Just prior to the September federal elections, feminists staged a debate among the contenders for the leadership of the Country ostensibly on the theme of “women’s issues.” The evening was sponsored by the government-supported pro-abortion lobby, The National Action Committee of the Status of Women (NAC). Fr. Ted wrote the following article after witnessing the “debate” on TV.
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Having watched as much of the Debate on Women’s Issues as I could stand I turned off the TV and wondered why we could not have a special debate on “Babies’ Issues,” with unborn babies in the audience instead of grown women and four unborn unborn babies forming the panel instead of adults.
Of course, the obvious objection would be that babies can’t speak. The very word “infant” comes from the Latin meaning “speechless.” But the Bible attributes speech to Balaam’s Ass and Aesop has entertained the world for centuries with chatting animals; George Orwell wrote Animal Farm and TV has presented us with a talking horse. Why then would it be too far-fetched to attribute – in our imagination – speech to unborn babies who already have the undeveloped potential to speak which the beasts have not? Instead of 2,000 grown women in the audience let’s imagine 2,000 unborn babies, who have been allowed out of their mothers’ wombs just for the occasion. On the panel we have four senior babies who are within a few weeks of birth, while the politicians are the same three gentlemen who faced the 2,000 ladies on August 15.
Panel Baby No. 1. Mr. Turner, what is your position on killing us before we are born?
Mr. Turner: Well, I think that is a question for your mother to decide. You see, we have to keep a balance between those who want to kill babies and those who want you to be given a chance to live. So, if your mother doesn’t want you, I think the law must allow her to get rid of you. You see, we must keep a balance!
Baby 1. No, I don’t see. Does this mean that we have no right to be born alive?
Mr. Turner: Yes, it does. You see the State doesn’t give you any rights at all until you are born, so you really don’t have any right to life. You see –
Baby 1. No, I don’t see.
Mr. Turner: Listen baby, that’s the law. So shut up and go back to where you came from. And by the way you don’t have a right to vote either. (Howls from the audience.)
Panel Baby No. 2. To Mr. Broadbent. Am I correct, sir, in saying that you and your party would remove abortion from the criminal code, so that it would no longer be a crime to kill us at any time and for no particular reason?
Mr. Broadbent: Well, yes that is our considered opinion. You see, women must have the right to bear or not to bear. That is the question!
Baby 2. But what about our right “to be or not to be?”
Mr. Broadbent: I was going to say, before you interrupted me, that it must be a question of choice. Surely you agree with choice? It is such a comforting word.
Baby 2. Choice to do what?
Mr. Broadbent: The choice of a woman to have her child or not to have it.
Baby 2. You mean the choice to kill us or not to kill us. What about our choice to live? I choose to be born alive – whatever my mother chooses. Neither your party, nor my mother, nor the state has the right to make that choice for me.
Mr. Broadbent: You can’t argue with kids. (Boos from the audience.)
Panel Baby No. 3. Mr. Mulroney, may I ask, what is your position regarding our right to be born alive?
Mr. Mulroney: Well, I am satisfied with the law as it stands. I think it is a fair compromise.
Baby 3. You mean the law, which has killed more than a million of us in a dozen years. The law that allows more than one hundred thousand of us to be mutilated in our mothers’ wombs every year. Is that the law you favour, sir?
Mr. Mulroney: Listen, kid. Don’t give me that stuff. We had 2,000 of your mothers here a few weeks ago and they all agreed with our position. In fact, when Mr. Broadbent went further and suggested that you should have no rights at all, they gave him the loudest applause of the evening. They have votes and you don’t. So, go back where you came from. Many of you won’t come out of here alive if we have our way, so you won’t even have the right to cast a vote. This is a waste of time!
Chairperson to 4th. Panel Baby: Would you like to ask a question, dear?
4th. Baby. No, thank you. I’ve heard enough. We are the weak, the small, the voiceless and the voteless members of the human race. And because we have no power we have no rights. We’d better get back to our mother’s wombs before they begin to wonder what’s keeping us. But, wait. Is there any other place we could go? From what we have heard this evening from the leaders of our country, the most dangerous place to be today is in a mother’s womb!
