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

An informative rebuttal to the column I linked to here. Birth control won’t stop the growing population, since the reason we have that growing population is not due to births, but rather the fact that we are all living longer. This explains why demographers estimate that by 2060 or 2070 we will see the world population begin to shrink.

People, an event tonight and a debate tomorrow night, both featuring Stephanie Gray. Both are open to the public.

Date: November 10, 2011
Time: 7-9pm
Speaker: Stephanie Gray
Event: Abortion and Intellectual Honesty
Location: St. Paul’s University, room 103, 223 Main Street, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Date: November 11, 2011
Time: Doors open at 7pm; Welcoming remarks begin at 7:30pm
Theme: Debate
Speaker: Stephanie Gray vs. Jovan Morales
Location:  University of Ottawa, SITE A0150 (Engineering Building across from the Sports complex at the main campus)
800 King Edward Avenue, Ottawa, ON

UPDATE

More info about the debate tomorrow:

“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. The event will take place at 800 King Edward Ave – SITE A0150. 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.”

I will be attending this one, since I like to hear what both sides bring forward. Come out if you can!

…are a problem for  young women, too. For everyone, really. Margaret Wente surprises me here, with her passion. In other cases, her commentary on social issues has been more muted. But she`s right, so I suppose it`s good someone is sounding the alarm on this topic of drifting young men.

…doctors may not tell you. Last night I saw a documentary on Rock Center about women from North Carolina that were unknowingly sterilized in the 1960s. While it was heartbreaking to hear each woman recount her experience and the loss of her ability to conceive, it was the stories of women who were told they were being sterilized but were not fully aware of what that meant that haunted me. The doctors spoke in terminology those young girls didn’t understand, but the outcomes were irreversible. I imagine there are many parallels between these stories and those of women who have undergone abortions, the women felt “butchered” and violated.

November 20th is Universal Children’s Day, an event created by the UN to mark the day that they adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child. It reads,

Whereas the United Nations has, in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, proclaimed that everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth therein, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status,

Whereas the child, by reason of his physical and mental immaturity, needs special safeguards and care, including appropriate legal protection, before as well as after birth, […]

Whereas mankind owes the child the best is has to give,

Austin Ruse has called the UN a “paper tiger”, stating that it only has the power people are willing to give it. Officially, the UN has adopted those aforementioned rights for children (they’re a beautiful thing to read actually). Unofficially, the UN Human Rights Commission has blatantly acted as if those rights and charters do not exist, imposing their own ideals in various publications, charters and frameworks. Over the past few years, they have aggressively campaigned to criticize and coerce countries (like Ireland) into upholding what they call the Benefits of Scientific Progress,

which obligates governments to ensure the availability of reproductive technologies such as modern contraceptives, access to safe abortion services…

On this November 20th, maybe it’s time UN Commissions were reminded of all the UN adopted rights they violate. You can contact the UN Human Rights Commission at [email protected]