The rally, which was one of 44 held across the province as a lead-up to the second annual Defund Abortion Rally at Queen's Park, was led by Alissa Golub, Campaign Life Coalition youth co-ordinator.
"We're demonstrating here ... to ask our provincial members of parliament to defund and delist abortion from OHIP services," she said.
She went on to explain that the federal government requires that provinces cover procedures that are medically necessary.
"Ninety-six per cent of abortions are medically unnecessary elective procedures ... they are done for reasons of convenience," Golub said, sourcing the information to the Guttmacher Institute, the research arm of Planned Parenthood — in other words, "the abortion providers themselves."
Golub said the rally was two-fold. Not only was it to demand the procedure be delisted from OHIP, but "to educate the public that this is happening."
"We spend at least $30 million to $50 million per year on these procedures," the young advocate said. According to the results of a poll conducted in the province, "91 per cent of Ontarians had no idea their tax dollars were being put towards abortion."
The rally coincided with a Pro-Life Forum, which was held Saturday at Ste-Anne-des-Pins Church.
Lina Madore, who is the director of La Porte des Eaux / The Water Gate, a Christian resource centre located at 1534 Pioneer Rd., joined in the rally, circling in front of Bartolucci's office from the seat of a motorized wheelchair.
She said she was participating in the rally because she "supports life in all its forms, especially being a person with a disability."
"If I don't support the right to life to the unborn, pretty soon the disabled people will be the ones that are going to be threatened through euthanasia," she said. "They talk about quality of life rather than life itself as a quality. If the life of the unborn is no longer important, the next step will be the elderly and the disabled.
"As a disabled person, I feel it's supremely important that I speak up for the life, and the right to life of every Canadian."
For more information, visit campaignlifecoalition.com.
