 My name is Angelina Steenstra and I am the National Coordinator for Canada as well as the Regional Coordinator for the Province of Ontario.
Convinced that one of the most important and most effective means of making a difference in the whole abortion debate would be through the stories of men and women who share their suffering and healing, I became the National Coordinator of the Silent No More Awareness Campaign in Canada. The Campaign has been developing steadily in this country since its first public event of May 13, 2004 on Parliament Hill, Ottawa.
Inspired by Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech of August 28, 1963, delivered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Washington, D.C., “I Have A Dream,” I dreamt of a day when men and women, who have experienced abortion in their lives, would stand up across this nation and tell the truth about what abortion had done to their lives. I believed that in telling the truth, people would discover freedom, and in doing so would reach others who were isolated and alone, giving them hope. I believed it was important to let others know the harm that had
been done to both them and their children as well as their families. So when I heard about the birth of the Silent No More Awareness Campaign and its first gathering that took place in Washington, D.C. 2003, I knew ‘the dream” was coming true.
I knew I needed to be at the next event in January of 2004 in memory of my daughter, Sarah Elizabeth, who died on American soil as a result of a surgical abortion performed in Buffalo, NY. After participating with sixty plus men and women, sharing 3-minute testimonies, raising awareness, telling of their healing journey and inviting others to come forward, I knew this Campaign had no borders. This Campaign is meant for the whole world. Convinced of this truth, and with the encouragement and support of numerous people, I found the courage
and the zeal to bring the Campaign to Canada.
It is my hope that if you are a woman or a man who has experienced abortion, you would be encouraged to join the Silent No More Awareness Campaign. We host gatherings and events with the intention of:
•Reaching out and providing information to people who are hurting after an abortion, encouraging them to attend abortion after-care programs;
•Raising public awareness about abortion’s emotional, physical, spiritual and relational consequences through education, testimonies and public witness;
•Inviting post-abortive men and women, who are ready to share personal testimony, to break their silence. In so doing they can help others to avoid the pain and suffering of abortion.
This campaign is something that can be furthered by anyone because abortion touches everyone. If you are interested in helping extend the Silent No More Awareness Campaign, please contact me.
It is my sincere hope that as the Campaign spreads throughout Ontario and Canada, many will come to know true freedom. To be “silent no more” is to be, in the words of Martin Luther King Jr., “Free at last – free at last. Thank God Almighty I am free at last!”
CTV Interview
CBC Interview
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