TORONTO, July 4, 2007 – When the Great Canadian Wish list closed at 12 a.m. Sunday morning, the wish “Abolish Abortion in Canada” had received 9,543 votes, while “I wish that Canada would remain pro-choice” had garnered 8,008. (See complete list of all the wishes in this contest, sponsored jointly by CBC, Facebook and Student Vote.)

The Catholic Civil Rights League today noted that there has been little mainstream media coverage of the final tally of this vote in favour of life. “No one is claiming this vote is scientific, but it is still an interesting snapshot of what people think is important for Canada, especially since the technology involved in signing up on Facebook tends to be most popular with the young,” said League Executive Director Joanne McGarry. “The fact is that almost 1,500 more people voted to end abortion than to maintain the status quo.

“It would be interesting to know, for example, whether those voting on the pro-life side are all committed to political action for pro-life issues, or were wishing in a more general way for a cultural conversion for society, where life is respected from conception onward. Regardless of the motivation, this vote in favour of life is both encouraging and deserving of further exploration by the mass media.”

About CCRL
 
Catholic Civil Rights League (www.ccrl.ca) assists in creating conditions within which Catholic teachings can be better understood, cooperates with other organizations in defending civil rights in Canada, and opposes defamation and discrimination against Catholics on the basis of their beliefs. CCRL was founded in 1985 as an independent lay organization and has chapters across Canada. The Catholic Civil Rights League is a Canadian non-profit organization entirely supported by the generosity of its members.

For further information: Joanne McGarry, Executive Director, 416-466-8244; joanne.mcgarry@ccrl.ca