February 22, 2012: SMITHERS -– One hundred white crosses have been erected on fence posts along Highway 16 east of Smithers as a memorial to over 100,000 children who are aborted in Canada every year.

The crosses stretch well over a kilometre down the highway and include small signs that remind passerbys that each cross represents 1,000 abortions in Canada every year. One of these signs points to a website www.theTruthIs.ca that was made to give more information about help and resources for pregnant and post-abortive women as well as the general public.

A dozen youth from the valley joined together with Bulkley Valley ARPA, an advocacy group from local Reformed churches, to make the memorial.

“We often hear pro-choice leaders and politicians saying that abortion should be rare,” explained Alyssa Devries. “Yet every year a population the size of the entire Northwest is forbidden their first breath. Canada is the only country in the Western world that is not able to have a meaningful conversation about abortion. With this memorial we hope to publicly commemorate all these children and also open the eyes of our neighbours to just how common abortion is.”

Jody Schouten, a member of the BV ARPA group, echoed these sentiments. “We are not trying to minimize the difficult situation that woman who face unwanted pregnancies find themselves in. We feel there are better alternatives, and these crosses are a solemn reminder of what we as a society are doing.”

In the past, pro-life billboards have been repeatedly cut down and vandalized. The organizers of this memorial hope that the public will be more respectful this time around. “Being pro-choice should mean allowing the public to hear what the choices are” noted Hudson Stoffels, one of the youth behind the display.

The local organizers are hoping that the memorial can be moved to other locations in the north. If the public is aware of suitable places, they are asked to contact BV ARPA by emailing [email protected].

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