Pushing us down the slippery slope

I got an email yesterday that annoyed me, I wanted to delete it but something held me back… I’ve been paying attention to this issue since it reared it’s nasty head earlier this spring and that email is apparently my catalyst for doing something – or at least writing something that will hopefully help tip the scales…

The email said:

Hello and thank you for taking a minute to read this email.  It is not spam, but I am asking for 1 minute of your time to speak up about something in our Canadian Law that is wrong and needs to be addressed with a discussion, and a change.

There has been a motion put forth in Parliament, known as Motion 312, and it is asking that the government take another look at a 400 year old law that states a fetus (which in Latin means “little one”) is not considered human, and therefore has no legal rights until it is fully birthed, and separate from the mother’s body.

This means that an abortion can take place at any time up to the very last second, even if it is only one toe that remains within the birth canal.  These partial birth abortions DO take place today!

A lot of things ran through my mind – Alarmist B.S. was among the loudest… but more importantly I thought about the implications this kind of Motion will have.

According to Stats Canada – 2005 data (which is apparently the most recent they have available) of the 35,190 abortions in which gestational age was recorded – 30,207 were done in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy and 4,944 were done between week 13 and 24 – there are a remaining 39 that were done after 24 weeks pregnancy.

This partial birth abortion crap is crap – whether you call them fetuses or babies they are not aborted when they are viable – meaning they can live outside their mother’s body. Alarmist crap is overshadowing the real debate.

This motion represents a thin edge of the wedge that threatens to erode womens’ hard fought for rights over their own bodies and reproduction. I am a mother – I feel in my gut that my daughter’s life began at conception. I am blessed by her life every second of every day – none of those most powerful of motivators can convince me that this motion is a good initiative.

Here’s what the special committee would be examining should the motion pass:

• what medical evidence exists to demonstrate that a child is or is not a human being before the moment of complete birth?,
• is the preponderance of medical evidence consistent with the declaration in Subsection 223(1) that a child is only a human being at the moment of complete birth?,
• what are the legal impact and consequences of Subsection 223(1) on the fundamental human rights of a child before the moment of complete birth?,
• what are the options available to Parliament in the exercise of its legislative authority in accordance with the Constitution and decisions of the Supreme Court of Canada to affirm, amend, or replace Subsection 223(1)?

Abortion is never a good choice or an easy one – the essential argument is that it is a necessary choice. I’m not advocating it as a form of birth control – I’m arguing that the government has no business in legislating women’s reproductive rights. Here’s my thinking:

• By declaring an unborn fetus a person you instil duty of care to the mother. This applies whether she wants this pregnancy or not – there are myriad ways in which this can be used against pregnant women – what if she drinks? or smokes? drinks coffee? or dyes her hair? Slippery slope alert! What are all the implications – and are we ready to criminalize them?
• Abortion will continue to happen with or without legal means, however without, women and girls will be subjected to whatever kind of abortion they are able to access, potentially jeopardizing their health and future reproductive capacity in the process.
• I pray that I’m never faced with a situation in which my daughter tells me she’s pregnant before she’s ready to be – but if I ever am I want for her what I want for all women – a choice: to continue with the pregnancy or to end it. Both options have life long implications, neither is good in the face of an unwanted pregnancy – but it needs to be a choice.