The Chatelaine article for which I was interviewed is on news stands now—but subscribers have had it for a bit. As such, I was getting emails and calls—hey—I saw you in Chatelaine. And I still had not seen it. (I mentioned the photo shoot, here.) 

So I broke and snuck down into my dentist’s office on the main floor of our office building. Asked whether I was due for a checkup. No? Right, thank you. As I turned to leave, I spotted it. The April edition of Chatelaine. Very suave, to this point, everything was going according to plan. I flipped through to the appropriate page to be met by the largest, glossiest photo of myself I have ever seen. “Holy shit!” escaped my lips as I dropped the magazine and ran out.

Exhibit A: Woman loiters in dentist’s office, swears at a ladies’ magazine, leaves.

I just hate it when the mainstream media characterizes pro-lifers as crazy.

Now Chatelaine didn’t do that. They reported my words faithfully.  They said the website is elegant and called our team sassy, funny. These are great things, and I’m thrilled that Chatelaine took on the issue without demonizing pro-lifers. They only used the term “anti-choice” once.

But the report is so old-school it hurts. Framed by the lack of abortion access—an idea I’m quite sure most won’t buy, given our thriving abortion rates—the idea of being pro-life remains something of an absurdity.

There’s one major mistake from my perspective in the article. No two, actually. The first major mistake comes in the subheading.

Two decades after the decriminalization of abortion, pro-choice advocates are still fighting against the stigma of abortion and for better access to services. Meanwhile, women on the pro-life side want the feminist movement to open itself up to their voices, too.”

Hmmm.  I gave up on the old-school feminist movement a while ago, precisely because all they seem to have left is a ragged struggle for “abortion rights.” I don’t want to start this exciting new journey by chaining my ankle to an anvil.

The second major mistake is that until such time as I actually turn 33, a very good month from now, I am still 32. I’m just saying….

Now the author of the article is also author of “Morgentaler: A difficult hero.” Haven’t read it, would like to. I would have preferred “Morgentaler: A complicated villain.” So we know where she stands–and I knew that as she interviewed me.

Here’s the thing—that picture of me (so large, so large, look away, look away and only, thankfully, in the print version) shows a determined woman. But the bigger part of me is less serious, more positive, more hopeful, more joyful.

I’m happy to fight this battle because it’s one we can’t possibly lose. We are presenting so many positive choices—so many positive ideas—a happiness that goes beyond nine months and way into the future.

I have a dream.

Women, loved and supported, loving and supporting their kids and families. Women, strong women, doing what they choose—aware that sex is also an action to be responsible for, and it is quite often, though not always, linked to having kids.  Women, aware that some things simply aren’t a choice, and that we don’t kill to solve our problems. Women accepting life as it comes, with all the ups and downs.

I have this idea that women want to love their kids, even the unplanned ones. And that the minority who don’t still don’t need to kill those kids.

I wish that reporters like Catherine Dunphy could catch on to this. I wish Chatelaine would move away from an old 60s stand that supports abortion. I wish more women would rise up and rebel against that old status quo.

Until then, we forge on. There are now about 800 people who log on to this site daily. (We started with about 100, just one short year ago.) If you want to send a thoughtful note to Chatelaine, I’d suggest you thank them for taking on the topic, and offer your thoughts from there. There’s stats in the article that could be challenged; I’m absolutely unsure of where they got the information that 60 per cent of Canadians thought Morgentaler deserved the Order of Canada.

This website is a tiny, small, minuscule, baby step toward achieving our dream of a Canada without abortion.

We say no to abortion. We ask others to join us in saying no. We ask those who are unsure to track with us and see if they can’t see the other side of this pro-abortion world. Because it’s a good one—it’s a good place to be; a place with endless opportunity and possibility. This article lives in April 2009, an era when expediency trumped decency. I think we can do better, and soon will.

P.S. The post title is not mine. There really is an ABBA song for every occasion. I have a dream. (I do not have ABBA’s 1970s je ne sais quoi.) 

P.P.S Those who are regular visitors will know I never swear in writing. I rarely swear when speaking. But that’s what I said when I saw the huge picture of my noggin. It can’t be helped and so I faithfully reproduce the dialogue (with myself) here.