How will women’s rights groups resolve this issue?
On one hand they vehemently defend the right of a women to have an abortion. On the other hand, it is now becoming evident that selective abortions for the sake of choosing the sex of a child is becoming more and more apparent in Canada and the females are getting the short end of the stick. Will feminists stand up for these women to be?
i.e. Similar to the situations in China, where male babies are preferred in one child families, Canadians in some parts of the country are starting to abort female fetuses (feti?).
According to data analysis, Surrey is just one part of the country that exhibits a significant deviation in the standard boy-girl ratio. Further evidence, including interviews with doctors and clinic workers, suggests a plausible reason: sex-selection abortions. Canadians are deliberately terminating pregnancies where a girl is expected, in hopes of having boys.
I have never stated publicly my opinion on the pro-choice/pro-life battle because I haven’t done the topic due diligence in research but I can admit to the following in terms of what my opinions are at the current time.
- I DO NOT support pro-choice as a method of birth control or sex-selection.
- I DO support pro-choice in cases where a female gets pregnant via rape or incest/child abuse.
- I DO feel that there should be a limit to how far into a pregnancy an abortion can be performed. Yes, Virginia! We have no law or medical reason to set this limit in Canada.
Re: Number 3 above. In 1996, Brenda Drummond shot her unborn son, Jonathan, in the head with a pellet gun. He was born and survived two days after the shooting. Brenda Drummond was charged under the criminal code but the case was tossed out in December 1996. Her defence? It was a failed abortion attempt. The Ontario Attorney General did not appeal the Court’s decision, leaving us with no law regarding this issue.
Comments are welcome.
ADDENDUM: My wife has informed me that if I think abortions are ok under any circumstance, as I do in the cases listed in number 2 above, that I am pro-choice. I still have a hard time accepting this label due to the broad sweeping brush it paints me with.
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I think your wife’s desire to apply the “pro-choice” label to you may reflect more of her position than it does yours.
There are the extreme positions at either end of the spectrum, and nearly an infinite number of positions in between.
I’m pretty much in full agreement with your list, but I’d add one at least one more clause:
4. I DO support abortion if the mother’s life is in serious danger due to complications associated with the pregnancy.
But even adding another provision where I support abortion, I’m not pro-choice. In fact, on the spectrum I’m still a lot closer to the anti-abortion position than I am to the pro-choice one.
I believe George W. Bush supports abortion in the case of rape or incest, but I’ll go out on a limb and say you probably won’t see him at any pro-choice rally anytime soon.
Part of the problem we have in Canada is that we can’t even have a discussion on the subject without people trying to polarize the debate as your wife (perhaps unintentionally) does by trying to apply a pro-choice label to your position.
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Your fourth point is well taken and makes my list Anshu. Ironically I am reading Ann Coulter’s Godless and the fourth chapter (which I read today) discusses the subject of abortion.
And your spectrum point is well taken. Thanks for the insight.
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Ironically, I am just starting Godless as well. We’ll have to compare notes afterwards! Maybe we should start a blogging bookclub. 😉
I agree with Anshu that this topic has various nuances, and trying to paint it as black and white is exactly the problem. It polarizes people and creates an environment where a compromise can’t even be discussed.