I just read some comments over at First Things about my Prime Minister's position on abortion. I like to think that abortion, completely unrestricted in Canada, is an unpopular issue and that a government would have no trouble introducing limitations based up the age of the child and parental notification. But it looks like I'm just optimistic. As Fr. de Souza points out on christianity.ca, Harper has absolutely no intention of initiating an abortion debate. To be frank, I don't blame him. The Conservative Party already suffers daily at the hands of our socially far-left media on the topics of same-sex marriage, gun control, Afghanistan and Kyoto; abortion then seems an unnecessary risk.
In conversations with other pro-lifers, I do hear the Conservative Party frequently bashed for not having an anti-abortion mandate. Some otherwise socially conservative Canadians even refuse to vote for them, since, as they say, they are in effect no different than the Liberals or the NDP on this issue. This is a mistake. The Conservative Party, whatever its faults (and they are many), remains the only party with a chance to form government who is at the very least willing to talk with the pro-life movement. Contrast that with the NDP, Liberals or Bloc, who have aggressively demonized any opposition to abortion as anti-women's rights for the past 25 years. Energies are better thus spent turning the Conservatives authentically pro-life rather than jumping ship to another political party simply because they decided not to adopt a specifically anti-abortion position during the last federal election. For better or for worse, the Conservative way remains our best chance of advancing the pro-life movement to corridors of the Commons. It's time we accepted that.
3 comments:
Hi Colm!
I found your blog through a blogsearch.
I am a fellow pro-lifer.
I don't know if you saw that email from Tristan Emmanuel, calling for so-cons to support the Conservatives.
I think it's time we tried something different. The "non-partisan" vote-- that of just voting for the most pro-life candidate may not produce the best outcome. A pro-life Liberal may be better than a pro-abort CPC, but what about when the Liberal is only slightly less pro-abort than the Conservative? Maybe it's time to unite behind one team.
As of right now, things haven't been this good for so-cons in a looooooooong time. Okay, so Harper interfered to can C-291, and he won't touch the abortion issue with a 10-foot poll. He's cut SOW and the CCP. That's one of the best darn things that's happened to so-cons in a long time. He's raised the age of consent.
I also think it's a riding-by-riding thing. For most of Canada, the CPC is the way to go. For some parts, it might be the Liberal.
Anyhow, I anticipate adding your post to the Canadian Blog Exchange tomorrow morning:
http://canconv.boundbygravity.com/RecentPosts.php
I've also added your blog to my blogroll. I'm starting to get a nice collection of Canadian so-con blogs, especially ones that don't belong to the Blogging Tories. We've got to unite these disparate so-con voices.
I am also pro-life.
I would examine a pro-life candidate who was CPC. I will vote for my pro-life candidate.
Mr. Harper interfered with even late term abortion policy items from being discussed at the convention and he said in 2006 during the election he would do anything and everything he could to stop pro-life legislation.
He has made the CPC party more pro-choice than any of the other parties.
Unlike Suzanne who I respect I am not passionate about the age of consent and while I agree with the funding changes to Status of Women it is not the victory for the unborn I want to see.
If Mr. Harper wants to say that we have to work slowly in a hostile climate then he might get my vote but as long as he says that he will do everything he can to fight prolifers then I can't vote for him in good conscience.
Hi Colm, you should consider joining the www.freedominion.ca discussion. One of the owners of the site is actually a pro-life person who brought forward the policy item to restrict late term abortions. She is a supportive active member of the CPC. I think you'd like it. It's where I know Suzanne from. I think you'd like it.
I also got your response on my blog where you outlined your reasons. I understand them, am tempted by them, and so forth but I'm wary of being burned.
While I agree Canada is not ready for the majority of pro-life legislation ideas I do believe that if Canadians were more aware about certain things i.e. late term abortions, minors having abortions as young as 12 without parental consent etc that we would be able to start there. We can't start there with Harper saying he'll fight us. I can't reward him with votes, monies, etc. Time might prove me wrong but it's how I feel today. I grapple with it though. It's a tough question.
Post a Comment