…to “come out” to colleagues that you’re pro-life. For me personally, it doesn’t affect my job, though it will I’m sure affect any further university study I do. Even then, I admittedly have to overcome a certain level of personal apprehension. But what if you work in the educational or health care fields where your opinion might just have more of an impact? That’s when a pro-life stance is seen as dangerous.
A Christian mental health worker is facing the sack after giving two colleagues a leaflet warning of the physical and psychological damage some women suffer after having an abortion.
Margaret Forrester passed the booklet to family planning staff at the health centre where she works because she felt that the NHS was not offering patients enough information about the risks associated with terminating a pregnancy.
But Ms Forrester, 39, said she was suspended from her job as a psychological wellbeing practitioner based in Westminster because managers at Central North West London Mental Health Trust disagreed with her personal beliefs.
She will appear in front of an internal disciplinary committee on Wednesday, charged with “distributing materials some people may find offensive”. Her supporters fear that she could lose her job.
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Brigitte adds: What bugs me the most about all this is the use of euphemisms. Distributing materials some people may find offensive? My foot. What they mean is: We are pro-abortion and those who want to be pro-life will have to be pro-life somewhere else. They could at least have the guts to say it.
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Melissa says
January 7, 2011 at 1:13 pmWow. This case takes the cake. A person could face losing her job over “distributing materials some people may find offensive”? Really? Who gets to decide what’s offensive?
APA report on abortion and subsequent health effects notwithstanding, there is solid evidence that abortion can cause psychological trauma. But, when it comes to abortion, we can’t have anyone actually finding evidence that doesn’t kowtow to mainstream ideology now, can we? I mean, asking your colleagues to look at some evidence that abortion might not be an unqualified good might actually lead to a debate about abortion, and if we debate abortion, well, we might then start questioning women’s choices, and if we start questioning women’s choices, well, we all know where that will lead. Women will be tied to the stoves with their apron-strings, surrounded by 18 squalling children.
Have I got the slippery slope argument about right?
Julie Culshaw says
January 7, 2011 at 6:33 pmCertainly, in Canada, Jennifer, one has to be pro-choice or face being shut out. And that might affect employment or studies, etc. Some places, it is easier to be pro-life and vocal about it, Texas for instance. No problem here. My daughter has a license plate that shows a heart beat and the words Reformed Anglicans are pro -life. While our friend Nicole had her car vandalised for having a bumper sticker that said Pro Woman, Pro Family, Pro Life.
Canada is so used to the pro-choice mentality, that it is assumed everyone thinks the same. All the more reason why we have to be vocal and support one another.
Augusta says
January 11, 2011 at 12:53 pmIt’s also dangerous in my profession–as a musician. If my colleagues found out that I’m pro-life, I would never, ever work again.