Show the Truth: One Woman's Experience

Received by email:

I just returned from three days spent “on the line” with Show the Truth tour. It was exhausting, exhilarating, and inspiring.

Show the Truth is democracy in action. The graphic signs of aborted babies are a silent testimony to the 110,000 babies killed through abortion each year. We stood on public property, between the sidewalk and the curb; peacefully displaying our message- abortion kills an innocent life.

The days are filled with prayer. Participants attend daily Mass, and pray before and after each demonstration. Rosaries are not only in evidence, but are put to good use during the day. This infusion of prayer is a critical component of the mission.

The required organizational skills are impressive. Participants come for a day, a few days, or the entire week. Some sleep in the church basement, some drive back to their homes at night. But despite the fluctuating numbers, all must be fed at regular intervals. Along with food considerations, there is a thorough accumulation of ‘extras’ at the ready- raincoats, umbrellas, sunscreen, lawn chairs, air mattresses and a never ending supply of water bottles. The Canadian Armed Forces could take a lesson or two!

There are three daily demonstrations, lasting 1 ½ hours each. We stood on both sides of busy intersections, our signs angled to maximize their exposure to the passing cars. It must be staggering to encounter this horrific display on a casual drive to the store or to work.

The signs upset people- a Catholic school principal called the police on us, demanding that we leave the school/church parking lot. Guelph and Waterloo campus security police asked us to leave. A Brantford shopping mall security asked us to vacate the parking lot entirely. Negotiations occurred regularly with the local police. People shouted obscenities at us from cars, they yelled angrily at us on street corners.

There were happy moments- listening to the youth singing at the back of the bus, having great discussions with pedestrians, the laughter that occurred throughout the day, the giggles of the young children at break times.

There were poignant moments- two priests napping side by side on the bus, a woman who sobbed on the main street in Guelph when she first saw the signs, and a pastor who, upon seeing the signs, went out and purchased water bottles for the entire crew and then delivered them along with encouraging words.

Perhaps the most inspiring moments came in Cambridge. Often at great personal expense, local pro-lifers had worked diligently for years to ensure that abortions were not performed in their town. But I was unaware, until after the Show the Truth demonstration, that Cambridge was an ‘abortion-free zone.’ I offered literature to cars waiting at the stoplights, and I was amazed to discover that Cambridge drivers were overwhelmingly pro-life. In fact, 50% of the people I encountered identified themselves as pro-life. The majority of the cars took the literature I offered. Some asked me before I could even offer it! Many had very encouraging words to say. It was the highlight of the week.

There are some who say that we should not upset people with these unsettling signs. But they neglect to mention the unborn in this discussion. It is Show the Truth participants who represent the voice of the unborn.

The media has refused to cover the facts of the abortion story and abortionists continue to tell women it is “just a blob.” Show the Truth participants are willing to brave the wind, rain and sun to stand and show the truth of abortion. Real, live babies are being brutally murdered in our nation. Rather than a passive, hope-for-the-best approach, Show the Truth takes the truth to the streets in an undeniable fashion.

Please consider joining them for the Toronto tour in August. You could also donate to the cause through their webpage :

www.showthetruth.ca


Kathie Hogan
Parry Sound