That isn't a typo in the subject line, Canada has absolutely no laws with respect to abortion, and the reason is because of the Pro-Life lobby. Why am I blaming the Pro-Life camp? I'll get to that later, first let's see if this situation is unique.
Sweden regulates abortion, Australia's laws vary from state to state....in France abortion is permitted on demand during the first 12 weeks. Norway, the United States, Israel, Finland...all have laws governing this contentious procedure. Canada stands alone among developed countries in that we're the only one with absolutely no legal restrictions whatsoever. In fact according to Pro-Choice group ARCC (Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada) there are only 3 countries in the entire world with no laws governing abortion*.
Already have three girls and hoping for a boy? No problem...if number four is going to be a girl then get rid of her and have another go. Is that a cleft palate on your future little angel? Don't worry, you can have an abortion and try again for the perfect child. A teenager in denial about being pregnant? That's understandable, there's no legal restriction even if you're in the third trimester, so take your time.
Some will contend that Late Term Abortions are "never" preformed in Canada except in cases where the mother's health is at issue. That's not what Pro-Choice lobbyists, the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada says. Quoting from their Position Paper #22...
Sweden regulates abortion, Australia's laws vary from state to state....in France abortion is permitted on demand during the first 12 weeks. Norway, the United States, Israel, Finland...all have laws governing this contentious procedure. Canada stands alone among developed countries in that we're the only one with absolutely no legal restrictions whatsoever. In fact according to Pro-Choice group ARCC (Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada) there are only 3 countries in the entire world with no laws governing abortion*.
Already have three girls and hoping for a boy? No problem...if number four is going to be a girl then get rid of her and have another go. Is that a cleft palate on your future little angel? Don't worry, you can have an abortion and try again for the perfect child. A teenager in denial about being pregnant? That's understandable, there's no legal restriction even if you're in the third trimester, so take your time.
Some will contend that Late Term Abortions are "never" preformed in Canada except in cases where the mother's health is at issue. That's not what Pro-Choice lobbyists, the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada says. Quoting from their Position Paper #22...
"Most women who terminate their pregnancies after 20 weeks wanted to have a child, and were forced to consider abortion for medical reasons. Other women may be in desperate social circumstances, such as an abusive relationship, or they may be very young teenagers who have delayed abortion care because they were in denial about the pregnancy". (Emphasis Mine)
(Blog entry continued after advertisement)How do Canadians feel about this? There have been a number of polls conducted, with the results varying widely depending on the context of the question. In 2001 Gallup posed this question:
- Do you think abortion should be legal under all circumstances, legal only under certain circumstances, or illegal in all circumstances?
The results...Only 32% responded legal in all circumstances, with 52% and 14% choosing only under certain circumstances and illegal in all circumstances respectively.
You can spin these number two basic ways. Pro-Choice advocates will point to the fact that these results show over 80% of Canadians in favour of allowing women access to abortion. Pro-Life supporters will contend that the majority of Canadians wish to see restrictions placed on abortion procedures. The bottom line? Both spins are in point of fact accurate.
The difficulty is that most Canadians aren't even aware that Canada has no laws on the books whatsoever to deal with this issue. Angus Reid recently conducted a survey which found that 92% of Canadians weren't aware that abortion is legal in Canada during an entire pregnancy. -NewsWire Story Here, My Blog Entry On The PR-.
While the Pro-Choice camp may scream about the poll being paid for by a Pro-Life lobby group, that's simply a case of blaming the messenger, in this case Signal Hill.
So...why do I think its the Pro-Life lobby which is responsible for Canada being one of only 3 countries with no laws on the books respecting abortion? Quite simply it is because there are a significant number of Canadians who do not think an abortion should ever be allowed...and they tend to be the loudest and most active members of the Pro-Life lobby.
Victims of rape or incest? To these bright lights of the Pro-Life camp its, 'too bad so sad dearie'...that fetus' rights trump all over your's. Clearly the vast majority of Canadians firmly believe in a woman's right to access abortion services at least "in certain" circumstances....But because of a small but loud minority of Canadians who view life as sacred from the point of conception, Canada has no laws whatsoever. Having to choose between these two extremes, Pro-Choice will win every time.
The Pro-Choice side should take care not to become too much like their intolerant, slogan shouting opponents though. The video below demonstrates that Pro-Choice proponents can be every bit as intolerant as their Pro-Life "sacred from conception" counterparts. An information session conducted by a Pro-Life group at St. Mary's University down east was hijacked by screaming Pro-Choice advocates....Take away the slogans and the tactics are the same as with some Pro-Life zealots...Watch for yourself:
You can spin these number two basic ways. Pro-Choice advocates will point to the fact that these results show over 80% of Canadians in favour of allowing women access to abortion. Pro-Life supporters will contend that the majority of Canadians wish to see restrictions placed on abortion procedures. The bottom line? Both spins are in point of fact accurate.
The difficulty is that most Canadians aren't even aware that Canada has no laws on the books whatsoever to deal with this issue. Angus Reid recently conducted a survey which found that 92% of Canadians weren't aware that abortion is legal in Canada during an entire pregnancy. -NewsWire Story Here, My Blog Entry On The PR-.
While the Pro-Choice camp may scream about the poll being paid for by a Pro-Life lobby group, that's simply a case of blaming the messenger, in this case Signal Hill.
So...why do I think its the Pro-Life lobby which is responsible for Canada being one of only 3 countries with no laws on the books respecting abortion? Quite simply it is because there are a significant number of Canadians who do not think an abortion should ever be allowed...and they tend to be the loudest and most active members of the Pro-Life lobby.
Victims of rape or incest? To these bright lights of the Pro-Life camp its, 'too bad so sad dearie'...that fetus' rights trump all over your's. Clearly the vast majority of Canadians firmly believe in a woman's right to access abortion services at least "in certain" circumstances....But because of a small but loud minority of Canadians who view life as sacred from the point of conception, Canada has no laws whatsoever. Having to choose between these two extremes, Pro-Choice will win every time.
The Pro-Choice side should take care not to become too much like their intolerant, slogan shouting opponents though. The video below demonstrates that Pro-Choice proponents can be every bit as intolerant as their Pro-Life "sacred from conception" counterparts. An information session conducted by a Pro-Life group at St. Mary's University down east was hijacked by screaming Pro-Choice advocates....Take away the slogans and the tactics are the same as with some Pro-Life zealots...Watch for yourself:
***I'm trying to find out the other 2 countries that stand with Canada in this regard, if you have a source please forward it***
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