Perhaps one of the more curious stories to emerge in the past two months concerning the confrontation between pro-lifers and those who operate the Toronto Morgentaler abortuary is that of Carol Vanderburg, a part-time graduate student at the University of Toronto.
Carol has earned three degrees from the U. of T. (she is working on a fourth) and for some years has been accustomed to going just off campus to the New Moon restaurant now across the street from Morgentaler’s abortuary. On Monday, January 14, a cold winter evening, she did just that, stopping for dinner at the New Moon after classes.
Carol has picketed a number of times in front of the abortuary. This snowy evening as she emerged from the restaurant there were no picketers. It was 7 p.m. and there was a light on in the building. On an impulse carol crossed the street, rang the doorbell, and to her amazement, was “buzzed-in” by a young man operating the electronic security devices. Ascending the stairs Ms. Vanderburg met Matthew (the same young man who does odd jobs for Morgentaler, such as photography) and a receptionist/nurse who at the time had her back turned to the most recent guest and was on the phone.
Matthew asked if he could help her, Carol replied that she had come to speak to Henry Morgentaler about his views on abortion. Matthew asked “Do you have an appointment?” Ms. Vanderburg said “no” and asked if Morgentaler was there. The nurse ended her telephone conversation saying to the caller “something’s come up.” She turned to Ms. Vanderburg and asked what she wanted. Carol repeated that she had come to discuss with Henry Morgentaler his views on abortion. The nurse replied that she was not allowed to “give out that information.” Carol was turning to leave, when Matthew said that Morgentaler, indeed, was there, but that she wouldn’t be able to see him.
She had almost started sown the stairs when Morgentaler walked out of a room and asked “What’s going on here?” Carol said to him, “I would like to discuss with you your views on abortion.” Morgentaler abruptly countered by asking what her views were. Carol replied that abortion kills a baby. Morgentaler responded that it wasn’t a baby but that it was “just one cell.” Ms. Vanderburg said that that was not what she was taught when she took science at school.
Same as Hitler
Morgentaler turned to the boy and asked, “Was she on the picket line?” When the boy said that he had not seen her, Morgentaler asked Carol directly if she had been there. Carol replied that she had picketed a number of times but not that day. She continued by telling Morgentaler that she considered him an intelligent person but that he should be using that intelligence to protect children and help bring pregnant women to term instead of killing their babies. She went on to say “You are doing the same thing that Hitler did to the Jews. Hitler considered Jews to be non-human and killed them. You kill people in the womb because you consider then not to be human.”
Morgentaler asked Carol if she had ever been pregnant. When Carol answered no, she wasn’t married, Morgentaler appeared puzzled, even amused, as if to imply that he now understood he was talking to a very naïve person. He asked, “What if you did get pregnant?” Carol replied that she would carry the baby to term and give it up for adoption.
Morgentaler then asked what she thought about birth-control and Carol said that “There should be resources available to help a woman carry her baby to term and no services to kill babies.” The nurse, who had been listening, interjected “Do you know that the birth-control pill is abortive?” Carol said that, yes, she did.
Morgentaler wondered why it was that pro-lifers were picking on him and not on other people who do abortions. Carol suggested that, perhaps, like Joe Borowski on the pro-life side, Morgentaler just attracted a lot of attention.
Morgentaler reiterated that his intentions were good and that he was just trying to help women. Carol replied that it was not for her to judge his intentions.
Morgentaler said that he had to go, as he had someone else in his office. They shook hands, and Carol, getting in the last word said, “Remember, by denying the humanity of the person in the womb you are dong exactly the same thing that Hitler did.”
On the way down the stairs, escorted by Matthew, Carol asked the boy if he was in the room when Morgentaler did abortions. He replied “Yes.” Carol asked further, “How can you do that when he is ripping apart arms and legs of tiny people?” There was a brief silence then Matthew said weakly, “They don’t look like arms and legs. I’m going to get into a lot of trouble for letting you in here.”
Carol Vanderburg stepped back into the white cold Canadian January evening in the shadow of the New Moon.
The pro-life presence at the abortuary is having its effect even on the resident abortionist, Robert Scott. One day he felt obliged to emerge from the back of the abortion clinic to speak with a policewoman stationed in the police van in the alley. Reliable information was later received informing us that Scott had asked Metro Police if “…they could do something” about removing the picketers.The police said no. Shortly after, two rather distraught women appeared in the alley escorted by their boyfriends, entering the back door of the abortuary, ignoring the pleas of pro-life counselors.
CAS
Goon show?
In mid-January, the strange ritual of the “goon show” began with the arrival at the abortuary of 15 neighbourhood men wearing Klu-Klux-Klan-type blue corduroy hoods which partially covered their faces. They passed out a flyer proclaiming “anti-sex” views (an idea copied from the “anti-sex league” of George Orwell’s 1984.) They carried signs which said “Sex is sin,” “Ban intercourse” and “Lust is unjust,” among others.
This group of hooded men is not friendly to the pro-lifers picketing the abortuary, and, during their weekly demonstration, pro-lifers take a lunch break while they parade.
The Klu-Klux-Klan types do not talk. Attempts were made to talk to them but they preferred to remain silent.
Apparently they believe they are poking fun at the pro-lifers and what they assume pro-lifers might hold dear [there are cryptic references to pro-life President Ronald Reagan on some of their signs].
The “goons” are all men and are between the ages of 20 and 40. One of them freely enters and leaves the abortuary and is often seen entering and leaving the occult bookstore across the street.
CAS
