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Quebec Life Coalition defends the human person from conception until natural death.

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Giving women the opportunity to care for their own children?

We are on the eve of the Quebec election period, and important issues have already been raised: family and birth rates. These topics, which are very meaningful to us, are more relevant than ever, so we thought it would be appropriate to report on the strange disagreement between Éric Duhaime of the PCQ and Christine Fréchette of the CAQ regarding the issue of child care.

We’ll provide an analysis of the policies proposed by the parties in the coming weeks.

In her critique of Éric Duhaime’s natalist plan, Christine Fréchette suggests that the Conservative leader’s program would undermine women’s autonomy. How? By offering them the option to stay home and raise their children themselves, by providing subsidies directly to families for child care rather than to day care centers — at the same time, Duhaime would also maintain the system of state-subsidized day care centers.


Éric Duhaime, leader of the PCQ.

So there are more choices, but Quebec’s premier suggests that this freedom offered to women will open the door to the following discussion in households: “If you go into the workforce, honey, we might not make it — unlike if you stay home.”

In her reaction, Fréchette implies that taking care of one’s own children rather than being in the workforce is regressive and suggests two things: first, that women are too vulnerable or weak to make a sound decision; second, that Fréchette knows better what’s good for them.


Christine Fréchette, leader of the CAQ.

Did you think feminism was about “choice”? Think again. Fréchette, who here acts as the spokesperson for a certain type of condescending feminism, believes it is wrong to offer women this choice, because they might choose something other than what female politicians had planned for them.

These remarks remind us of the feminist debates of the 1990s, when family allowances were introduced in Quebec. Some feminists at the time strongly criticized this initiative. Claire Bonenfant, then president of the Council on the Status of Women, questioned the intent of the familial policy in the following terms: “Will this policy be a natalist policy in disguise, seeking to send us back to the cradles and the kitchen, or does it present itself as a policy of social justice?”

Let’s also consider what Simone de Beauvoir, an influential French feminist thinker, said about women’s freedom to choose to stay at home:

“No woman should be allowed to stay at home and raise her children. Society should be completely different; women should not be able to make such a choice precisely because many of them would choose to stay at home.”


Simone de Beauvoir.

In Quebec, there is an anti-family mindset in the corridors of power — a mindset that the media conveys to the public, an ideology, in short, that permeates the culture. It would take much more than the subsidies Éric Duhaime is proposing to reverse Quebec’s declining birth rate; what is needed is to promote a culture that is supportive of family and life.

***

Life Chain

On Sunday, October 4th, the Life Chain will take place — or rather, the life chains, since it is a multi-location event. This is a peaceful demonstration in which participants hold pro-life signs for one hour to raise public awareness about the fate of unborn children. You can join one of the chains taking place across Quebec or, if you’d like, organize one yourself. Visit the Life Chain Quebec website for more information.

Petition for the Protection of Unborn Children

We invite you to sign our petition for the protection of unborn children in Canada, addressed to the Parliament of Canada.

For Life,
Augustin Hamilton

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Can we debate abortion?

The remarks made two weeks ago by Martine Biron, Minister of Higher Education, in which she blamed a Quebec Conservative Party candidate for believing there should be a debate on abortion in Quebec, have sparked a wave of reactions that are worth examining.

One in particular, published in Libre Média and authored by Simon Demers, raises the question of the abortion debate: Has the debate taken place, and can we still talk about it?

In his opinion piece, Mr. Demers observes a desire to stifle any opposition to abortion, particularly in light of the incident involving the cancellation of a prayer event at the Quebec City Convention Center where abortion was reportedly among the topics to be discussed. He rightly points out that the media focused solely on the issue of free speech, but that “no one asked what these Christians were there to say.”

In his view, abortion is one of those issues that have not been “settled” through democratic debate, but are believed to be definitively closed because people have stopped discussing them.

In fact, he notes, in Quebec in particular, abortion ceased to be prosecuted when Justice Minister Marc-André Bédard — who had been sworn in just two weeks earlier — decided on December 10th, 1976, to stop enforcing the federal law in effect at the time. Then, 11 years later (11 years!), the Supreme Court of Canada handed down the Morgentaler decision, which fully decriminalized abortion. This was followed by a half-hearted attempt to legislate on the issue in the Parliament in Ottawa, which was abandoned in the Senate.

In a sense, ministers and judges have weighed in on abortion, but no real democratic debate has ever taken place.

Mr. Demers notes that the Catholic Church’s moral opposition to abortion was rejected along with the Church itself at the very moment this practice became socially accepted: “The argument regarding the status of this tiny being yet to come thus became inaudible along with the person who voiced it, without ever having been truly refuted.” Anyone who attempts even slightly to revive the “argument” is immediately suspected of dragging Quebec back into the “Great Darkness.”

What’s interesting is that he draws on certain pro-life arguments to justify the debate over abortion, particularly the one regarding the inconsistency in how we treat the unborn child: when wanted, he is considered a child — we choose a name for him and proudly show off the ultrasound; when unwanted, he is a “cluster of cells "...

While not a pro-life apologetic text, Simon Demers’ article does have the merit of raising the issue of the abortion debate; admittedly, it’s not a major media outlet, and I don’t expect its publication to spark any major media debates, but it is one more voice speaking out in a way that doesn’t simply ban any questioning of abortion.

***

Last Saturday, we held our annual corn roast. During this warm and welcoming event, our guest, lawyer Samuel Bachand, spoke to us about the provisions of Bill 9, known as the “Act to Strengthen Secularism in Quebec”, which prohibits public prayer, except in cases where municipalities grant an exception.

Describing Quebec’s secularist regime as, in fact, religious — particularly with its unacknowledged worship of nature — Mr. Bachand explained that the law likely did not target religious events of a cultural heritage nature, such as processions, but that overzealous officials could use it to cancel events they disapprove of — think, for example, of the 40 Days for Life campaign. He emphasized the importance of asserting our rights by requesting permission from municipalities to hold religious events so that, if approved, precedents would be set that we could rely on. Failing to act would mean we would gradually lose ground in the face of Quebec’s secularization.

Petition for the Protection of Unborn Children

We invite you to sign our petition for the protection of unborn children in Canada, addressed to the Parliament of Canada.

Life Chain

On Sunday, October 4th, the Life Chain will take place — or rather, the life chains, since it is a multi-location event. This is a peaceful demonstration in which participants hold pro-life signs for one hour to raise public awareness about the fate of unborn children. You can join one of the chains taking place across Quebec or, if you’d like, organize one yourself. Visit the Life Chain Quebec website for more information.

For Life,
Augustin Hamilton

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Former Minister condemned for canceling an event organized by pro-lifers

Finally, some good news! The Quebec Superior Court ruled that the cancellation of an event at the Quebec City Convention Center in 2023, deemed “anti-abortion” by Caroline Proulx, was not based on any rule or law, and has therefore ordered the former Quebec Minister of Tourism to personally pay the sum of $60,000 to Harvest Ministries International, the event’s organizer.

This outcome is good news for the pro-life movement in Quebec and may give politicians pause before openly discriminating against pro-life advocates.

Éric Duhaime, leader of the Quebec Conservative Party, recently stated that he would leave no room for debate on abortion within his party, “We have always been a pro-choice party, and that policy will not change in the slightest,” he recently asserted, adding, “I can tell you that there will be no debate within our ranks on this issue.”

The reason for this statement is that the conservative candidate in Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, Dominique Dumas, a former host at CHOI Radio X, reportedly posted comments on social media in the past in which he said he was open to restricting abortion and also expressed discomfort with late-term abortion.

The candidate attempted to exonerate himself by stating that he would not address this issue within the conservative party and that he had not entered provincial politics to discuss this topic.

In vain! Martine Biron, Minister for the Status of Women, was quick to criticize Mr. Dumas: “Making these kinds of statements is an attack on a right that Quebec women have fought hard to win. The consensus in Quebec is clear: the right to abortion is a fundamental right.”

But is the consensus in Quebec really as clear as Ms. Biron claims, particularly when it comes to late-term abortion? That’s what she would have us believe...

***

Corn Roast

On August 15, Quebec Life Coalition will hold its traditional corn roast at our offices at 3330 rue Rivier in Montreal. This year’s speaker is lawyer Samuel Bachand, who will discuss in French the consequences of Law 9, which bans public prayer.

Don't forget to register by replying to this email or by contacting Brian Jenkins at (438) 930-8643. Please also let us know how many people will be joining you; this will help us organize the event.

Cost: $15 per person aged 12 and older. Free for children under 12.

Petition for the Protection of Unborn Children

We invite you to sign our petition for the protection of unborn children in Canada, addressed to the Parliament of Canada.

Life Chain

On Sunday, October 4th, the Life Chain will take place — or rather, the life chains, since it is a multi-location event. This is a peaceful demonstration in which participants hold pro-life signs for one hour to raise public awareness about the fate of unborn children. You can join one of the chains taking place across Quebec or, if you’d like, organize one yourself. Visit the Life Chain Quebec website for more information.

For Life,
Augustin Hamilton

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The Superior Court of Quebec Rules Against Caroline Proulx for banning an event she deemed “anti-abortion”


Caroline Proulx.

Blog post by Augustin Hamilton (Quebec Life Coalition) — Photo: video screen shot/POP Montréal/YouTube

Do you remember when Tourism Minister Caroline Proulx canceled an event organized by Harvest Ministries International at the Quebec City Convention Center in 2023?

After being informed by Sébastien Bovet, head of Radio-Canada’s parliamentary bureau, that the Protestant and pro-life group was going to hold an event at the convention center, Mrs. Proulx checked the websites linked in the event’s advertisements. (Yet another example of journalists seeking to influence politics and create a news story.)

To her horror! She read on HMI’s website that the group opposes abortion, stating that its decriminalization "has led to the abortion of some 4 million babies to date" and "has made the mother’s womb the most dangerous place for a child in Canada." Outraged by what she considered false information contrary to Quebec’s fundamental values (strange values that are causing French Canadians to gradually disappear...), she rushed to cancel the contract between HMI and the Convention Center. However, no regulation or law allowed her to cancel an event based on the contractors’ beliefs just a few days before the event was scheduled to take place.

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Éric Duhaime Will Leave No Room for Debate on Abortion Within His Party


Éric Duhaime.

Blog post by Augustin Hamilton (Quebec Life Coalition) — Photo: screen shot/TVA Nouvelles/YouTube

"We have always been a pro-choice party, and that policy will not change in the slightest," Éric Duhaime recently assured. He added, "I can tell you that there will be no debate within our ranks on this issue."

So why does Mr. Duhaime feel the need to reassure the political and media establishment of his adherence to the dominant ideology? It's because we're in the pre-election period, a time when candidates' pasts are dragged out of the closet, and when candidates and their leaders are asked to burn a grain of incense at the altar of abortion.

It just so happens that Dominique Dumas, the Quebec Conservative Party candidate in Chutes-de-la-Chaudière and a former host at CHOI Radio X, has reportedly posted comments on social media in the past in which he said he was open to restricting abortion and expressed discomfort with late-term abortion.

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A Surrogate Mother is Sued for Refusing to Have an Abortion


McKenna West.

Blog post by Augustin Hamilton (Quebec Life Coalition) — Photo: McKenna West

McKenna West thought that offering her services as a surrogate mother would provide extra income for her family, while helping a couple have a baby.

Through a surrogacy agency, the Alaskan woman entered into a contract with an American couple. During a 20-week ultrasound, doctors diagnosed the baby she was carrying with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), a condition that can be treated.

When the couple learned that the baby they had “ordered” had this defect, they told Mrs. West to abort the baby. McKenna West could not bring herself to terminate the pregnancy, but she feared being sued. When one of her brothers offered to adopt the child if the couple no longer wanted it, she resolutely decided not to abort the baby.

Faced with Mrs. West’s refusal to have an abortion, the couple stopped sending her money and demanded that she return the money they had already sent her, as well as pay them compensation for not having an abortion (which is illogical, since it doesn’t change anything for them...).

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Let's share the stories of the detransitioners

In his documentary “Génération Trans,” independent producer Jean-Pierre Roy interviews several young people who have gone through the transition process and parents whose children have transitioned. He would have also liked to interview various representatives of Quebec’s “health” system, but they declined his requests for interviews...

One of these deeply moving testimonies, that of Gabriel Cudia, recounts how this young woman was swept up in the transition process. A victim of bullying at school, she was pressured to transition by an abusive girlfriend. The doctors at the clinic where she went for a consultation quickly prescribed puberty blockers, neglecting the problems she was suffering from. The rest of the transition — the final stage of which, fortunately, she did not complete — was approved by the clinic’s doctors with the same level of negligence.

Now that Gabriel Cudia regrets having undergone mutilation to change her “gender,” surgeries — such as breast reconstruction — to restore some of what she has lost are considered “cosmetic” and will not be reimbursed by the RAMQ.

The worst part is that now that she has been mutilated, she has already considered euthanasia (which, fortunately, is not an available option in her case).

What is absurd about all this is that no one in charge of the “health” system seems to have considered that people might regret their transition and has made no provisions to remedy the consequences. But what exactly is there to remedy when so many of the effects are irreversible? Acknowledging that the transition might require a remedy that is largely impossible to implement would amount to discrediting the entire process.

To bring down the infernal machine of transition, we must share these kinds of testimonies as widely as possible; in some countries, such as Great Britain, the government has backed down on transition. It won’t be without fighting! The documentary “Génération Trans” was censored in several movie theaters in Quebec, which caved in to pressure from gender ideology activists.

***

Corn Roast

On August 15, Quebec Life Coalition will hold its traditional corn roast at our offices at 3330 rue Rivier in Montreal. This year’s speaker is lawyer Samuel Bachand, who will discuss in French the consequences of Law 9, which bans public prayer.

Cost: $15 per person aged 12 and older. Free for children under 12.

For more information, contact Brian Jenkins at (438) 930-8643

Petition for the Protection of Unborn Children

We invite you to sign our petition for the protection of unborn children in Canada, addressed to the Parliament of Canada.

Life Chain

On Sunday, October 4th, the Life Chain will take place — or rather, the life chains, since it is a multi-location event. This is a peaceful demonstration in which participants hold pro-life signs for one hour to raise public awareness about the fate of unborn children. You can join one of the chains taking place across Quebec or, if you’d like, organize one yourself. Visit the Life Chain website for Quebec for more information.

For Life,
Augustin Hamilton

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Génération Trans — Gabriel Cudia

Blog post by Augustin Hamilton (Quebec Life Coalition) — Photo: video screenshot/Jean-Pierre Roy/YouTube

In his documentary Trans Generation, independent producer Jean-Pierre Roy interviews Gabriel Cudia*, a young woman who began her transition at age 15 and eventually came to regret it.

In her testimony, Gabriel recounts struggling to adjust to puberty as a child. She was also diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome (autism).

She explains that she was bullied in school because of her autism and because she wore baggy clothes to hide her developing feminine figure. Amid this rejection, one girl stood up for her and became her friend. However, that girl was abusive, and Gabriel fell into a toxic, codependent relationship with her. This relationship pushed Gabriel to become a "man." She was 14 years old at the time.

The doctors were informed that she had Asperger’s, and they simply noted it in her medical record.

Three or four months later, in December 2016, she had a second appointment at Mérakis. They asked her how she had been doing since her first visit. She left with a prescription for testosterone.

Two days later, Mérakis sent a letter to the surgery center (GRS) for the mastectomy. The letter was signed by three doctors: the one who had seen her, the doctor who had been present at the first appointment, and a third doctor she had never met. The letter stated that, after numerous in-depth discussions and follow-up evaluations, they approved the procedure.

She was eager to go through the transition process because she was under a lot of pressure from her "girlfriend" at the time.

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Invitation: join us for our annual corn roast on August 15

Every summer for many years now, Quebec Life Coalition has brought together its friends, volunteers and donors around a shared meal, in a relaxed atmosphere, to see one another in person and gather strength before the fall. This year will be no exception: I cordially invite you to our annual corn roast, on Saturday, August 15, starting at noon, outside the offices of Quebec Life Coalition, at 3330 Rivier Street, Montreal, Quebec H1W 3Z9 (Joliette metro, green line; bus 67).


The 2022 corn roast.

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A French woman testifies before the European Parliament’s Petitions Committee about her abortion under pressure

Temoignage_de_Charlene_Bernard_a_la_commission_des_petiitons_du_parlement_europeen-capture_d_ecran_video-ECLJ_Officiel-yt.JPG

Blog post by Augustin Hamilton (Quebec Life Coalition) — Photo: capture d'écran viédo/ECLJ Officiel/Youtube

A French woman has testified before the European Parliament’s Committee on Petitions to highlight the pressure faced by many women when they become pregnant. Although they would like to keep their babies, they are under pressure from relatives who are pushing them to have an abortion. She also condemned the lack of support that these women receive from the government when they face financial difficulties, and from the healthcare system throughout the process.

She submitted a petition to the European Parliament, calling for support for pregnant women and mothers of young children so that they can receive genuine help if they wish to keep their babies.

Charlène Bernard explains that she became pregnant at age 26. She recalls being happy to find out she was pregnant, but her partner was not. He pressured her daily to have an abortion. At her wit's end, she confided in her family doctor, who reassured her that the question wasn't whether she would keep the child, but rather, whether she would have the child with her partner. Comforted by this initial support, she went with her partner to see a psychologist at the “family planning” clinic in an effort to resolve the issue through dialogue. Unfortunately, the psychologist sided with her partner, coldly telling Charlène that the baby was nothing more than a "cluster of cells." Faced with this lack of support and the daily pressure, she eventually gave in and had the abortion.

Unsurprisingly, pro-life lawmakers congratulated the petitioner on her courage and expressed their support. As for the pro-abortion lawmakers, they merely reiterated that abortion is a "right" of women and that it must be accessible — even though that was not the subject of the speech (as if they weren’t listening). They also asserted that this access must be ensured by funding "family planning" organizations, when in fact it was precisely this so-called "family planning" that betrayed her!

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