Archives for 2010

Behold the contraceptive gel.

Those are the words of an abortionist, Dr. Elizabeth Newhall. She has a vision for a day when the fact that women have abortions becomes totally invisible. Right now we are aware of the injustice, because we have private clinics. If only all doctors would just provide abortions as part of the regular checkup… Listen for yourself.

Talk about strong women: Last night I saw this documentary about Irena Sendler and her friends who saved Polish Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvycQNINaKg”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvycQNINaKg]

To say it left a strong impact on me would be an understatement. If you watch the trailer, one of the women describes how Polish Christians caught with a Polish Jew would be killed on the spot. This is the same woman who describes in the film how, as part of the Polish resistance, she would kill traiterous Poles, those who were collaborating with the Nazis. These traiterous Poles would keep lists of hidden Polish Jews and when she killed them, she had to find that list–it was the key to safety for those families who were hiding children.

Irena Sendler, all of these women, seemed to have little idea that they were  heroes. Irena referred only to the fact that she couldn’t do it without the help of her friends (one of whom was tortured and executed). She said she remembered only what her father taught her: When you see a drowing man, reach out your hand.

Irena Sendler was up for the Nobel Peace Prize but Al Gore won instead.

I highly recommend this film.

So this is what marriage is coming to?

Americans are taking a cautious approach to marriage and are seeking more prenuptial agreements before walking down the aisle.

[. . .]

More women and middle-class couples are opting for prenups, which can also include adultery clauses, protection of retirement benefits and even custody of the dog, according to the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML), which represents more than 1600 lawyers.

“It’s a planning tool. Given that half of marriages end in divorce it makes sense to plan,” said Marlene Eskind Moses, the president of the AAML.

Sure, I can understand that a pre-nup makes sense from a legal standpoint, but from a relational standpoint? I don’t think beginning your marriage with, “Hey, I love you but I don’t think I can ever fully trust you” is a good way to start.

It’s also worth pointing out that the “half of marriages end in divorce” statement isn’t true. No wonder they’re so cynical, they’re getting bad facts. Not that it should matter, everybody else’s divorce rate holds no bearing on your own marriage.

And now these pre-nups include requirements for date nights, nights per week a spouse can go out without the other, and who gets the puppies if their dog gives birth (somebody please tell me when a divorce is really going to coincide with a litter of puppies being born?). Sounds like a recipe for a legalistic marriage if it’s just full of rules as to who can do what and when.

But I’m a traditional girl, my vows included, “I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honour you all the days of my life . . . to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poor, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.” If that’s not good enough for people, then I don’t know what is!

Why oh why oh why OH WHY does anyone ever go with the “it’s always existed” or “it’s entirely natural” argument in defending his or her cause?

Goodness me. If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it a million times. Abortion has always existed, and therefore, it’s necessary and right, say abortion supporters. Prostitution, ditto.

This letter defending how natural prostitution is, is the impetus for today’s rant:

Prostitution is a natural phenomenon. Slamming and condemning governments and politicians for not doing anything about it is no solution, and shows a misunderstanding of the attitudes of many Canadians.

I find these arguments embarrassing because they are so easily refuted. Just because something is longstanding does not make it right. I read in today’s Post that in Albania, the family members of murderers have to go into permanent hiding because of a cultural tradition whereby the wounded family is allowed to knock off one of the murderer’s family. Ah, blood feud, vigilante justice. Been around for centuries–and therefore it must be good! On what planet does this pass for logic?

The other thing is that what is natural is often not right. Social liberals don’t understand this because they view human nature as being essentially good. Social conservatives do (or, ahem, should) because they think that evil is found in every human heart and therefore, just because it may feel natural to be drawn to porn, to use a woman for sex or even to kill someone–doesn’t make it right.  (We (ok, I) almost enjoy my personal struggle against some of my evil, yet natural, tendencies, and we (ok, I) generally go to the person concerned to apologize and to God for forgiveness when we (I) fail. But I’m digressing now.)

“It’s natural” isn’t a great argument, except where there are other substantive arguments to be made. Otherwise it should be reserved for moments such as my defence of moving to deodorant instead of anti-perspirant.

Here ends the rant.

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Brigitte adds: I believe I read somewhere that murder was a pretty old thing, too. Cain, I believe, invented it. Or maybe it was Brutus. Not sure. So, can I go out and murder those who stand in my way?

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Andrea adds: Go to town, Brigitte. People have been doing it for a long while so it’s AOK.

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Véronique adds: Ah the “natural” argument… I’ve heard it from every side: abortion is natural, working mothers are against nature, the list goes on.

It’s like “progress”, which is usually a good thing –pro-choice people think themselves as “progressive” – until it isn’t: abortion has happened throughout the ages, why fight it?

Or like “animals”: pro-lifers – anti-choice – view women as breeding stock … until you get to sterilization and euthanasia. Then treating people like animals is the dignified thing to do.

Antibiotics, vaccines and c-sections are not natural. Unlike abortion.

There’s an online movement to send this guy to the Oprah Winfrey show, and I support it (costs nothing – you can also buy one of his albums like I just did).

Possessed of an unflagging spirit that’s remarkable under any circumstances, Justin copes with a rare genetic joint condition called Larsen Syndrome, that keeps him wheelchair bound. “Sometimes people find it hard to understand why I would be so positive,” he explains. “I was born into my situation, I don’t know any different, and I feel very fortunate for my family and all the support that I have. I know my physical situation is a bit of an attention grabber, but as an artist and performer, it is my job to hold the audience’s attention, and let the music speak for itself.”

You can also use this application to make your own music video honouring your own hero(es).

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwoUM8ETFfk]

There’s a court case in B.C. about the right of offspring created with the use of anonymous egg or sperm donors to know who their biological parents are. It’s quite obvious, from the offspring’s point of view, that one has the right to know who one’s parents are. But unfortunately, those “parents” weren’t having children, they were creating commodities – without thinking that perhaps, one day, the “commodities” in question might ask for something completely normal and human. Embarrassing, what.

For what it’s worth, I am entirely on the side of the kids.

Here we go again: Henry Morgentaler has been nominated in the Globe and Mail as a transformational Canadian. Nominations are open until November 26, so I’d suggest pro-lifers get in there and nominate many, many more, lest Morgentaler actually be chosen.

Morgentaler did transform us, I suppose. He popularized the idea “of expendable human lives” and “turned this great land of ours into just another exclusive reservation where only the perfect, the privileged and the planned have the right to live.” (Paraphrased from Dr. Jefferson) He made it possible for women to use abortion as birth control, whilst denying them fundamental information about the baby and what abortion does to women. And he transformed us with his obstinate pride (when he was received into the Order of Canada, he said “he deserved it”–quite an acceptance speech) and his strange poetry. Transformational, indeed.

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Jennifer adds:  Ugh! The quote in bold on the left just ruined my day…
“Were every child a wanted and loved child, the world would be a substantially better place.” So then it’s our job to love them all then isn’t it? I’m loving some right now… get to it people!

That’s the sort of thing they should be up in arms about, right?

LONDON — A leading Muslim cleric has sparked controversy in Britain by claiming that it is impossible for men to rape their wives.

Sheikh Maulana Abu Sayeed, who is president of the Islamic Sharia Council, told a website that “sex is part of marriage” and suggested that husbands who commit such acts should not be prosecuted.

“Clearly there cannot be any rape within the marriage,” he told The Samosa website. “Maybe aggression, maybe indecent activity… Because when they got married, the understanding was that sexual intercourse was part of the marriage, so there cannot be anything against sex in marriage. Of course, if it happened without her desire, that is no good, that is not desirable.”

Our very own Rebecca Walberg is moderating a live chat about managing Canada’s water resources with the Financial Post. You can learn more about it, here.