Every Life Matters: Official 'Commit Life' campaign a direct response to assisted suicide ruling in Canada

The official Commit Life campaign called Every Life Matters has been launched in Canada, and it aims to reach out to those who are at risk of suicide and self-harm.

"The campaign was launched as a direct response to Canada's embrace of euthanasia and assisted suicide as a solution to suffering," campaign producer Brian Holdsworth told the Catholic News Agency in a recent interview.

Although passive euthanisia has already been legal in Canada, active euthania is not, except in Quebec. However, as explained by Global News, a Supreme Court ruling in February 2015 said, among other things, that an adult who has a "grievous and irremediable" medical condition that causes "endless suffering" is entitled to doctor-assisted suicide. It will become legal nationwide this year.

"The Supreme Court struck down laws that protected the vulnerable from this reality so now, we're doing our best to promote a message that encourages hope, human dignity and value, and courage in the face of adversity," Holdsworth said.

According to the data shared by ELM, depression is the leading cause of suicide, and approximately 1 million people take their lives each year. By providing hope and encouragement, the project is aiming to help people look at circumstances in a different and new way. It mentions how some people are able to find happiness in situations which would otherwise cause others to despair.

The ELM website features "stories that inspire" from people who have overcome -- or are continuously overcoming -- difficult situations and have, in turn, decided to give encouragement to those in need of it. Those who wish to share their own stories can also do so.

The organizers believe that one's sense of purpose should not be defined by circumstances, and a person should not feel ashamed to reach out and seek help. Moreover, every life -- rich, poor, young, old, strong, vulnerable -- is equally important, and "no one has the right to choose who should live or die."

"We're not experts on mental health or the complex factors that contribute to suicide, but we do believe that a deficit of hope in our world is a major contributor to this problem," reads the description ELM's website.

The almost three-month-old campaign, according to Holdsworth, was created "as an act of mercy towards those who are now at risk of being persuaded to end their lives" and was commissioned by the Archdiocese of Edmonton. Despite the limited funds, the organizers are happy with the results thus far.