There’s community uproar over the screening of an anti-abortion film at the Urban Abbey on Red River Road. The movie was shown by Right to Life who used the facility’s space.
In a post to social media, the Urban Abbey’s Head of Staff says they would have liked to have had a conversation with both sides of the issue both pro-life and pro-choice. They note unfortunately that conversation never was held.
The Facebook post goes on to say that the Abbey “is caught in the middle as we still consider ourselves friends of both the Left and the Right [sic], and although few take this hard stance, we will always stand for friendship, reasonable dialogue, and a hope that those who are opposed to one another can come to see that we are all more similar than we are different and that true diversity as a value is worth exploring. Members of the Abbey team will be both (depending on their own diverse views) standing with the protestors, as we celebrate that as a valuable human right, and some may be attending the film, as that is their celebrated human right. For those opposed to this screening, we have heard you. We understand your concern, and we actually agree with many of your arguments, but we remain firm in our values.
As a young organization, we are also learning how to better serve the community. In the future, those that wish to use the Abbey space for events that would be considered controversial will have to sit down with Abbey staff and members of the community who sit on the opposite side of the spectrum, and if a peaceful and positive agreement cannot be reached, then the event will not take place.”
Many on social media shared their concerns about the screening of the controversial film and decided to take part in the protest.
Pro-Choice advocate Sarah DiBiagio provided us with the statement she read prior to the rally at the Urban Abbey.
“We will begin this meeting of minds by acknowledging that we are meeting on aboriginal land that has been inhabited by Indigenous peoples from the beginning. As settlers, we’re grateful for the opportunity to meet here. Long before today, as we gather here, there have been aboriginal peoples who have been the stewards of this place. In particular, we acknowledge that we meet on Robinson-Superior treaty territory and that the land on which we gather is the traditional territory of the Anishnaabeg. We meet here today to stand in solidarity with people who have, who might and who are accessing abortion services for any reason and to any outcome. We stand here against misinformation, moral panic and complicity. To be silent is to be complicit, to be tolerant and to be ignorant of the legacy of control over uterine rights. We will fight for the base right to choose, the right to our bodies and the right to stand against those who would take that choice from us. Thank you to everyone present today for your show of solidarity with folks who can conceive and those who have accessed termination services. The Urban Abbey claims to be all about love, let’s show them what real love is- love through hardship and love through difficult decisions, love that has no limitations and that will not be put on hold for people accessing medical care in their time of need. ”
There are also concerns online over a pastor that has ties to Urban Abbey. The religious facility posted a statement in relation to that matter as well.
Northwest Ontario Pride has shared their thoughts on Facebook saying “Urban Abbey, in particular, has has [sic] been gaining a reputation for being a more “progressive” church than most. While they may be welcoming to queer and gender non-conforming individuals at their services and community events, they definitely have a “hate the sin, love the sinner” attitude towards the 2SLGBTQ+ community.”
