Colby Cosh published an interesting column on abortion in the National Post today.So why, then, is there no law concerning abortion in Canada after 20 years of anarchy? (...)If 68% of Canadians really favour some legal limits on abortion, what can the political problem possibly be? When was the last time a government even had the chance to do something that two-thirds of us approved of? The answer, of course, is that the polls are pure wind, nothing more. The respondents are merely trying to sound polite and moderate at a time when the freedom of their girlfriends, daughters and sisters is under no genuine threat from the state. Most Canadians are perfectly comfortable without an abortion law. If they weren't, there would have been one long ago.
I would say that, based on results, this is absolutely correct.
It is true that many pro-lifers have basically given up on trying to obtain fetal rights. Perhaps they would like an abortion ban, but they have gotten used to the absence of a law to acknowledge fetal rights.
They are comfortable.
Your job, my pro-life friend, is to make them and other Canadians uncomfortable.
Pro-lifers, for two decades, we have collectively failed to do this. As Cosh writes:
The number of people who have proven themselves actually willing to do something about the situation, as opposed to merely inveighing against it as an occasion for outraged verbiage, is minuscule.
Bang on. I am telling you: if between now and next year, one hundred new dedicated pro-lifers came on to the scene and networked, freeped, organized and educated the masses about abortion, the political situation would be different and momentum would build.
In the face of the enormous obstacles, most pro-lifers have given up. Or decided that since they didn't know where to start, they couldn't.
Pro-lifers, you must realize: We do not have the right to give up. We do not have the moral right to say: the elites are against us, so what's the use?
That thought should simply be banished from our midsts.
What is the best way to advance the rights of unborn children?
Columnist Lorne Gunter has said that the pictures of mangled fetuses don't work well. ProWomanProLife agrees, whereas Edward Michael George does not.
The truth is, we need all kinds of tactics. For some, the abortion pictures will do it. For others, it will take the testimonial of a post-abortive woman. For others, a tightly argued thesis on the morality of legalized abortion.
It's all good, and we need all kinds of tactics.
I think that counting on one tactic is a bad idea. Pro-lifers have to, in general, be all things to all people.
Precisely because so few pro-lifers get out there and do something about fetal rights, it's a tough gig. Pro-lifers tend to be religious Christians with a fairly conservative worldview and a limited knowledge of popular or literary culture.
That is the cold, hard truth.
The more people contribute to the pro-life movement, the less that will be true. It's simply a question of numbers.
If you happen to be one of those conservative Christians who are not too hip to the culture, that doesn't mean you should not try.
Play to your strengths. But for goodness sakes, don't just sit there!
Of course, many pro-lifers have their favourite tactic and angle. I think the one that will, in the long term, bring the greatest benefit is to affirm that the unborn child is a human being, and that all human beings are equal and deserve the right to life.
It's true that it's not a message that has often been heard. For decades the message has been "abortion is murder". Focusing on the act only goes so far. People don't know what abortion is because they do not know the unborn child. They do not understand what the argument really is about. I think that projecting "abortion is murder" is not a good way to make a good argument.
Canadians are especially sympathetic to underdogs. That's how we see ourselves. We favour the downtrodden and underprivileged. When people feel in their hearts that the pro-life movement is a human rights movement that lobbies in favour of a disadvantaged minority, they will be much more open to the pro-life message.
They will feel uncomfortable about the lack of abortion law.
There's your job pro-lifers. Now go out and do it!
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