I can’t remember whether we’ve posted about this before or not. A moving story. The family’s blog is here. (h/t)

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDY2OQqETP0#t=137]

I just signed up for this September 16th luncheon conference. You can too here.

Description:

L’avortement par médicament

Alors que la mifepristone, aussi connue sous le nom de RU-486, est en attente d’approbation à Santé Canada, la FQPN invite trois panélistes à partager leurs connaissances sur cette substance, ses effets, ses modes de fonctionnement et son impact sur la santé des femmes et les services d’avortement.

Cette conférence aura lieu à la maison Parent-Roback, 110 rue Sainte Thérèse à Montréal (apportez votre lunch) mais il sera aussi possible d’y participer à distance en se connectant à une salle de conférence virtuelle.

AVEC LA PRÉSENCE DE

Dr. Elizabeth AUBENY, présidente de l’Association française pour la contraception et administratrice du FIAPAC
Dr. Christian FIALA, directeur médical de la clinique Gynmed à Vienne et administrateur du FIAPAC
Dr. Edith GUILBERT, Clinicienne, clinique de planification des naissances du CHUL-CHU de Québec et médecin conseil, Institut national de santé publique du Québec.

To say that abortion is birth control is a controversial statement.

It is also controversial to say that men and women are different. Following this,  it is also controversial to say that it is a misogynistic culture/country that thinks that women getting pregnant with random men they meet at Stampede and then getting abortions as the fix is AOK and unworthy of discussion. (The men never land in a clinic for a surgery–wondering what they are doing–some weeks/months down the road.)

These musing are sparked by this post from We Need A Law, about the post-Stampede increase in abortions.

Our former classmate began by telling me about the time she lived in Calgary and worked at a downtown medical lab. This particular lab was located near the Kensington Clinic, a private, for-profit abortion facility. Her lab handled the majority of the clinic’s blood work. My classmate explained that the month of September was always extremely busy and was known as “Stampede Month” to healthcare workers. She must have sensed my confusion so she spelled it out for me: between eight and twelve weeks after the Calgary Stampede, a large number of women come in to abort the unexpected pregnancies resulting from sexual trysts during the Stampede.

An important update: I mentioned earlier I wouldn’t do the ice bucket challenge because I believed the ALS society used unethical methods of research, creating embryos for science so they can be later destroyed. I was wrong, which is good news. A friend who is similarly concerned and has ALS in the family–so in other words, really wanting to support good research–asked whether ALS Canada and ALS USA work together. He received this reply:

As you will likely see if you go back in our grants, we did have a brief partnership with ALSA in the late 2000’s where we jointly funded some Canadian scientists. It lasted a couple of years only and no human embryonic stem cell work was funded. We currently have no ties with ALSA and share no revenue or programs. Thanks for reaching out to us about this. David Taylor, PhD,Director of Research, ALS Society of Canada (bold is mine)

So. A good news story, worthy of correction. I now believe if Canadians want to dump a bucket of ice water on their head, they should go ahead and do so.

Monday funny:

What Margaret Wente is proposing for old age, I’m proposing for right now:

The truth is that being the oldest person in the room isn’t as bad as it’s made out to be. And as for that grey-suited power woman, I don’t envy her for a minute. Instead, I feel an overwhelming surge of relief that I don’t have to live that life any more. I don’t have to get up at 5, hit the office at 8, work 12 hours a day, wear pantyhose and take my two weeks off a year with a cellphone glued to my hip. I don’t have to worry about my next promotion, where my career is going, how many people are smarter and more talented than I am or what I’ll do if my boss turns out to be an evil, soul-sucking maniac. That’s easy. I’ll quit.

So what about a more whimsical approach to life? Way too many women I know live harried, tired lives, with cell phones attached to one hip, a baby on the other, enjoying neither. This is, by the way, the culture that tells you that the height of all success lies in wearing a power suit, and going to “the office.” It is very, very hard to shake that. I couldn’t when I started out, but I could now, and I’m just shy of the power suit age that Wente describes as “young.” (I don’t think it is, and clearly I have the mentality of someone nearing retirement, by her description.)

We need to be more free in our thoughts. And in my opinion, the very least free people are those telling you they need the choice of abortion. They don’t have the imagination to see that life could be livable in a different way, more often than not. (Remember, the dire circumstances we’re told about so often are a slim, slim minority.) Not that I blame them. I freely admit I might not have, prior to my current “old age.”

So you have women who go and get abortions because the very real pressure they feel lies around living differently–not that they couldn’t make it work. And indeed, not that they wouldn’t even be happier if they tried.

What if we just held men accountable for their own behaviour? Matt Walsh asks the questions. Well, yes. A fine idea. His points are good ones:

1. The internet is not an alternate dimension where the laws of morality, ethics, and basic human decency are magically suspended.

2. It isn’t cool for men to be sexually desperate.

3. I’m not one to bust out the “victim blaming” card, but this appears to be an appropriate time to play it.

We need men to talk to men about how looking at pictures of naked women on the internet is lame behaviour. Particularly, though certainly not exclusively, when the pictures are stolen.

A few people have emailed or asked whether I would do it. No, I wouldn’t, because I never want to encourage the use of embryos for scientific research. (NB: Stem cells need not be embryonic. There is much research that can be done without using embryos, and to date, it’s been more effective, anyway.)

Then I saw this about Matt Damon who disagrees with the challenge for different, but also valid, reasons.

He was creative in his rejection of the challenge, as you can watch below.

It got me thinking. How could pro-lifers be creative in rejecting the challenge? What I like about Matt Damon’s response is he drew positive attention to his cause. A little levity can go a long way. So pro-lifers, what could we do?

[youtube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlGhuud-s4w]

Human trafficking, prostitution, pornography, sex slavery: All of the above are linked and happen under our noses right here in Canada. If this is something that concerns you, consider joining in on this event. The info below is from Ashley Elliot, walk coordinator:  

The term “human trafficking” often conjures images of brothels in South East Asia or forced labour in sweatshops throughout the developing world, but unbeknownst to many in our own communities, it is happening in Canada as well.

Join us September 27th at the inaugural [free-them] Freedom Walk to be a part of the solution to end slavery in Canada! Hear from some of Canada’s greatest voices on the issue of human trafficking from our government, law enforcement, and survivors of human trafficking. Then head into the streets of Ottawa to walk for freedom.

WHEN: Saturday, September 27th

Breakfast & Honourary Ceremony: 9:00am at the Ottawa Convention Centre, 55 Colonel By Dr.

Walk: 11:30am route: Elgin – Catherine – Bank – Parliament Hill

Speakers: Ottawa Deputy Mayor Steve Desroches; Minster of Public Safety Steven Blaney; Ottawa Police Detective Carolyn Botting; and survivor of human trafficking Simone Bell. The morning will be emceed by Ken Evraire.

Register individually or as a team: www.freethemwalkottawa.ca $15 includes complimentary breakfast, guest speakers, slave-free marketplace and a kid-zone prepared with fun activities for children.  Join the purple wave, [free-them] t-shirts available for $15 and will be free to those who raise $100 or more.

Join the freedom movement and walk with us Saturday, September 27th!!

I’m sure you’ve all heard about Richard Dawkins’ tweet regarding unborn children diagnosed with Down Syndrome.  He was asked what should be done if a woman discovered she was pregnant with a child with DS. His response: