Archives for November 2011

…Or completely out of touch with yourself? I’d heard rumors, water cooler stories, of celebrities who had elective caesarean sections. They didn’t want the inconvienience of giving birth suddenly, they had busy lives, they didn’t want to ruin their stage exposed flat tummies, but until I read this article I just chalked it up to being out of touch with reality.

The medicalisation of life continues apace with new National Institute for Clinical Excellence (Nice) guidelines proposing caesarean section as, effectively, a lifestyle choice for all mothers, not just those who were only recently scorned as “too posh to push”.
There is so much worryingly amiss with this that it’s difficult to know where to start. From the point of view of medicine, the inherent risks of having an elective caesarean are becoming ever less of a concern – as long as you are only going to have two or three children. Have a larger family via major abdominal surgery and you risk rupture of the uterus and severe bleeding. Then there is the cost: some £800 over that of having your baby naturally, and this at a time when NHS services are being cut back so drastically. […]
The choice is problematical, though. Should women shun medicalisation or should they demand even more medical attention for their particular needs? Should women aim to control their own bodies or seize an apparently greater power with the help of surgery – cosmetic or otherwise? As the eminent surgeon Sir Spencer Wells remarked in 1891, “Wonderful indeed, is woman’s hydra-like tolerance of sections and mutilations.”

Recently, on a flight back from the Life 2011 conference, the woman sitting next to me asked me a few good questions.
Firstly, she asked me what kind of conference I had attended, something I think I would have hesitated to answer prior to the conference. It was either the lack of sleep (I was on the red-eye) or the weekend of communion with inspiring, openly pro-life people, or maybe some cocktail of both, that emboldened me that morning (and for the rest of my life) to answer confidently and without pause. She was older, obviously wondering what to ask next, when I asked her why it was she was away. She was working with at-risk youth in urban areas. “That’s amazing!”, I replied.

Then we went on to talk about how building confidence, having role models, all of things are the origins of preventing the abuse and sexualization of our youth, as well as a crucial part in preventing crisis pregnancy situations. Ultimately, we were working towards similar goals. I told her about the various charities in the area she could connect with, some expressly pro-life, some not, some simply community oriented that could provide her and her team support. I gave her names, phone numbers. Then she asked me a very interesting question. She asked, “Since you do all this work with women, youth and children, do you work with any pro-choice groups?”

I thought about this for awhile. I’d never been asked that before. Finally I said, “As far as I know, no pro-choice advocate groups are doing that kind of work.”

Pro-life, pro-choice, pro-crazy… Sometimes you need to get away from it all. One of my life principles is to watch Blue Crush as often as possible. Yes, alongside other films like Nacho Libre, I make time for what is truly important.

So. Today, I link to this amazing accomplishment of Hawaiian surfer Garret McNamara–who recently beat a world record by surfing the largest wave in the world! Pretty wild. I watch it and can’t believe he wasn’t crushed by the sheer force of the water–but there at the end, out he comes, still standing. There’s an allegory in there somewhere, for someone. Enjoy.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nd2jtwviyC8]

A movie I will want to see. Not before I brush up on my modern British history, however, as one can’t be sure how Hollywood will slant the facts. However, love her or hate her, no one, absolutely no one, would claim Margaret Thatcher was not a strong woman.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDiCFY2zsfc&feature=youtu.be]

…can be found here. Or see below. That’s quite a list of pro-choicers who are unwilling to defend their views in public. To me, this marks the beginning of the end of the pro-choice movement. For to keep the movement alive you need to be willing to defend your values, even on hostile terrain, ie. outside the safe confines of the university womyn’s centre. Here’s why the pro-choice movement is at the beginning of the end–it has become lazy. Everyone agrees with us! We are the mainstream! There is a consensus! They are growing complacent just as pro-lifers are picking up steam, mobilizing for action and making strides in public opinion.

The other more troubling concern I have is that extreme forces (those who don’t believe abortion is debatable) will push their views on less excessive pro-choicers. What this amounts to is quashing democracy. Almost all things are up for debate in a democracy and certainly, abortion falls very much within the debatable. Saying abortion is not debatable is a complete and total cop-out.

i. Dr. Henry Morgentaler (declined to debate)

ii. Heather Mallick (“pro-choice” columnist for the Toronto Star) (no reply to invitation)

xii. Hon. Dr. Keith Martin (MP) (No reply to invitation)
xiii. Planned Parenthood Ottawa (Heather Holland – Executive Director- Declined to debate)
xiv. Canadian Federation for Sexual Health (no reply to invitation)
xv. Professor Sanda Rodgers (University of Ottawa) (declined to debate)
xvi. Professor Wayne Sumner (University of Toronto) (declined to debate)

Russia is country where abortion is used as birth control. But Russia ain’t exactly the home of flourishing women’s rights. There’s no connection between access to abortion and strong and empowered women.

Moscow – Women of all ages used to fill gynaecologist Lyubov Yerofeyeva’s Soviet state clinic, lined up by the dozen for back-to-back abortions. “It was more common to take sick days for an abortion than for a cold in those days,” she said. Two decades after the Soviet Union’s collapse, wider availability of contraception and a resurgence of religion have reduced the numbers of abortions overall, but termination remains the top method of birth control in Russia. Its abortion rate – 1.3 million, or 73 per 100 births in 2009 – is the world’s highest.

…At a peach-and-teal toned private clinic, Irina, 27, was having her second operation in a little over a year. Unmarried, with a mortgage and parents in a faraway provincial city, she said she cannot afford a child. “Besides, my boyfriend doesn’t want it,” she said – but admitted that they do not use any regular form of contraception.

Some of the photos from the debate. My “favourite” is the first one. From left to right you see one fellow who, I’m fairly confident, was calling out expletives. Then a neutral audience member. Then you see a distraught woman (likely by the pro-life message based on where she is sitting). Another neutral audience member. Then a woman laughing out loud, again likely at the pro-life message based on where she is sitting. And finally, you see a woman running interference, trying to keep the peace.

I’m getting on my way to speak about communicating life principles at the Medical Students for Life conference (closed to the public) here in Ottawa in an hour or two. However, I thought I’d do a quick debate report, from last night.

THE GOOD

It was well-attended. Stephanie Gray gave her tour-de-force. Logic and reason, whether you agree with her or not, are her tools. She was clear and concise and presented arguments as to the humanity of the unborn from conception onwards, and why doctors should not at any point kill.

Her opponent was a man of good humour. He was from the Atheist Society. And while abortion was clearly not “his thing” he gave a valiant effort where many, many would not tread. I know they tried and tried and tried to get others to debate the issue, but apparently pro-choicers are in retreat. Their big line these days is that abortion is “not up for debate.” So I went to Jovan Moralis, which was the fellow’s name, I do believe, and congratulated him for showing up last night. I suspect he is getting flak from both sides, because he didn’t keep the silent consensus some of his more radical friends espouse.

BTW, he actually showed a birth video. His point was that birth/labour is hard and women should not be forced to go through that. It was hard to watch. But at the end, a full-on baby popped out and…what do you know… most people kind of recognize the miracle in that. What I noticed was a brief flash that the camera made toward the mother’s face, and she looked, wait for it, overjoyed. In the words of one Brigitte Pellerin, most women do love their little parasites.

He did say at one point in trying to get his peeps to quiet down “I’m a fan of civility too,” by way of trying to get them to shut up. He should have been way firmer. But he was inexperienced, this was his first debate, so I will forgive him that.

During questions, this older (maybe 60ish) lady with an accent that may have been Trinidadian stood up and said something along the lines of “I’m old and you should all listen to me.” Miraculously, because she was spunky and kind, and perhaps because she did look like a grandmotherly figure, people did and no one swore at her. She said, why so much “pro-life” and “pro-choice”? Then she went on to say “I’m pro-purity” and she bemoaned the hyper-sexualized state of campus life. It is possibly the only time that I have ever heard someone stand up in a forum like that, ask no question at all, and I was rather grateful. She was a breath of fresh air, a moment of relief from what was otherwise a difficult, emotional evening.

THE BAD

Why do universities design dungeon-like auditoriums where there is no light, no beauty, no….nothing!? No time to download my photos this morning, but it’s a dark, unhappy place–universities today. I say that based on my next section more than the architecture, though the building doesn’t help.

THE UGLY

Friends, there were troubled folks there last night. People holding signs that said “pro-choice is pro-life” and “I hope the fetus you ‘save’ is gay.” (Yes! Why not?) Some of those people holding signs swore loudly *at Stephanie* throughout her presentation. Her presentation started and there was loud laughter at her, from the back. People shouted “liar” and “witch” and “this is bullshit” throughout.

When Stephanie made the point that personhood is an evolving, changing term and that women once were not designated persons, neither were black people, neither were Jews, some guy lost it, started shouting at the top of this lungs, “I am Jewish and this is bullshit.” I believe he may have been removed, I’m not sure. No one is quite sure why what was a passing comment set him off, but I get the feeling these folks live in a precarious world, and are wholly emotionally unequipped to deal with… much. They seemed angry. They were angry.

I showed up with my camera. To take photos, yes, not so much as a reporter but because I have a fancy new camera and I am learning not to use the automatic feature. I took photos, clicking away and at one point I was standing up taking some shots of Stephanie and Jovan in the cross-examination period. At some point here, some of the folks with signs started shouting so I turned the camera on them.

So we have people who came to a public debate, with signs, who subsequently started shouting. I took a photo or two of them, yes. And they see this and start gesturing at me to come on over. Mid debate. Sorry, no. Not gonna do that. They sent someone over, a lovely girl actually, who tells me they want me to stop taking pictures of them and further to delete the photos I have. I smile and nod, but inside I’m thinking “my camera, my choice.”

You don’t go to a public debate, with signs, make a big stink and then demand no photos. Sorry folks. I will post any that turned out later on.

I left the debate with my stomach in knots and a headache, which was thankfully relieved by a beer with friends.

Gotta run now, but there’s a short update from where I was sitting.

University of Ottawa Students for Life, in partnership with University of Ottawa Medical Students for Life, will be hosting Stephanie Gray, Executive Director of the Canadian Centre for Bioethical Reform, on November 11th 2011 at 7:30 pm for a debate on abortion in medical practice.

Ms. Gray will represent the pro-life side, while the pro-choice side will be represented by Jovan Morales of the Atheist Community of the University of Ottawa.

NEW LOCATION: Colonel By Hall, 161 Louis Pasteur, Room C03. The old room will still be used as the debate will be streamed into it for overflow.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

-John McCrae