Immediate reaction to the Supreme Court abortion decision was a sick feeling in the pit of the stomach. Images of tiny babies with no more value than a diseased appendix, losing their lives in an orgy of destruction. Images, too, of the scene at 85 Harbord Street in Toronto where as pro-lifers prayed and sang hymns, jubilant women screamed approval for the Court and hurled insults and curses at the mourners. And Morgentaler called it “a victory for children.” Obscene.
But, once experts had the opportunity to read the judgment, a ray of light appeared. Although the Court ruled Section 251 of the Criminal Code to be unconstitutional, it did not create an unfettered right to abortion. Indeed, it acknowledged that society has a duty to protect the pro-born child.
The pro-life movement now faces its greatest challenge since 1969. Scientists have confirmed that life beings at conception. To argue that a pre-born child only becomes human at some arbitrary point in pregnancy is complete nonsense.
Abortion, as committed in Canada today, is a deathly solution to a social crisis. Not only is it lethal to the child but it is hazardous to the future fertility and mental stability of the mother. Public policy must emphasize alternatives to abortion and offer real social and financial support to families.
Each one of us has a crucial role to play in the weeks and months and years to come. If we are truly committed to the pro-life cause, we must make an extra effort to put that commitment into action. Extra money is needed by both national and local pro-life groups to fund educational and political initiatives. Extra workers are needed to implement the various strategies. If you have not been actively involved in the past, now is the time to come forward. If your earlier involvement has taken a back seat lately, now is the time to rearrange your priorities.
The Supreme Court has thrown the abortion issue back into the hands of the federal government. It is up to each one of us to become a vocal advocate for the pre-born. We must inform our individual MPs, as well as the Prime Minister, that we will not accept waffling and compromise. We expect immediate action to protect all pre-born children from the moment of conception.
