So only yesterday did I finally read the Colby Cosh piece about Tiller and abortion. I had some thoughts on it and wondered about how to express them this late in the game. Today’s Post has a rebuttal from my friend Stephanie Gray of the Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform, which provides the perfect opportunity.

First of all, I believe people like Colby Cosh and Stephanie Gray should meet. I think there’s something to be said for having a coffee to talk about these things. It’s easy to write condemnations of pro-lifers, and it’s easy to condemn libertarian columnists. But Stephanie is a fun, friendly person. I have never met Colby Cosh.

When I read Colby’s piece, I actually thought it had more to do with Christian hypocrisy, in so far as Colby thinks all pro-lifers are religious Christians and furthermore, that all those who call themselves Christian actually are (which they may or may not be). There is a vast swath of people who call themselves Christian and do nothing about abortion, which I believe runs contrary to the Christian faith. Then there’s that tiny fact that you need not be religious to be anti-abortion.

But I also believe Colby Cosh wants me to go out and murder abortionists about as much as he wants abortionists to tear a 32 week old fetus limb from limb, i.e. not at all.

So I think he asks a valid question: if Christians were truly Christian, would we have this problem on our hands? Of course, if we didn’t have blasé and dispassionate libertarian journalists, would we also not have this problem on our hands? But somehow those who claim the ground that they stand for higher standards, but then do nothing, come away looking worse.

This is not the bulk of pro-lifers. This is certainly not Jim Hughes and Stephanie Gray, those Cosh charges with hypocrisy. But if you are already cynical of pro-lifers motivations, i.e. view them as being sanctimonious, preachy prigs who talk a big talk but don’t walk the walk, then you’ll be more inclined to view supposed profferings of sympathy for the death of a murdered abortionist as nothing more than (unnecessary) platitudes.

The thing is there are good pro-lifers out there to be known, if you want to know them. And they aren’t all religious. And they certainly aren’t all sanctimonious. Stephanie, for example. Not sanctimonious–a powerhouse with conviction, gumption and character in spades. For those who care to see it, that is.

The Institute of Marriage and Family Canada’s report (my day job) about the cost of family breakdown was released last week. In case you are interested.

An article about it yesterday, by Brigitte’s husband and one by Rebecca and I from Thursday in the Post, in case you want to read more about it. I also appreciated Lorrie Goldstein’s piece in the Sun chain.

I don’t spend time reading press releases from the Governor General’s office. But this one is on the short side, no?

More details on why these three resigned from the Order of Canada here.

We’ll need every pro-life group to stand up and condemn this:

Within hours of the Sunday murder of late-term abortion practitioner George Tiller, several leading pro-life groups genuinely and thoroughly condemned the killing. The reiterated the fact that, while they opposed the abortions Tiller did, they equally oppose the use of violence and death as a solution….

“Kansans for Life deplores the murder of Dr. George Tiller, and we wish to express our deep and sincere sympathy to his family and friends,” KFL director Mary Kay Culp told LifeNews.com immediately after the shooting. …Our organization has a board of directors, and a 35 year history of bringing citizens together to achieve thoughtful education and legislation on the life issues here in Kansas,” she explained. “We value life, completely deplore violence, and are shocked and very upset by what happened in Wichita today.”

I’d echo those sentiments. It’s horrifying and I will pray for his family and friends.

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Brigitte adds: Absolutely and without reservation. As Andrea likes to say, we don’t kill to solve our problems.

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Rebecca adds: I can’t say it better than Robert George does in The Corner:

Whoever murdered George Tiller has done a gravely wicked thing. The evil of this action is in no way diminished by the blood George Tiller had on his own hands. No private individual had the right to execute judgment against him. We are a nation of laws. Lawless violence breeds only more lawless violence. Rightly or wrongly, George Tilller was acquitted by a jury of his peers. ‘Vengeance is mine, says the Lord.’ For the sake of justice and right, the perpetrator of this evil deed must be prosecuted, convicted, and punished. By word and deed, let us teach that violence against abortionists is not the answer to the violence of abortion. Every human life is precious. George Tiller’s life was precious. We do not teach the wrongness of taking human life by wrongfully taking a human life. Let our ‘weapons’ in the fight to defend the lives of abortion’s tiny victims, be chaste weapons of the spirit.”

The lovely Rebecca Walberg in the Winnipeg Free Press today with a book review of United in Hate.

If I weren’t a very confident sort of girl I’d say you are starting to make me feel incompetent, Rebecca. Where do you find the time to do extra book reviews?

However, I am confident so instead I’ll say Well Done! and count my lucky stars that you are on my side.  

…One of the costs may well be my sanity… I’ve been working hard for the day job lately. On June 3, the Institute of Marriage and Family Canada will release (drumroll please) “Private choices, public costs: How failing families cost us all.” There’s an event on the Hill, it’s free and open to the public—you can register here if you are interested. This report measures the cost of family breakdown to the public purse.

My co-author on the report is Rebecca Walberg. Since we have our share our skeptical readers who are convinced that ProWomanProLife is somehow connected to/funded by my workplace, and since Rebecca Walberg is my co-author on the study thereby increasing nefarious suspicions, I thought I’d come clean.

Here’s the secret–I like working with smart and kind people. Rebecca is certainly one of them.

Now seems as good a time as any to say that ProWomanProLife is separate from my day job, entirely and totally. I started it on my own, with Sheryl Alger and Teresa Fraser, and subsequently invited the other women to join—none of whom are paid. ProWomanProLife receives no financing (as all the ladies on the blog will confirm). We are unaffiliated with any larger group, and the views expressed not only don’t represent any larger group outside ProWomanProLife, they frequently don’t represent every woman on this blog.

I met Rebecca through policy circles and I liked her right away. Then I invited her to join ProWomanProLife. Later on we decided to partner on this cost of family breakdown in Canada study. It is the start of an “Andrea and Rebecca to save the world” team, one study at a time. Here we go!