Right to life needs to be respected

This letter is in response to an article on Marguerite Allen, a 92-year-old who isn’t impressed she still has to protest, for what she calls, basic human rights for women (‘Standing up for each other,’ Cape Breton Post, Jan. 23).

Formerly from the United States, Allen now lives in Cape Breton where she joined about 200 men, women and children to protest the Trump administration’s attitude toward women. Fearing he won’t respect gains women have made, including securing autonomy over reproductive/sexual rights, large rallies organized to protest mocking Trump with pussy hats and signage, calling him Hitler, f... so/ so, etc. Allen’s sign also used vulgar language.

Local rally organizer Pamela Johnson said “... while women have made great strides over the years, they must remain vigilant ... we have our own work to do here in Canada. This is an opportunity to explore what is going on here and ... come together to make sure we’re amplifying voices that don’t often get heard.”

Some of what is going on here is in response to a $600 million shortfall after Trump pulled funding related to abortions overseas, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged Canada will contribute $650 million, which will essentially be used to make abortions more accessible globally. We have artificial contraception, sterilization, abortion and euthanasia on demand. Euthanasia reportedly saves us $139 million yearly by not treating those euthanized. Legislated assisted deaths in Quebec alone in year one, passed the euthanasia rate (449) Belgium took five years to reach.

Trudeau, who insists his roots run deep in Christianity, wouldn’t allow a single pro-life member into his Liberal Party. Despite these deep roots, he is credited with accelerating the speed of secularizing Canada. These roots didn’t restrain him from ordering his elected MPs to vote pro-choice on abortion issues, or from not allowing conscientious objection, or the Hippocratic oath, to exempt medical personnel from at least making a referral to assist a death; 2,400 years of “do no harm” lost to a lack of moral courage.

Unlike Trump, Trudeau’s dictatorial style is, in my opinion, advanced by the media. It’s reminiscent of how they once advanced Dr. Henry Morgantaler as a modern visionary. He was awarded an Order of Canada for his pro-death contributions. Now some petition for a National Day of Remembrance for him. These people are shaping Canada as a leader in accessible death and they’re succeeding. Debates worldwide now hold up Canada with The Netherlands and Belgium as countries seen as having gone way too far.

Canada once abounded in morality. Pro-life meant thou shalt not kill. There was no suicide, no mental health crisis, no sexually transmitted disease crisis and no atheistic bewilderment about the meaning of life. Life wasn’t perfect but people knew they were wanted and they were much healthier for knowing.

We allowed abortion and euthanasia laws to pass, so somewhere along the way scales tipped, changing our thinking from thou shalt not kill to thou shalt not disturb me with matters of conscience.

Laws can be repealed and the sanctity of life restored by seizing opportunities, as Johnson’s advises, “to come together to make sure we are amplifying voices that don’t often get heard.”

Conscience cannot be lived out in a more heartfelt way than to respect the right to life of every human being from conception until their natural death. This is matured acceptance; a craved-for commodity in our modern world today. Angela MacDougall, Jamesville, Victoria Co.