On Saturday April 13, some 3,000 pro-life demonstrators protested Morgentaler’s visit to Vancouver. Speaking at John Oliver secondary school, Morgentaler, once again, received a standing ovation from his audience (900 people) for telling them that he will bring them an abortuary, train more doctors who then “will have the tremendous satisfaction of offering nice, secure, confident medical help to women in need” (Vancouver Sun, April 12,1985).
While Morgentaler said he was appealing to “young idealistic doctors,” Dr. Gerry Stewart, president of the B.C medical association warned doctors against such a move, because, he said, “until the law is changed or other factors occur, I think it would not be a prudent idea to recommend to the profession.”
Morgentaler thought “we are close to a breakthrough” and forecast that “the abortion law will become as the contraception law was for many, many years. It was on the books, but everybody ignored it.” (In actual fact, it wasn’t until after the arrival of “the pill” in 1963 and the coming of the “permissive age” that large numbers of women in Western countries switched to the use of contraceptives.)
Earlier on his visit, Morgentaler had addressed partisan crowds at the University of B.C. and one of 500 at Oak Bay high school in Victoria, Vancouver Island. Here Morgentaler was introduced and hailed by Greater Victoria school board chairman Carol Pickup, while outside another 500 people demonstrated on behalf of the dignity of life.
The 3,000 at John Oliver school on Saturday night had come to contradict Morgentaler’s constant claim that no more than a handful of “fanatics” oppose him. Their presence was proof of the opposite. Many people reject his views and those of the radical feminists who believe the right to kill the unborn is essential to women’s freedom and women’s dignity. Betty Green, of the Pro-Life Society of B.C said she was proud of the turn-out. “Our plan was to put on a pro-life demonstration to show that pro-life is powerful. It was not to disrupt the meeting.”
Morgentaler dismissed the demonstrators as “the same kind of people who burned women as witches.” Thus he used once more the standard technique he has employed across the country, that is, of currying favour with the crowd by first identifying opposition to killing the unborn as “religious” and then maligning and ridiculing religion. Similarly with the lie: “they call themselves pro-life, yet they threaten to kill me.” Morgentaler has never produced the name of a single ordinary “pro-lifer” who has threatened to kill or harm him, let alone the name of a pro-life “spokesman” who has done so. Morgentaler himself, however, leading spokesman for pro-abortionists, never ceases to vilify pro-life as well as religious people.
With regard to religion, the Catholic Archbishop of Vancouver, James Carney, drew attention to the differences between Morgentaler’s visit to the province and that of the one-legged marathon runner Steve Fonyo completing his cross-Canada run on behalf of the Canadian Cancer society: “Steve Fonyo whose rallying cry offers life for many who would otherwise die. Morgentaler, whose rallying cry offers death to many who otherwise could live to be born.” The Archbishop, together with more than a dozen priests, was among the protesters, as were ministers from other denominations.
The R.C Bishop of Victoria, Remi De Roo, also spoke out. He referred to a “mood hostile to life ‘running’ through contemporary society.” After mentioning a number of issues (teenage suicides, nuclear arms race, etc.) the Bishop commended those who in various peaceful ways expressed opposition to Morgentaler’s campaign to expand his abortion network. “Violence against the unborn is no solution to personal, family and social dilemmas,” he said. “Christians must find solutions that are life-giving for all, not death dealing for the helpless party.” AdeV
