Yesterday in Ottawa, 15,000+ Canadians rallied at Parliament Hill against Canada's lack of an abortion law. You likely won't hear much of this elsewhere. The event is largely ignored by most media outlets. Remarkably, Canada is the only developed nation in the world without a law restricting abortion.The mantra continues to be repeated by the mainstream media that the issue is closed and Canadians don't want to reopen the abortion debate. In my opinion, Canadians are ignorant to the facts and are unaware that there are virtually no limits on abortion in the country. See link. What this means is that a child can be legally killed with it's body halfway out of the birth canal. I have yet to meet anyone who believes that this is just, yet this is the law. In fact, according to Angus Reid, 40% of Canadians believe that abortion is restricted after 3 months gestation. How can we have closed debate when many are not even aware of the basic facts?
Recently, backbench MP Stephen Woodworth put forward a motion to review the countries archaic 400 year old law that states that a child is not human until it proceeds fully alive from its mother's womb. Sadly, our Conservative? Prime Minister responded that he was disappointed that it made it to the floor; that he would be voting against it and that he would not allow the bill to pass. The most defenseless in our society have no-one with any power who is willing to stand up and speak for them.
The battle for pro-lifers seems to be an uphill one. Pro-life groups are shut out of many Canadian university campuses (those bastions of free speech); pro-life ads often become the subject of lawsuits, and any politician who sticks his head up to even look like they support the pro-life position is immediately targeted. Witness the CBC reaction story to the Ottawa mayor proclaiming May 11 to be Respect For Life Day as just one example.
What many don't realize is that this issue is only symptomatic of a much larger issue. The devaluing of human life is justified in the name of women's rights, yet it has resulted in, what has been called, "gendercide" - the aborting of fetuses simply because they are girls. It has now become common practice for women from China, India and other eastern nations to come to Canada to have abortions once it's determined they are carrying a girl. On what basis do we criticize them?
A story just broke last week from South Korea of the seizure of thousands of tablets containing the powdered remains of human fetuses. These were intended for use by people who believe they have medicinal value. According to the Korea Customs Service, the bodies of dead babies are chopped into small pieces and dried on stoves before being turned into powder. Many among the academic elite of North America have applauded China's one-child policy - the reality is not so pretty is it? Revealingly, this story has barely caused a ripple. Does it matter?
When we devalue life - any life - it devalues us all. I still hear people say things like "mind your own business," or "get your hands off my ovaries." Is it really that simple? Ordinary Germans were told by the Nazis to mind their own business, as well, when their neighbors were rounded up and taken to concentration camps. The roundup occurred after a sustained campaign declaring these people groups as sub-human or "untermensch."
The question to be answered is still when does human life begin? Surely, in a civilized society, we can agree that it at least begins when a baby is viable outside of his or her mother's womb. Britain has restricted abortion after 24 weeks, France after 12. Only in Canada, among developed nations, is there absolutely no restrictions. It's long past time for a change. If the subject makes you uncomfortable, get over it, this discussion needs to take place.
Related Articles:
Heads In The Sand
Why the abortion issue won't go away
Canada Now an Abortion Destination
"Gendercide" - A Deeper Look
Can We Talk? I Guess Not.
When is Killing Your Baby Okay?
What is a "wrongful birth?"
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