Morgentaler Decision Turns 25

January 28, 2013 marks a sordid anniversary in Canada: 25 years of (legally) unrestricted abortion throughout all nine months of pregnancy. Our nation, a nation that prides itself on its human rights record, is one of very few in the world without any legal protection for unborn children at any time during pregnancy.

If this surprises you, you're not alone. Polls show that as many as 90% of Canadians are unaware of the current legal situation on abortion. If you doubt the claim, go ahead and look up Section 223 of the Canada Criminal Code. It says a child does not become a "human being" - hence a "person" - until she is completely outside her mother’s body.

"Dr." Henry Morgentaler is the man that brought us - through the Supreme Court of Canada - a quarter century of open season on unborn children. He admits to taking the lives of thousands of pre-born babies with his own hands, amassing a personal fortune in the process. For this he was awarded the Order of Canada.

Now, 25 years after the Morgentaler Decision, a rather harmless motion is set to come before Parliament. Motion 408 does not purport any new legislation; rather, it simply asks Parliament to officially condemn sex-selection abortion in Canada. In light of a recent CBC investigation and studies showing high boy to girl ratios in some ethnic communities, there is little doubt sex-selection abortion is being practiced in Canada.

According to the U.N., sex-selection abortion has resulted in as many as 160 million missing women around the world. What an ironic tragedy that the procedure feminists have so cherished has become a tool to systematically cull the numbers of women all over the world. Surely, targeting female babies in the womb for destruction is the ultimate form of misogyny.

Polls show that over 80% of Canadians believe sex-selection should be prohibited in our land. We’ll see if Parliament can shake off the pressure from the “unfettered abortion for any reason” crowd long enough to condemn the practice of destroying little girls in the womb simply because they are little girls.

Marlon Bartram
Kelowna Right to Life Society