This letter by a doctor in Oregon about euthanasia and assisted suicide is interesting. It made me think of those women I’ve heard of who wished they hadn’t had a choice because they felt like they were a burden, and were pressured into having abortions:

[The patient] acknowledged that multiple sclerosis was a major challenge and told me that if he got too much worse, he might want to “just end it.” “ It sounds like you are telling me this, because you might ultimately want assistance with your own suicide- if things got a worse,” I said.  He nodded affirmatively, and seemed relieved that I really understood what he was feeling. I told him that I could readily appreciate his fear and frustration and even his belief that assisted suicide might be a good option for him. At the same time, I told him that should he become sicker or weaker, I would work to give him the best care and support available. At the same time, I told him that no matter how debilitated he might become, that, at least to me, his life was, and would always be, inherently valuable. As such, I would not recommend, nor could I participate in his assisted-suicide.  In response, he simply said, “Thank you.”

Point being, I don’t think offering abortion offers too much hope or love to too many, in particular the very many who feel pressured into not keeping their babies in the first place, be it by boyfriends, spouses, parental expectations or self expectations.

If this were written on April 1, I would have thought it had to be a joke. Unfortunately, not:

Now he is good, but it did not go away with just a loving hug — his status was accomplished once his friends saw our house and other possessions.

(h/t)

Here in Ottawa, at least, it’s not a day for blogging. I understand what to do with 25 degree and sunny days in April that make up a long weekend, and typing/taxes/working were some of the things on my list but aren’t anymore. It it is also Easter, and so while I’m out in the sunshine I’m going to sincerely repent of all my many mistakes. So many. And yet what are you gonna do in this life? The definition of success is that that we get up when we fall down…

Happy Easter Saturday.

David Pratt ends his political career. The only Liberal I would ever have considered voting for, had I lived in his riding.

Michael Ignatieff “explains” his abortion motion fiasco.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jw7jT938pi0&feature=player_embedded]

Well done!

The headline could be “Majority backs abortion rights” *or* “Liberal pollster needs a competing headline.”  

“Would you call yourself pro-choice or pro-life?”

versus

“Is abortion morally wrong?”

These are two different questions. Many who would say abortion is morally wrong would also say they are pro-choice. (This is the rather large “wrong for me but I can’t tell others what to do” category.)

What is legal is not always moral and what is moral is not always legal.

Political parties on abortion: Let us pretend there is no issue, until such time as we want to make it into a wedge for our opponents.

Today on Parliament Hill, Conservative MP Helena Guergis faced a barrage of criticism during Question Period over a letter-writing campaign initiated by one two of her constituency staff. You can read about the incident here. Among the niceties heaped on Guergis during QP were accusations of shaming all women by her callous behaviour. I don’t remember who these “questions” came from but they were from the general vicinity of the cheerful abortion bunch. You know, the “abortion-saves-lives” ladies?

Am I ashamed to be a woman because Helena Guergis has well-meaning-yet-misguided staff? Not really. Am I ashamed to be a woman because Helena Guergis had a hissy fit at an airport? Bah. No. There is more to being a woman than getting a grip on one’s temper. I mean, is a man with bad B.O. a dishonour to all men? Didn’t think so.

But if you want to speak about women doing disservice to all women, why don’t we look at more substantial issues. Like last week’s comments by Carolyn Bennett, And if you think that this attitude is isolated, what do you think of this one by Ontario MPP Cheri DiNovo:

… look at the vast majority of folk who take time off on leave to look after their children. The vast majority of them are women. In their most productive professional years they have to take a year off, or sometimes more-many women take more-when men are still working. And those productive lags are what hurt women.

Thank you for reiterating that motherhood is not real — productive — work. Maybe what hurts women more is not the productive lag but the people, like MPP diNovo, who keep reminding the world that mothers are only worth as much as their paycheque.