OF CANADA TO HENRY MORGENTALER TO HELP HEAL THIS NATIONAL WOUND of abortion in Canada which has been deepened by the Award to Henry Morgentaler.

NUMBER TWO (pause):

THIS AWARD REVOCATION PROCESS MUST BE REVIEWED BY AN INDEPENDENT BODY – NOT THE SAME ADVISORY COUNCIL THAT GAVE THE AWARD.

WE CANNOT HAVE THIS SAME DIVISION WITH NEXT YEAR’S AWARD WINNERS.

The decline of the nation stops here!

Let us begin today to rebuild the moral fabric of our Nation. And it starts with me and you.

Thank you. And may God bless our Canada.