Stephanie Gray tells Holy Family crowd that effective reformers aren't appreciated in their lifetime
By Nathan Rumohr
The B.C. Catholic

VANCOUVER--Stephanie Gray is known as passionate and controversial, and she makes no apologies when it comes to campaigning against abortion. The co-founder of the Calgary-based Canadian Centre for Bioethical Reform (CCBR) presented that passion at Holy Family Parish Sept. 1 when she gave a pro-life presentation.

The 45-minute talk centred on how scientific information and understanding is important to advocate the pro-life cause.

Gray started the talk by comparing the unborn to the news story of the trapped Chilean miners from last year.

"We rushed to their aid," she said. "Could we fathom blowing up the miners?"

Gray used the illustration of the miners' heroic story as a comparison to what she called "abortion insanity" in Canada. The world jumped into action and did everything possible to bring the miners back alive. She said the miners were helpless and completely dependent on society. This she said was comparable to the dependency of an unborn child on its mother to carry it to term, and how many women choose abortion over the struggle of pregnancy.

"Are the unborn as valuable as the Chilean miners?"

The problem, according to Gray, is that a large portion of the population believes a fetus isn't a human being. She said this is an incorrect assumption and even unscientific, because when life is conceived it immediately has all its genetic information.

"Living things come from other living things," she said, stating that when two living creatures create life the new life is expected to resemble its creators. Therefore when the zygote is created with its genetic information it is (or should be) considered human.

Gray used a hypothetical example of a person encountering the Loch Ness Monster. She asked if a person quickly snapped a Polaroid of the beast, but someone threw the picture into the lake before it was developed, would that change the fact that the picture would have shown the monster?

Of course not, she said. "Most of society doesn't see the unborn as a developing human."

A Polaroid picture can take from five to 10 minutes to develop, with fragments of the picture showing in that time. Gray said fragments of life start showing at eight weeks with the development of hands, toes, and fingers. There are also signs of breathing.

Grey also spoke about why abortion is accepted. She said pro-lifers cannot hide the fact that unplanned pregnancies are never easy.

"The right thing is so difficult."

She then used examples of everyday people who do good in spite of the difficult obstacles set against them.

"They put others first, over comfort and even their lives. They inspire us do 'hard' things."

One of those hard things is Gray's continuous advocacy. Some view her as an extremist, especially for her use of graphic abortion images. However she makes no apologies for her work, or that of the CCBR.

"Effective reformers are usually not liked while alive. However reformers who are liked are usually not effective."

Gray's presentation was an unofficial kick-off for Vancouver's first 40 Days for Life Campaign, which is to run from Sept. 28 to Nov. 4. Holy Family Parish has taken a leadership role for the campaign, during which pro-life advocates fast, pray, and protest to end abortion. One of the main elements of the campaign will be a 40-day prayer vigil outside B.C. Women's Hospital, the largest abortion provider in the province.

More information about 40 Days for Life is online at 40daysforlife.com. The CCBR is a non-profit educational organization campaigning against abortion. Their website is www.unmaskingthechoice.com.