As I predicted, last week's National Post series on abortion has triggered an emotional debate on both sides.
Several comments were featured on "Best of the Blog" - The Silencing of David Frum (which is a strange headline because not all the comments were anti-Frum). The original column can be read here, along with all the reactions.
There were several excellent letters as well. The most notable in my opinion was by WLU's Dr. David Haskell who challenges Judy Rebick's statistics - Judy Rebick's Abortion Spin:
...Knowing Ms. Rebick's motivation and agenda, it is not surprising that she downplays the occurrence of late-term abortions in Canada stating, "a mere .04% [of abortions] take place after 20 weeks and only when the health or life of the woman is at stake." Actually, the most current data from Statistics Canada (accessible online) states that .7% of abortions take place after 20 weeks.I'm looking forward to Rebick's Counterpoint on that one.
I must also question Ms. Rebick's second claim. To my knowledge, just one study has ever explored why women seek late-term abortions. Though conducted in the U.S., the results are probably reflective of the situation in Canada. Surveying 1,900 women who had late-term abortions, researchers at the Alan Guttmacher Institute found none had undergone the procedure because of maternal health problems. Furthermore, only 2% were due to "a fetal problem diagnosed late in pregnancy." Simply put, the vast majority of late-term abortions involve healthy women and, up to the time of the procedure, healthy babies...
Meanwhile, please read an abortion survivor's story (you may need your reading glasses). At least Gianna Jessen is able to celebrate her birthday every April 6.
How many others have been silenced before their stories could be told?
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Related: An anniversary of death - Michael Coren.
Christian Conservative - A Dark Anniversary for Canada.
Dr. Roy - A sad day of remembrance.
Spinks - 101 people who are screwing up Canada - This guy is #1.
...In those two decades almost two million babies have been killed in what is supposed to be humanity's safest place, the womb. It has also cost more than $1-billion of public money, in that the taxpayer is obliged to finance this elective surgery. In that same period numerous necessary medical procedures have been de-funded by governments that would not dream of removing a penny from state-funded abortion, no matter how wealthy the woman who demanded the procedure...
Christian Conservative - A Dark Anniversary for Canada.
Dr. Roy - A sad day of remembrance.
Spinks - 101 people who are screwing up Canada - This guy is #1.
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Tuesday Update: Couple of great letters in today's Post.
From Kathryn J. Smith, Victoria:
And from Phil Cortens, Carstairs, Alta.:
Margaret Somerville - New Life Matters.
From Kathryn J. Smith, Victoria:
Judy Rebick states: "The majority of Canadians support a women's right to control her own body." I think we all know that at no time is a fetus part of the mother's body, but is genetically unique in every cell from the time of conception. A woman has not only the right but the responsibility to control her own body, and if she doesn't want to become a mother, her choice needs to be made at the beginning of the process -- i.e., before she becomes pregnant.
And from Phil Cortens, Carstairs, Alta.:
Re: Abortion Is A Personal Matter, letter to the editor, Jan. 26.
Abortion is no personal matter as long as taxpayers are forced to subsidize it.
Margaret Somerville - New Life Matters.
26 comments:
Henyr M was on cbc last night, and was asked, what led you to take this fight on. (paraphrased) His answer, his mother didn't love him and he had a terrible childhood, and he didn't want any child born who would be unloved. (words to that effect)
3 million plus children not born, so that means we have 3 million women in Canada who have killed their child.
Just think how many shoes, bikes, records,baby products, candles, cribs, clothes, Christmas presents, birthday presents,could have been bought. Could that be part of the mfg problem in Ont.
How many more teachers could have been employed. No one has ever done a study of the loss to our economy due to abortion. But, I did read a study on how many dogs would be produced from one litter, over a few years.
Canadian women have killed over 3 million canadians, with no remorse (I don't believe that). But what does the media zero in on, the prisoners being possibly mistreated. The media has been very good at refusing to say abortion kills children.
With advances in technology today it is possible to get a perfect picture of a child in the womb, showing it is a baby, at about 7 mos gestation. We knew what our g/grandson would look like weeks before he was born.
Something is wrong.
Oh, another anniversary today, Jack Layton has been leadr of the ndp for 5 yrs.
Henry Morgentaler is a true Canadian hero.
Because of him, women in Canada have access to safe, legal abortions.
Let us hope and pray that right wing social conservatives never fulfill their dreams of imposing their moral standards on the rest of us.
We live in a free a democratic country with access to abortion.
My faith tells me life begins at birth, yours tells you something differently. Good for you.
Let's also hope that Stephen Harper NEVER has a majority Government to impose this on Canadians.
"Henry Morgentaler is a true Canadian hero."
It's an irony that a man who survived the Nazi death camps would himself be the one to support this mass murder of the unborn. He's no hero... he's a murderer.
I also posted on this dark anniversary.
That survivor’s story in that link was very moving. It almost brought me to tears.
Clearly her life has value. I don’t think that many abortion supporters would say at this point that her life should never have begun. I would be interested to know at what point they would say that her life began to be valuable and worth sustaining. Was it the moment that she breathed her first breath outside the womb after she was unsuccessfully terminated? Was it when she was released from the hospital after some months?
I don’t know how anyone could read her story and still say that she didn’t have the right to live.
As I said on my own blog, Happy Morgentaler Day. I have to agree that he's a true Canadian hero, and all Canadian women should thank him for his work (and prison time) to give you the freedom to choose, whether you have had or will have an abortion or not.
all Canadian women should thank him for his work (and prison time) to give you the freedom to choose, whether you have had or will have an abortion or not.
I "should" thank him? So you're telling me that I have the freedom to choose, but not the freedom to feel the way I want about abortion?
I "should" thank him? So you're telling me that I have the freedom to choose, but not the freedom to feel the way I want about abortion?
Heh. I still think all Canadian women owe him some thanks, but that's just my heretical opinion. ;)
maryT said...
"Just think how many shoes, bikes, records,baby products, candles, cribs, clothes, Christmas presents, birthday presents,could have been bought. Could that be part of the mfg problem in Ont."
Every woman I know has had, or will likely have the number of children that they have planned on having. Forcing them to have an unwanted child at 18 (or whatever age) does not mean that they will have one more child over their life time. It just means that they will likely have one fewer later on. So banning abortion will just force them to have a child when then can less afford to buy shoes, bikes, records, baby products, candles, cribs, clothes, Christmas presents, birthday presents etc. It would also likely interfere their education and career plans possibly leaving them with far less income throughout their life. Doesn't sound like a boon to the economy to me.
The book "freakanomics" discusses the costs/benefits of roe v wade in terms of finances and crime. I hate to give pro-lifers advice but I think you will be far more successful concentrating on moral grounds than financial grounds.
In China there were a lot of problems with their "one child" policy (along with many other policies that successfully reduced population growth) that was implemented in 1979. But within a year or two China's economic growth took off and has been the highest in the world for more than a quarter century (more than 10% a year). The rate of poverty fell from 53% to 8%. The rate of savings and spending per capita sky rocketed. The level of education increased dramatically. Are all of those benefits solely because of reduced population growth? No, but it would be hard to find an economist who honestly thinks that China would have close to the per capita wealth as it has now if it had a couple hundred million more people.
Would Canada be better off financially if these 3 million aborted babies were alive? Who knows, but I highly doubt that would mean that Canada would have 3 million more people (maybe a million more - maybe). Most women would still be having the the same number of children. If 3 million women didn't have abortions it would likely mean that 1 million fewer women would have a college or university education and a better job. It would also mean that many men also would have got jobs to support their child instead of getting a better education and job themselves. It would mean that their are more children being raised in poverty and more parents are bitter that they were forced into parenthood.
We will be much better off in the long run if we increase the quality of life for the next generation, rather than the quantity of lives.
Joanne said...."I "should" thank him? So you're telling me that I have the freedom to choose, but not the freedom to feel the way I want about abortion?"
You certainly should have the freedom to oppose abortion. I oppose eating meat, but I don't think that it should be illegal to do so.
To the christian heretic ... to bad you were not aborted.
Obvously your parents did not see life as you do. You should thank them that you were brought to full term, and not butchered like a fetus is today. life bagan whren the first cell divided. Of course since you do not value life - not even your own - what value do you have to society? Even though you have the right to say the things you do, you fail to recognise the opinions of others when it is in opposition to your ideas. I am guessing you probably aborted a child yourself and this is a way of you dealing with the loss of life. Life is cheap to you and you probably feel no sorrow for another persons life. Sad.
"I still think all Canadian women owe him some thanks, but that's just my heretical opinion. ;)"
You do not speak foe ALL Canadian women, such as the Status of Women [SOW] do not speak for all women in Canada. Many love life and unborn children - such as your parents did - enough to bring them into the world. It is interesting that we have it bring in people to replace those murdered by people like Henry Morgentaler.
Canadian law provides abortion in areas of rape and incest as well as when a mother's life may be at stake. I do not think the Conservatives will change that part of the law.
To the christian heretic ... to bad you were not aborted.
On some days I've felt the same way. If I were, I probably wouldn't know, so it wouldn't really have mattered to me.
On some days I've felt the same way. If I were, I probably wouldn't know, so it wouldn't really have mattered to me.
I believe every life has some kind of value - even the most heinous criminal. Now if I think about Clifford Olsen (and I'd rather not), it might be hard to find some redeeming quality. Yet perhaps his mother could have.
"It is interesting that we have it bring in people to replace those murdered by people like Henry Morgentaler."
Interesting, but completely untrue. Immigration rates in Canada have nothing to do with abortion rates. Nothing. Compared to percentage of population immigration was higher (indeed much, much higher) at most points in Canadian history, including the late '60s before the evil Morgentaler opened his first clinic. (8.9/1000 per year in the late 60's vs 8.2/1000 per year in the 21st century according to stats canada). The current immigration rates have only to do with the Liberals and now Conservatives simply maintaining the rate of immigration that was established by the Mulroney PCs in the mid-80s. Abortion levels have never affected immigration levels in Canada and the current immigration policy and level was established prior to the 1988, the date which people are either lamenting or celebrating.
Spouting off anything that crosses your mind doesn't help your arguement when what you spout is completely wrong.
Speaking of birth rates and immigration, it's interesting to note that only natives and certain ethnic groups are more than reproducing themselves. It makes me wonder what Canada will look like in the future and if Canada will be able to sustain the level of funding for natives and reserves. The Post has an ongoing series about this.
A bit of topic I know, but hey. It's my blog. ;)
"Now if I think about Clifford Olsen (and I'd rather not), it might be hard to find some redeeming quality."
One of my teachers in highschool was formerly a prison guard at hte prison where Olson is. He said that Olson was a devout family man and a sharp dresser. (also that he initially wooed his wife with his strong knowledge of the bible and never missed church - at least when he wasn't in jail).
Can't for sure that any of that is true.
He said that Olson was a devout family man and a sharp dresser.
Wow. You just never know. Bizarre.
Also should say that most of the things my teacher said about Olson were negative. Of course he was a serial killer, but also a pathological liar, drunk, extremely abusive and quick to anger etc. Mostly the "positive" traits were to explain how Olson managed to get away with his crimes for so long and fool his victims.
3 million plus children not born, so that means we have 3 million women in Canada who have killed their child.
Actually, considering that quite a few women (I don't know the statistic) have multiple abortions, that assumption would be wrong. I've heard of women having as many as 5 abortions - after having to search for doctors willing to do them, since most won't do another abortion on women who've already had several. Each abortion is increasingly dangerous to the woman.
You know whats going to happen if natives and immigrants keep reproducing at above average birth rates (and we allow nice white girls to keep getting abortions)?
canada is going to be alot less white and alot more ethnic in make-up.
Does that bug you as a good christian Conservative.
Scratch the surface and the true pictures becomes clear.!!
canada is going to be alot less white and alot more ethnic in make-up.
Does that bug you as a good christian Conservative.
I only wonder how that can be sustained economically.
Do you hear yourself anon @8:35...
You just accused the whites of self-genocide.
See what happens when you spin and pull a race card?
and that would make anon@ 10:38 a cheerleader for Morgentaler for killing whites...
spin makes ya dizzy...
waywardson:
"Spouting off anything that crosses your mind doesn't help your arguement when what you spout is completely wrong."
You support butchering children and do not want to look at the facts. I have deep pitty for your attitude towards life. This is the data from Stats Canada, I know you do not like the facts, but at least take a look.
"Overall, Canada's total population increased by 1.6 million between 2001 and 2006, a growth rate of 5.4% from 2001. The census estimated 1,110,000 newcomers arrived in the country between January 1, 2001 and May 16, 2006. They were responsible for more than two-thirds (69.3%) of this population growth."
FROM Stats Canada
100,763 induced abortions in 2004
From Stats Canada
http://www40.statcan.ca/l01/cst01/health41a.htm
So that is 100,763 [2004 figures] that were butchered. This is only one year, so if you look at years from 2001 to 2006 then that is a big number = 604,578 abortions. That means that between the same time period over 1 / 2 of the immigrants covered the children that your tax dollars killed.
Makes those who support abortion feel good, while those who value life are saddened.
That is very civilized of us. Reminds me of the Mayan and Aztecs – except their human sacrifices were breathing. There is no difference between this and what the Nazis did with their gas chambers, except in Canada some abortions are done in hospitals – where life is suppose to be saved.
There is no difference between this and what the Nazis did with their gas chambers, except in Canada some abortions are done in hospitals – where life is suppose to be saved.
k jill. Ever heard of Godwin?
You can spew all the emotional abuse you want. You will not get me to support using the State's coercive apparatus to force women to give birth to babies they do not want. Of course you would force rape victims to carry their rapists' fetuses to term wouldn't you? And what's a little incest?
Call it butchery if you like. It is not. Butchery is what is done to animals to make food out of them. Nobody eats aborted fetuses. Nobody grows fetuses for their meat.
Your continuous misnaming of fetuses as babies and misnaming abortion as butchery just shows you have lost the debate. If your position was so obviously the right one, you would not need to resort to such misrepresentation.
Do you agree with and encourage the murder of abortion doctors?
Jill said..."I have deep pitty for your attitude towards life."
You have no idea what my attitude is towards life.
"This is the data from Stats Canada, I know you do not like the facts, but at least take a look."
I know what the numbers are from Statistics Canada. I used their numbers to show you what a lunatic you are for suggesting that we increase immigration to make up for the number of abortions. The numbers and evidence shows very clearly that there has been no, I repeat no, zero change in immigration policy or numbers in the 20 years since abortion was legalized. We have a policy of allowing a rate of immigration of up to 1% of our population per year. We routinely allow about 0.8%. That percentage was higher - indeed much higher - for most of Canadian history. According to our immigration policy we would not be allowing fewer immigrants if abortion was illegal, but more immigrants. Stating that abortion is leading to more immigration is one of the most embarrassing things I have ever heard.
"There is no difference between this and what the Nazis did with their gas chambers, except in Canada some abortions are done in hospitals – where life is suppose to be saved."
I encourage you to continue using the anti-immigration and nazi gas chamber cards. You get more attention that way and drown out the sensible pro-life crowd. Everyone who is on the fence and hears your rhetoric will move in the opposite direction.
FYI, new post here regarding Jonathan Kay's op-ed.
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