Coalhurst’s 10,000 flags remind  southern Alberta we need a law

Sunny South News Photo Submitted

By Mark Slingerland
Calvin Christian School

Motorists heading west of Lethbridge on Highway 3 may notice a field of pink and blue flags in a field just east of Highway 23 last week. 

High school students of Calvin Christian School placed the 10,000 flags, each one representing 10 pre-born children who are aborted in Canada every year. Although statistics are difficult to confirm with certainty because two provinces censor all abortion information, there are approximately 100,000 abortions in Canada every year.

The size of this impact was sobering for students involved in the display.

“We have a pretty big school – but 100,000 lives each year is like the children from 10 of our schools being lost every month again! We are doing this to show to our community the momentous impact that abortion has on our nation and our community,” explained event organizer Mirjam Boon. “Abortion is not something our political leaders want to talk about, but these flags show that it is happening 100,000 times every year in Canada.”

Calvin Christian School principal Marc Slingerland said he’s proud of this year’s Student Council for organizing the flag display. 

“It’s important that our students understand how the value of human life is reflected in the political situation in Canada. The Supreme Court’s 1988 Morgentaler decision, long before any of our current students were even born, made it very clear that it is Parliament’s responsibility to enact an abortion law. Unfortunately, nearly 30 years later we still do not have a law. Hopefully a new generation of pro-life leaders will be able to see the protection of all human life become a reality in Canada! This flag display helps our students realize that they, too, can be a voice for the voiceless.”

For southern Alberta, 10,000 flags bear witness to citizens and leaders alike that we need a law.