Fr. Tony has engaged in a regular prayerful protest to oppose abortion and in support of life, on Parliament Hill, which he commenced in September of 1989. He has kept his faithful vigil for over 30 years. Fr. Tony was arrested on October 24, 2018 for silently protesting within 50 metres of the Morgentaler abortion clinic in Ottawa. Father Van Hee cannot face this challenge alone.  Supporters can assist with his legal defence by donating to the Catholic Civil Rights League, specifically to the Fr. Tony Van Hee Defence Fund.

The CCRL argued that civil society requires a healthy respect for religious freedom, and that ecclesiastical decisions of religious communities cannot be the subject of state intervention. Decisions on liturgy, ministry, sacraments, or discipline should not be the subject of court oversight, given our constitutional matrix.

The current bill moves us from what the CCRL deemed to be a national climate of “suicide relativism”, which is a half-hearted opposition to suicide in general, but sanctioned allowance when requested through the medical system.  Canada has now moved to a regime of full “suicide facilitation”, with further expansion expected.