"Silent No More" 2003 National Conference

By Joanne Byfield

"Silent No More" is the theme of this year's national pro-life conference. We think it speaks to so many life issues. It certainly is the message that our keynote speaker, David Reardon, of the Elliot Institute, has been proclaiming for many years. He is co-author of the recently-released book, "Forbidden Grief: The Unspoken Pain of Abortion." He has embarked on a campaign to urge women to be "Silent No More" about their pain. The theme should be a call to all of us that even though life issues - be it abortion, euthanasia, or reproductive technologies - are uncomfortable for many people to hear about, we must be willing to raise them.

The conference will be held in Edmonton this year from November 6 to 8 at Fantasyland Hotel in West Edmonton Mall. It is co-sponsored by Alberta Pro-Life, LifeCanada, Campaign Life Coalition, and the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition. Our committee has put together a great mix of speakers. In addition to David Reardon, we have Richard Doerflinger, a bioethicist with the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, who will speak on the contrasting world views of secular and Christian bioethicists; Bryan Kemper, founder and president of Rock for Life; Scott Klusendorf of Stand to Reason; Alex Schadenberg of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition; Janet Epp-Buckingham, legal counsel to the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada; Shafer Parker, Baptist pastor and journalist; Ted Byfield, editor of the Christian History Project; Life Visions Communications; Alberta youth activists, Mark Isinger, Joanne Pollack, Trina vonStraten, and Suzin Pinkoski. We'll also have a panel of women, long-time activists, to talk about their years in the pro-life movement and what has changed over the years.

We think our line-up will appeal to pro-lifers of all ages and interests. We are especially hoping to see a strong contingent of young people at this conference. As I think we might hear from Bryan Kemper, young people are not only the future of the movement. They are active, committed, and very effective witnesses every day in their schools, churches, and communities.

We are planning to have a Presidents' Lunch so that provincial and local presidents and/or executive directors from across the country can share ideas. We will also include an Alberta tradition from our provincial conferences. We host Back Page Challenge, an entertaining evening in which local media personalities try to guess the identity of mystery guests.

Please plan to join us at this year's conference. The cost is $145 for the conference, including Saturday lunch. The final banquet with David Reardon will be $45. We will have special student and youth rates. Our brochures will be out in late summer.   

We look forward to seeing you!

Joanne Byfield is LifeCanada's conference organizer and represents Alberta on the Board of Directors. For more information on the conference, contact apl@albertaprolife.com