When I look back

On June 16th of this year, upon receiving his honorary title of Doctor in Laws, Dr. Henry Morgentaler gave an address to the University of Western Ontario. In this address, Dr. Morgentaler outlines his life philosophy, and how this humanist philosophy has led him to pursue his life work of fighting for the legalization of abortion in Canada and creating and maintaining abortion facilities which seek to insure that all women in Canada have safe and easy access to an abortion clinic, should this be their choice. He has been largely successful in his pursuit, having received a Supreme Court ruling in favor of legalized abortion, and having opened clinics in a number of major Canadian cities. Dr. Morgantaler says that as he looks back on his life, he has a sense of pride in his achievements.

I really don't want to get into a discussion as to whether or not Dr. Morgantaler should indeed feel pride for the things he's accomplished. What he's done is certainly impressive, and I would imagine many would envy him his single-mindedness, his determination, and his obvious abilities. I'll leave it for he and Jesus to look back and decide whether or not the doctor should be proud of what he's done.

I do however want to talk about his answer to the apparently frequent question of "Why did you decide to expose yourself to so much stress and danger in a controversial cause, and why do you persist in doing so?" His response is as follows.

I am a survivor of the Nazi Holocaust, that orgy of cruelty and inhumanity of man to man. I have personally experienced suffering, oppression and injustice inflicted by men beholden to a racist, dogmatic and irrational ideology. To have had the opportunity to diminish suffering and injustice has been very important to me. Reproductive freedom and good access to medical abortion means that women will be able to give life to wanted babies at a time when they can provide love, care and nurturing. Well-loved children grow into adults who do not build concentration camps; do not rape and do not murder. They are more likely to enjoy life, to love and care for each other and the larger society.

I find it absolutely ridiculous to suppose that abortion can be given even a minute amount of credit for removing any evil from this world. It is truly nonsense to soberly state that because a child is unwanted by its mother, it will become the next Hitler, or Pol Pot, much less an "everyday" murderer, rapist, or domestic abuser. This is without a doubt a classic example of reducing an argument to the absurd, not to mention coming dangerously close to assuming the title of the "God" humanists live without acknowledging. No, we simply cannot accept an argument such as this from the pro-choice camp, if not for moral reasons, for simple reasons of logic.

There are other arguments for the practice of abortion (some of which Dr. Morgantaler touches upon), so let us hear and discuss those. But let's not pretend as if abortion is doing humanity a service by somehow removing people who are destined for evil and destruction. As Dr. Morgantaler himself points out, every person has the potential for a fulfilled, happy, and joyful life; to which I would add that everyone created has the capacity for endless beauty and love.