"We have a lot of compassion for women who have had abortions that are struggling and it's one of our main motivators," says an Executive Director of a pro-life ministry. 

Life Culture Canada out of Steinbach, Man. hopes to educate and impact families and individuals.

"We know life has value because God created us before we were even born He had plans for us," says Susan Penner, the Executive Director of the ministry. "From the faith perspective, it has value but even from the science perspective, the majority of scientists agree and know that life begins in the womb."

Life Culture's approach to abortion isn't one of hate or violence. 

"Our approach is totally different. It's more trying to reach the grassroots level and actually impact the real lives of people. We want to have reasonable conversations, in fact, I have conversations with pro-choice people all the time and surprisingly there's a lot of overlap."

Compassion for people's lives, from the start to the finish, is what Life Culture is all about, according to Penner.

"Our goal is not to shame or demonize. We want to say, 'It's okay and there's healing after abortion.' A lot of people who support our organization have had abortions in the past."

Penner says lots of people in the community are on board to help single moms or those facing a crisis pregnancy in prayer as well as in practical ways. 

The reason Penner is so passionate about life before and after birth has to do with a friend of hers. After Penner's friend got pregnant as a teenager, the church she attended made her apologize before the congregation. 

"That was a pivotal moment for me, thinking, this doesn't work. I don't really hear of that happening anymore, but this was the impetus of where the spark happened. After that, I volunteered at a Crisis Pregnancy Centre for years."

After getting married and having kids, a new opportunity to volunteer for Life Culture, called Life's Vision at the time, came up. She seized it and after a few years, she was asked to be Executive Director and has been since. 

Upcoming Events

100,000 Lives Flag Event is happening on May 12 at St. Boniface Cathedral in Winnipeg. 

"This is where 100,000 flags are planted into the ground representing all the lives lost to abortion every year in Canada. It's really staggering when you see the display of all these flags. It's powerful."

Penner says there are roughly 300 abortions per day across Canada. 

"It's been three years since we've been able to have the Walk for Life. We're hoping we can rejuvenate and get the momentum back."

The Walk for Life is happening Saturday, May 28 at 10:00 a.m. at the K.R. Barkman Park in Steinbach.

"For people who are pro-life but maybe a little bit scared to be, this event is so great because you realize you're not alone. It's a family-friendly event. It's not a controversial pro-life event, but rather a time where we just celebrate life. The theme is a culture of caring."

With the recent controversy happening in the U.S. courts regarding Roe vs. Wade, the case that allowed abortions to be legal back in the 70s, Penner says it's important for people to know that being pro-life isn't radical or extreme, but rather rational. 

"God can do really amazing things and it's important that we start uniting to be confident in our position. Not abrasive, not rude, but gracious and secure in what we believe."