Henry Morgentaler receives Order of Canada

[Canada 02]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servl.../National/home

this ought to stimulate some interesting discussion.

Interesting that the selection committee would take such a bold moral/political stand

[Ozy_Flame]

I like it, frankly, if for no other reason than to put one of the most controversial and visible health figures on a pedestal. Also, it's a kick in the face to religious types, which gives him extra bonus points.

[habernac]

The man gave women the right to choose and put his life on the line to do it. Well deserved.

[llama64]

He deserves it.

Human rights do not apply to unborn children.

[Flashpoint]

Nice to see him recognized for what he has accomplished. Just a shame it took till 1988 for it to occur.

[The Goon]

When I was a teenager I protested outside his Harbord Street clinic. Good times, good times...

[MarchHare]

This should be required reading for anyone who doesn't think Morgentaler deserves this honour:

http://www.nationalpost.com/opinion/...html?id=283931

I am honoured to be speaking today, and honored to call Henry Morgentaler my friend.

I have been an abortion provider since 1972. Why do I do abortions, and why do I continue to do abortions, despite two murder attempts?

The first time I started to think about abortion was in 1960, when I was in secondyear medical school. I was assigned the case of a young woman who had died of a septic abortion. She had aborted herself using slippery elm bark.

I had never heard of slippery elm. A buddy and I went down to skid row, and without too much difficulty, purchased some slippery elm bark to use as a visual aid in our presentation. Slippery elm is not sterile, and frequently contains spores of the bacteria that cause gas gangrene. It is called slippery elm because, when it gets wet, it feels slippery. This makes it easier to slide slender pieces through the cervix where they absorb water, expand, dilate the cervix, produce infection and induce abortion. The young woman in our case developed an overwhelming infection. At autopsy she had multiple abscesses throughout her body, in her brain, lungs, liver and abdomen.

I have never forgotten that case.

After I graduated from University of British Columbia medical school in 1962, I went to Chicago, where I served my internship and Ob/Gyn residency at Cook County Hospital. At that time, Cook County had about 3,000 beds, and served a mainly indigent population. If you were really sick, or really poor, or both, Cook County was where you went.

The first month of my internship was spent on Ward 41, the septic obstetrics ward. Yes, it's hard to believe now, but in those days, they had one ward dedicated exclusively to septic complications of pregnancy.

About 90% of the patients were there with complications of septic abortion. The ward had about 40 beds, in addition to extra beds which lined the halls. Each day we admitted between 10-30 septic abortion patients. We had about one death a month, usually from septic shock associated with hemorrhage.

I will never forget the 17-year-old girl lying on a stretcher with 6 feet of small bowel protruding from her vagina. She survived.

I will never forget the jaundiced woman in liver and kidney failure, in septic shock, with very severe anemia, whose life we were unable to save.

Today, in Canada and the U.S., septic shock from illegal abortion is virtually never seen. Like smallpox, it is a "disappeared disease."

[Doctordestiny]

I know I'll be in the minority here, but I find this absolutely disgusting. But then I'm one who believes that life begins if not the time of conception or soon after, definitely a time when most abortions are murder. The heart starts beating at what 22 days or so (not sure); tell me that's not a human life. Now hammer away at me if you must. I find this way more distasteful than just about thing else I can think of that folks here protest about.

[Kjesse]

I'm pro-choice, and still don't think he deserves the Order of Canada.

I'm pro-choice because I think it is important to give women an option, and I don't think the state has the right to force them to carry a baby to term. At the same time I think abortion is wrong. I also do not think abortion should be covered by public health plans.

I do respect what Mortgentaler went through though, to achieve something he truly believes in.

I'm really surprised such a controversial decision like this would be made. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the existing OC members resign from the Order.

[cyclone3483]

Originally Posted by Doctordestiny

I know I'll be in the minority here, but I find this absolutely disgusting. But then I'm one who believes that life begins if not the time of conception or soon after, definitely a time when most abortions are murder. The heart starts beating at what 22 days or so (not sure); tell me that's not a human life. Now hammer away at me if you must. I find this way more distasteful than just about thing else I can think of that folks here protest about.

no hammering here, I agree with you.

my opinion: abortion is for protecting the health of the mother or potentially to be used in rape cases...not for a convenient way to correct a "mistake". I would bet that there would be fewer teen pregnancies if abortion was illegal.

Anyway, my opinion. Since this is a hot topic, let's try to share our opinions, but avoid confusing opinion with fact. No one's opinion is wrong, just different.

[MarchHare]

I would bet that there would be fewer teen pregnancies if abortion was illegal.

Did it occur to you that there's a very easy way to test your theory? Compare teen pregnancy rates in Canada now vs. pre-1988 when Canada legalized abortion.

I'll save you the google search: teen pregnancy in Canada has been consistently dropping over the past few decades and is currently at an all-time low. I'm not going to make a causality argument, however, because I don't think legalized abortion affects the teen pregnancy rate one way or the other.

There will always be demand for abortion services; the only difference legalizing the practice has is whether those services are provided by doctors in safe, sterilized environments, or by shady characters in the proverbial back alley with the coat hanger (or slippery elm bark, as per my previous post).

[PYroMaNiaC]

This man fought for freedom in a country that is considered "free". He braved outrageous anger, condemnation, murder attempts - essentially warfare - to bring free choice to us. Whether you agree with abortion or not, is irrelevant.

[killer_carlson]

I'm not going to get into the abortion debate, but I am totally against morgentaler getting this.

This is reserved as the highest honour our country can give out. This man might be one of the most loved/most hated in our nation's history. How can you suggest that he is deserving of our nation's highest honour when half the population wants him tried for murder? Our nation's highest honour should only go to those who the nation overwhelmingly believe that it is deserved.

I think this reeks of a political gesture out of the GG office to paint the conservatives in a negative light.

All of this, plus the fact that Black hasn't had his revoked have made this honour into a joke. Way to go Michelle Jean, way to go.

[CaptainCrunch]

I guess you can call me another person that doesn't think that this is an appropriate recipient. It pretty much slaps every Canadian in the face that believes that there has to be some definition of the rights of the Fetus.

I am ok with abortion in terms of rape, severe harm to the mother or grave birth defects, but I strongly dislike abortion as a method of birth control without consequences.

[mykalberta]

Kind of fits, our National past time sports Hall of Fame is a joke, the Order of Canada might as well be a joke as well.

Who determines who gets this award - if its an arm of the Fed govt, good move Stevie in an attempt to defend against the obvious attacks upcoming in the next election.

[PYroMaNiaC]

Everyone that disagrees with this decision seems anti-abortion (except if it's rape or puts the mother's life in danger), but having free choice means allowing everyone to decide for themselves, a right each of you holds pretty dear to your hearts. Whether it be walk your dog on or off a leash, smoke in your vehicle, wear perfume, eat peanuts or have an abortion. Others fought and some even died for your right to choose. Morgantaler fought for an unpopular choice, but that doesn't diminish the fact that his work allowed it to be one.

Morgantaler brought out into the open what was happening in back alleys and dirty basements. When something of this nature is opened up and scrutinized, people (women mostly) can make better, more informed decisions. With more information, less accidents happen.

[Bend it like Bourgeois]

I'm not sure a club that brings in athletes and singers should be playing a political game like this.

I can admire the man's determination and I happen to think the direction is probably a good one, but having a government institution thumb it's nose at a big portion of the population is bad news.

[MarchHare]

How can you suggest that he is deserving of our nation's highest honour when half the population wants him tried for murder?

Half? More like one-quarter, if that. According to this 2005 survey, 52% of Canadians are happy with current abortion laws and a further 20% would like to see the laws relaxed. Only 24% of Canadians wanted to see more strict abortion laws.

[bcb]

Originally Posted by llama64

He deserves it.

Human rights do not apply to unborn children.

It's kind of easy to say that, since you've already been born!

[flamey_mcflame]

The one thing I've never understood about anti-abortionists. Why are the same people who oppose abortion based on, "destroying life is wrong" are also the same people most in favor of capital punishment. Morgentaler deserves the the Order of Canada in my books. He made a difference to thousands of women out there. He wasn't the only one, but he was the face and name that most associated with. Hey, I can't stand Don Cherry, but if he got the Order of Canada, I'm not gonna cry foul. He is a hero to many Canadians.