Here we go with another Conservative Party leadership race. While We Need a Law is non-partisan, and as such is open to working with any politician with an interest in protecting the pre-born, we wanted to take some time to encourage Conservative supporters to think through how to handle this season (again).
This leadership race is still in its early days, and we don’t know who all will be putting their name forward as a candidate. So, we have some time to figure out what candidate would be the most likely to push forward pro-life policy – and we have a vested interest in making sure every candidate has the opportunity to state their position. The pro-life movement makes up a significant portion of the Conservative party base. Any leader should be prepared to work with us, and we should prove ourselves willing to talk to them all.
What we would love to see in a race like this is a candidate willing to take a stance on specific pro-life policies. What we often get are assurances of general beliefs on abortion, but the personally pro-life leader doesn’t do much for pre-born children if he or she doesn’t put forward specific policies. Instead, these vague comments that confuse pro-lifers also confuse the media and leave a leader open to accusations, as we saw with the persistent fear of Stephen Harper’s ‘secret agenda’ or the media’s constant questioning of Andrew Scheer’s promise not to re-open the abortion debate. We would rather see a leader direct the question away from their personal beliefs on the topic and onto actual common-sense policies like banning sex selective abortion or recognizing pre-born victims of crime.
Whether it’s a federal election or leadership race, we always encourage voters to reach out to all the candidates. If the candidate is pro-choice, consider asking them how they would respond if an MP in their party put forward a private member’s bill relating to abortion. If they are pro-life, ask them how they plan promote specific pro-life policies in a party that has diverse positions on the topic. Ask, listen , and engage with the candidates. Let’s make sure that pro-life policies are an active part of the conversation in this leadership race.