Gwen Landolt:
Jim Hughes possessed a rare combination of qualities seldom found in one individual. Jim understood people and dealt with them with tact, empathy, kindness, and humour, which encouraged them in their pro-life work. He never wavered in his vision for life and in his tenacity to protect it. Jim also had great resilience. No matter the catastrophe, he always came up with a solution to deal with what others considered to be an insurmountable problem. His fresh ideas and his initiative in bringing them to fruition were a source of inspiration. Jim was an incomparable spirit and strength for the pro-life cause. Due to Jim’s contribution to the pro-life movement, it has become a vital part of the fabric of Canadian society today.
There was one aspect of Jim’s character, however, that is not generally known. It was his unflappable nature. An incident demonstrated this in June 1983 when Henry Morgentaler broke Canadian law by opening an abortuary in Toronto. Morgentaler’s controversial action led to pro-life picketers surrounding the location. Morgentaler was not offended so much by the picketers holding opposing opinions, but was offended by the fact that the picketers impeded the operation of his lucrative business. At that time, the provincial Liberal party was in power in Ontario, and the Attorney General was Ian Scott. Scott was well-known for his flamboyant private life in the gay community and did not seem to be constrained by spiritual matters. Nonetheless, he entered into an agreement with Gerald Emmett Cardinal Carter, Archbishop of Toronto, that the demonstrators at the location would be limited to seven picketers each, representing the opposing sides of the issue.
Jim and I were alarmed by this agreement and requested a meeting with the Attorney General, to which he readily agreed. At this meeting, Scott asked whether we would agree to the arrangement that he had made with Cardinal Carter. We explained that the agreement had nothing to do with the pro-life movement, and we would decide for ourselves how many picketers would be placed at the abortuary. Scott was incensed by our response. His face reddened, and he began to shout at us, demanding that we adhere to the agreement. When we again assured him that we had no intention of doing so, Scott was furious. He abruptly stood up, opened the door, and screamed at us at the top of his voice to leave his office yelling “Get out, get out.” Jim and I obligingly did so, and while leaving, Jim turned to Scott and thanked him, politely, for his time, and wished him a pleasant day.
Directly outside Scott’s office was a pool of about 12 secretaries crouched over their typewriters, terrorized by Scott’s bellowing. As we passed through the pool of secretaries, Jim tried to calm them, saying soothingly, “You know, I have been kicked out of better places than this in my life,” and then he serenely proceeded on his way, as though the incident were just another ho-hum event in his busy day.
Gwen Landolt is vice president and legal counsel of REAL Women of Canada.
