Why the abortion issue won't go away

I just finished reading an article by R. Albert Mohler Jr. on CNN's Belief Blog called "My Take: Why the abortion issue won’t go away." This was a uniquely American perspective but, as in many other issues, there is a great deal of crossover. I wanted to look at the same issue from a Canadian perspective.

If you're a regular reader of this blog you'll note that I write on the topic of abortion fairly often. I do that for the same reason that many other Canadians bring up the subject. I believe that abortion is the moral issue of our time. Other generations have had to deal with slavery, suffrage and civil rights, among other issues. In my view there is no moral issue that takes precedence over the right to life.

Since abortion was first de-criminalized in Canada in 1969, there have been over 3,000,000 abortions in Canada. Once all restrictions to abortion were removed in 1988, abortion jumped 29%. Just to clarify, in Canada there is currently no protection for a child in the womb, regardless of length of term. This was confirmed in 1991 by the Supreme Court of Canada when a full-term child whose head was outside of the birth canal was ruled not a "person" by law. Most Canadians I speak with are unaware of this reality.

Let's examine some of the reasons why this won't go away in Canada. Some of these reasons mirror the American situation, some differ.

It won't go away because the legal position in Canada is so extreme. As stated above, there is virtually no protection for a child in the womb. For those who value life this is simply untenable. More than thirty years of surveys have demonstrated that the majority of Canadians want some limit to abortion. Yet, there is no political will to address the issue. In fact, it is widely believed that to bring up the "A" word in terms of a pro-life position would be the death knell for a candidate. So the subject continues to be the subject of debate by pro-lifers while pro-choicers do their best to stifle those voices.

It won't go away because there are people on either side who are firmly entrenched in their position. As Winston Churchill said, "A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject." Feminist organizations have viewed the issue of abortion rights as fundamental to the rights of women, and therefore it is a non-negotiable. They will therefore fight any effort to limit abortion whatsoever, not wanting to allow a foot in the door. Women's Studies programs in Canadian Universities are notorious for their pro-abortion slant.

On the other hand, the Catholic Church and Canadian Evangelicals, among others, are equally determined to see Canada come to the defense of the unborn. Because their stance is rooted in their firm belief that the fetus is a human being and that life begins at conception, expecting them to change their mind is naive in the extreme.

It won't go away because the Canadian media, by and large, refuses to allow the issue to be brought to the forefront. This has resulted in a great deal of frustration, particularly among pro-lifers who feel as though their views are virtually ignored if not mis-represented. Every election we are reminded by some columnist or news anchor that the abortion issue is a closed debate and that the Canadian public doesn't want it re-opened. This only serves to wave a red flag in the faces of pro-lifers. What has resulted is an entrenchment whereby pro-lifers have created their own newspapers, on-line news sources, and women's organizations in order to allow their views to be heard. The growth in social media has also allowed for a more direct approach in getting the word out.

It won't go away because advancements in science and technology have radically changed what we know about life in the womb. Destroyed is the myth that an unborn baby is simply a blob of cells. Just before writing this article I saw a friend's Facebook post of a 3D image of their child "in utero." They have already named their baby and are commenting on how much he looks like his father. Yet we are still aborting babies of the same gestation in Canada.

Beyond that, now that we have the technology to determine sex earlier in the pregnancy, we see that women are aborting babies based solely on sex. The issues become more and more complicated as feminists now must either defend "gendercide" or come out against some abortions. But if abortion is wrong because it's a girl, how can it be okay if it's a boy? A baby is a baby is a baby.

It won't go away because pro-lifers recognize, as feared, that abortion was only the thin edge of the wedge. In other words, once we have succeeded in de-humanizing unborn babies, a lack of respect for life in general follows. Debates regarding euthanasia and what to do with babies who survive abortion create the belief that social engineers will continue to push an even more extreme agenda.

This is an uncomfortable issue to be sure. It's not comfortable table talk. It's not even a popular subject on this blog. But I will continue to write about it because it's an issue which deserves serious consideration. I truly long for intelligent debate on this issue. I have not heard, recently, a well thought out pro-choice position, but rather the shrill cry to "shut up!" Well, that won't happen. The issue will not be going away any time soon.

Related Articles:
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Words of Death: "It's A Girl!"
Canada Now an Abortion Destination
The Wonder of Life
Losing Our Way

Unsung Heroes - Linda Gibbons

It was Martin Luther King, Jr. who said that "An individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for the law."

If that is indeed the case, then Linda Gibbons has demonstrated that she has no peers in Canada. This 63 year old great-grandmother will soon have spent more time behind bars than Karla Homolka and many other convicted murderers. Her crime? Silently praying within sixty feet of a Morgantaler abortion clinic in Toronto. She actually at times has had the nerve to hold a sign asking "Why Mom, when I have so much life to give?" For this she is treated like a common criminal.

Linda is now behind bars awaiting her appeal before the Supreme Court of Canada. Over the past 17 years, she's spent almost 9 years in a prison cell, and has been incarcerated for the last 26 months. She could be released today if she would agree not to protest near the clinics. She refuses to agree to these conditions on principle, believing that the demand is a contravention of her freedom of expression.

So while in prison Linda provides counsel to the younger women she calls "her girls," trying to help them break out of patterns of drug abuse and life on the streets. She is proud of the fact that she has saved three babies from abortion while on the inside. Speaking to an interviewer she said: “Wherever I am, I am free to do God’s work. I can be on the outside or in the inside. It doesn’t matter. I don’t feel burdened by what I’m doing.” (For the full article go here.)

It seems that our legal system really doesn't know what to do with Linda precisely because she has the courage of her convictions. The supposed issue at hand is a "temporary injunction" which was put in place in 1994. Ummm, at what point does that become permanent? Our judicial system doesn't seem to want that issue before the courts so they are charging her with everything except contravening that injunction. She's been charged with "obstructing a peace officer," and "disobeying a court order." These charges allow the courts to not deal with the question of the merits of the temporary injunction. So Linda stays.

Why is she so passionate? Others have taken the same stand as she has, yet took the opportunity for release when offered. “I didn’t have the courage to break the injunction,” says retired high school teacher John Bulsza, of London, Ont., who was named in the original injunction in August 1994. “Everyone of us should have protested with her and this case would be history. She’s our Gandhi and we’re letting her take the fall for the rest of us.”
Linda herself had an abortion when she was a young woman and doesn't want anyone to have to deal with that. She also was born with a cleft palate and underwent successful surgery as a child. She wonders, with the advanced pre-natal testing as advanced as it is today if she might not have been aborted if born later. So she stands in defense of the unborn at every opportunity. She doesn't fight, she doesn't yell. She doesn't threaten, harass or argue. She simply bears silent witness to what she feels is the genocide of millions of Canadian babies. Her lawyer believes that she is a "prisoner of conscience." Others are not so impressed, believing that Linda is getting her just desserts for thumbing her nose at the law.

When thinking of Linda's plight, I can't help but draw comparisons to Martin Luther King, Jr., with whose quote I opened this piece. Some may not think the comparison appropriate, but that would depend on your view of the rights of the unborn, I suppose. When King was imprisoned, the rights of blacks weren't recognized by everyone either. He stood against what he felt were unjust laws, willingly paying the price for finding himself on the wrong side of, what he considered to be, unjust laws. One of the obvious differences is that Linda is not a dynamic leader with a national profile like King was. She does not have the speaking or writing ability which allowed him to clearly articulate his position. Linda quietly lives out her beliefs, for her it seems there is no other option.

At the time of this writing, the case has been adjourned to April 12. It will be interesting to see if the top court of our land is comfortable allowing a 63 year old great-grandmother to be held indefinitely behind bars for breaking a temporary injunction put in place way back when Bob Rae's NDP ran Ontario. One thing can be said for Linda Gibbons, she is one person who has the courage of her convictions.

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