Dear Editor,
In the October 15th issue of Town &Country David Gale characterized pro-life groups as counter-cultural extremists. Mr. Gale’s arguments are a good example of skirting the central issue. He ignores the rather important detail that abortion involves the death of preborn children. He also leaves out the reality that it is not a rare thing – it happens over 100,000 times every year in Canada. In other words, close to a quarter of all preborn children are not permitted a first breath. Rather than address the issue he attacks pro-life groups.
I wonder if Mr. Gale is aware that Canada, along with communist China and North Korea are the only countries in the world that have absolutely no restrictions on abortion. When he states that only eight per cent of Canadians support making abortion illegal he is twisting the truth. At least six in ten Canadians say human life should receive legal protection some time prior to birth, either from conception (23 per cent) or from two (13 per cent), three (14 per cent) or six (10 per cent) months of pregnancy on. Only 28 per cent say human life should be protected only at birth, which is the current legal situation in Canada. Even if only one per cent of Canadians opposed abortion, we should not be so brazen as to suggest that preborn rights would evaporate. It is for the minorities and vulnerable that recognition of human rights are most important.
The most basic human right is the right to life. Currently in Canada about one in four preborn children’s lives end through abortion. The abortion debate is a debate about rights. All rights are generally limited to the extent to which they impact the other. Even the Supreme Court of Canada refused to speak of abortion as an absolute right. It specifically called on Parliament to introduce legislation that would protect preborn children. I think that Canadians are ready to have this debate. It’s long overdue.
Arnold Viersen, Neerlandia
