The Ontario Hospital Appeal Board over-ruled the decisive by Woodstock General Hospital to bar abortionist Leslie Smoling, colleague of Morgentaler. The ruling claimed that the hospital showed no evidence the hospital’s image would be tarnished. Smoling fled Canada in 1968 to escape abortion charges (dropped in 1977). He practiced medicine while in Australia from 1968 to 1982 when he returned to Canada. The hospital may consider appealing the appeal.
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The president of the Canadian Bar Association, Claude Thompson, urged Canadians to join the pornography debate. Speaking to the Canadian Club of London on June 19, he said he is particularly interested in seeing members of the “silent majority” involved. Otherwise, he said, they may find themselves with laws they don’t like.
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The Human Rights Commission of Canada (Chairman, pro-abortion Gordon Fairweather) has urged the defence department and the RCMP to revoke the policy excluding homosexuals from the forces and the police. It submitted its recommendations to the special commons committee examining the new equality rights. It claimed that the existing policy is unacceptable and “contrary to the very spirit of human rights legislation.”
In Toronto the commons committee received similar briefs from the United Church, the National Action Committee received similar briefs from the United Church, the National Action Committee on the Status of Women, and the National Association of Women and the Law. In earlier hearings in B.C. and other provinces, various groups favouring the acceptability of homosexuals and lesbianism submitted briefs.
The Human Rights Commission of Canada also recommended that common-law spouses have the same rights as married couples in areas such as pensions and taxation. “It is merely a recognition that private considerations concerning living arrangements mirror social values.” (Note: the Commission did not explain how so-called “private” considerations can be “private” when they have “public” consequences. Readers will recognize the similarity with the arguments in the sixties justifying contraception, homosexuality and abortion. From the financial viewpoint alone, these changes have now cost the Canadian taxpayers tens of millions of dollars in legal costs and hundreds of millions in medical costs. Research on AIDS alone cost millions.)
Also in Toronto two other groups, REAL Woman and Women for Life, Faith and Family, a Roman Catholic group, opposed the anti-family philosophy promoted by radical feminists. Baptist minister Fred Vaughan called on the committee to oppose abortion. In return he received a vicious five-minute tongue lashing from M.D. Sheila Finestone (Liberal, Montreal) about “imposing his views on society.”
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On June 20, the Toronto Board of Education approved compulsory sex-education for the senior grades of the public schools despite protests from parents. Among the 28 recommendations: a compulsory sex education course after Grade 10; the provision of agencies and information for birth control, homosexuality and abortion; the assurance of confidentiality between students and teachers (hence by passing parents); and the integration of family life and sex education into all courses. Trustee Doug Little, a member of Planned Parenthood, called opponents: “a small vocal minority that is not only out of step with the 1980’s, they may be out of step with the twentieth century.” (Globe, June 21)
