Joyce Arthur's recent piece in the Huffington Post is one that is ripe with inconsistencies and misleading statements, and it's no surprise given that she has had a love affair with the traditionally dishonest pro-abortion movement for years. Arthur, the executive director of the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada, bemoans what she believes was a recent attack on a woman's "right" to abortion, and insists that pro-lifers are more concerned with controlling women rather than with defending the life and dignity of preborn human person.
Despite the fact that Stephen Woodworth's Motion 312 aims to look at modern scientific evidence to review when human life begins, Arthur believes that it is just part of the pro-life movement's secret plan to enslave women (note: women compose the majority of the pro-life movement), and that the personhood debate is irrelevant to the abortion question. Arthur then goes on to elaborate on many other points that we at Campaign Life Coalition Youth could not help but address.
The heart of "Choice Joyce"'s argument is her insistence that Canadian women have a right to abortion at even the ninth month of pregnancy (as Woodworth's motion seeks to correct), and are entitled to a pity party because pro-lifers, and apparently Parliament, just won't stop attacking that right. She is dismayed that 44 "anti-choice" bills and motions have been introduced into Parliament since 1987, because apparently the two million Canadians who have been aborted within the same time period just aren't enough for her.
However, as Brian Lilley explained to Choice Joyce several times in a single interview, Canadian women do not have a constitutional right to abortion. The Morgentaler Decision of 1988 struck down all previous abortion laws as unconstitutional, resulting in the total decriminalization of abortion in Canada. However, it did not grant, regulate, or guarantee any so-called "rights" to anyone. In fact, when the decision was made, the Supreme Court assumed that Parliament would pass laws regulating abortion since, you know, that's Parliament's job.
Only the radically pro-abortion Justice Bertha Wilson believed in a right to abortion, but she was in favour of limiting it to the first trimester, and was not in favour of abortion-on-demand up until birth -- which is currently the law of the land.
On the other hand, the dissenting justices insisted that "save for the provisions of the Criminal Code, permitting abortion where the life or health of the woman is at risk, no right of abortion can be found in Canadian law, custom or tradition and the Charter, including s.7, does not create such a right." Further, they noted, "there has always been a clear recognition of a public interest in the protection of the preborn and there is no evidence or indication of general acceptance of the concept of abortion at will in our society."
Clearly, the "right" to abortion that forms the basis of Choice Joyce's position is about as substantial as the unicorn, and not nearly as pleasant. She then attacks Stephen Woodworth for falling into what she calls the "fetus focus fallacy," and explains that:
"The supreme irony of Woodworth's motion is its faux concern over our Canadian law 'that decrees some human beings are not human beings,' even while the effect of the motion would be to remove 'human being' legal protections from pregnant women and give them to their fetuses instead."
I always find it interesting that pro-abortionists believe that recognizing the personhood of someone else will somehow deplete their own, and that that in itself is reason enough to deny others what is due to them. That is also the epitome of oppression.
In her hilariously fallacious explanation of the "fetus focus fallacy," Choice Joyce declares that personhood is contingent upon the capabilities of the brain, thus immediately eliminating small children and people with mental disabilities from Choice Joyce's list of acceptable persons. She then uses her outdated understanding of human biology as further proof of the preborn's supposed non-personhood:
"At various stages, fetuses have eyes on stalks, notochords (instead of spines), fish-like gills, tails, downy fur, distorted torsos, spindly legs, giant heads, and alien-looking faces. In fact, an early human fetus is practically indistinguishable in appearance from a dog or pig fetus."
It really sounds like she's is stuck in the 1800s. I guess she hasn't heard yet, but Haeckel's drawings were a fraud! Besides, that description also fits many people who have gone, and are going through the ever-awkward stages of puberty. I'm still trying to forget the days of spindly legs, a distorted torso, and an alien looking-face, but I'm pretty sure that even though I was an unattractive and unpleasant pre-teen, I was still a person. What happened to beauty being in the eyes of the beholder, anyway?
Later in the article, Choice Joyce drops this little racist gem:
"Surely, no all-party committee would recommend a backbencher's motion that, for example, wanted to examine whether black people should go back to Africa, or whether Muslims should have freedom of religion."
I think it's fair to say that racial equality is not morally equivalent to being allowed to dismember a 28-week-old preborn child, for no other reason than that the mother no longer wants it, is pretty disgusting. She then closes by informing readers that abortion is part of good mothering, even though abortion by the nature of the act is the complete and total rejection of the child by its mother, making it the anti-thesis of good mothering.
What Choice Joyce and her cronies need to understand is that their lies simply aren't cutting it in Canada anymore. Instead of formulating a sound argument, they attack the legitimacy of the debate. However, the debate is on, and isn't going away until the right to life for all Canadians is acknowledged and ensured.
Even though Joyce Arthur et al. seem to think they have a deeper understanding of womanhood than normal women do, they should at least try to comprehend that women are not stupid, that they have a right to know the truth about abortion, and that they should be free to make up their own minds about what is being discussed in Motion 312.
Originally posted on Life Site News.
Tracey McNeill: A New Way to Reduce the Number of Abortions
David Suzuki: Quebecers Are Protesting Logical Fallacies
Joyce Arthur: Hey Parliament, Keep Your Laws Off my Body
The author also deserves recognition for realizing that "Joyce" rhymes with "choice." "Choice Joyce" is so wonderfully clever that it would've been a shame not to use it as many times as possible.
I was also under the impression that the fact that all mammalian fetuses resemble each other in the earliest stages of development had nothing to do with the "phylogeny recapitulates ontogeny" theory (i.e. Haeckel's drawings). But clearly the author's reading comprehension skills are better than mine, and I'm thankful she noticed something Joyce Arthur didn't actually say.
It is full of strawmen and false generalizations. You won't win anyone over to your way of thinking by publishing this sort of shrill clap trap.
Maybe in your circles it is acceptable to use cutsie but condescending nicknames like "Choice Joyce", but it just reminds me of Bill O' Reilly calling a doctor in Kansas "Tiller the Killer" until eventually one of your supporters killed this doctor.
I am saddened that, to prove your point, you felt you must lower yourself to the level of name calling and unpleasant and uncivil diction. Just as I am saddened that some (but not all) of my fellow commentors have resorted to the same level. Discourse works best if every party agrees to respect the views of the other, and I feel that you take a less than respectful position towards Joyce Arthur and others who believe that women should be able to choose.
I can only hope that being exposed to more views, especially ones expressed in a civil and polite manner, will change your mind. If not, that's ok; as I said, you are entitled to your own views and opinions. In that case, I can only hope you learn to express them more respectfully.
Much of your argument centres around Arthur claiming that women have a right to abortions, which is not true. In the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, there is nothing written about abortions.
However, section seven states "everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of the person and the right not to be deprived thereof except in accordance with the principles of fundamental justice."
Security of person deals with every persons right to bodily autonomy, meaning that all people may make medical decisions for themselves, by themselves, and have no obligation to share their decisions with anyone.
This means that women have the right to choose.
As one commentor pointed out, women have other choices than abortions, including adoption and keeping the baby which, in the commentor's opinion, negates the need for abortion as a choice. But I ask, is it morally fair and just to allow a person to choose while limiting their options? Is the integrity of such an important choice preserved if we force a woman to choose between what she sees at the lesser of two evils? I don't believe so. Which is why I believe that every woman must be given the opportunity to choose from all possible options- by not limiting the choices to only those that do not offended a portion of the population.
In particular, I refer you to the evidence (http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2012/01/chart-day-abortion-rates-around-world) that abortion rates around the world do not depend much on how liberal/criminalized is abortion. Western Europe has the lowest rate and Eastern Europe the highest rate, but they both have very liberal laws.
I think there is common ground between pro-lifers and pro-choicers in the sense that we would all prefer to reduce the number of abortions through means other than criminalization, so it is a shame that we do not pursue these options more vigorously. After all, if we could reduce North American abortion rates to Western European ones that would be over a 50% reduction without any criminalization.
and the Life coalition went on being crazy and everyone ignored them because they are fringe religious fanatics. and we all lived happily ever after..
Thanks.
And they vote accordingly.
The anti-choice movement will NEVER get the majority to agree with them. In fact, I don't think they really want to.
I think they have built a worldview where they are the ''victims'' and if anyone is having a ''pity party'', it's the anti-choice movement, who are seeing their pinprick-sized window of opportunity disappear.
Relax. We weren't going back to the Middle Ages, ever. No matter what your preacher told you.
If pro-aborts are not worried at all that legislation like this will never pass.. why did Joyce bother writing her original article in the first place? What a waste of time!
If your "choice" means disembowelling, dismembering and decapitating a baby.. than yes.. I am anti-choice.
If choice means having more than one option.. than I am pro-choice. You can have the baby, or give the baby up for adoption. The only "choice" pro-lifers disagree is the one that ends up with a dead baby and an emotionally and physically wounded woman.
If we don't know when life begins... wouldn't that make abortion even worse?
If you wanted to demolish a building, would you not proceed with the demolition until you were absolutely 100% certain that no one remained in the building? Should not kill the preborn until we are 100% certain that doing so does not abort a life....?
I also enjoy the people who say they are open to debate... if that were the case... they would be calling and visiting their MP asking them to vote in favour of Motion 312.... I wonder if any of them have done that yet.... hmmmm....
I hope the Huff posts more of your stuff... you're quite witty and I enjoy your stuff...keep it up!
that sums up everyones argument right there. this isnt an open debate, its one religious fanatical group (much like the Taliban to a lesser degree) trying to enforce their crazy religious doctrine on others..
Where did Cassie once bring up religion or God....I must have missed that part.
The pro-life movement is simply defending this logical syllogism:
1)Human beings have rights (including the right to life).
2)Human babies, born and unborn, are human beings.
3)Therefore, human babies, born and unborn, have rights (including the right to life).
It follows logically that a human is a human at any age. How can we judge by age saying rights depend on whether: you are 20 years old, 2 years old, 1 day old, 1 minute after being born, 1 minute before being born, 2 months before being born etc...?
This equality of rights is the simple truth the pro-life position strives to uphold.
In so far as Motion 312- it's funny.. some of the comments are "I am open to debate"....if that were the case- you would ask your MP to vote in favour of Motion 312... I wonder how many have actually done that.... hmmm.....
Can't wait to read more stuff from you... it's most enjoyable.
If you were walking down the street and saw a man beating his two year old on the front lawn.. would you keep on walking and say it's not your problem or would you do something to stop the injustice?
Not to mention that abortion is covered by our tax dollars... if we have to pay for it... we get a say in it.
For all you know, jimbo57 could be the loving father of several children, committed to giving them, and other people's children, the best possible start in life. And for all I know, you are the kind of person who enjoys that delicate frisson of eating a good meal while starving beggars look on in envy.
Setting up false equivalencies, as you have done above, does nothing to convince the majority of Canadians that women have the inherent right to determine what their own bodies are used for.
Sorry Cassie but you are way out of your tepid depth on this issue. Women in this country make the decision to abort or not quite independently, strictly in private, & only in consultation only with their doctor, their conscience/god/inserted_spiritual_term_of_choice & with anyone else only as they see fit. This decision is NOT your call, nor is it anyone else's. We fought and won two world wars to avoid your kind of totalitarian dictatorship. You cannot drag us backward to your biblical stone age.
Abortion is legal & private in Canada & will remain that way. Go find a better cause to support that has an actual moral force of good behind it, such as convincing the evil Roman Catholic school boards in Ontario to drop their ridiculous bigotry against gay students, or assisting in counselling services for the thousands of former pupils irrevocably damaged by the physical & sexual abuse of Roman Catholic priests/nuns in residential schools & parishes across Canada. Better yet, campaign to make the Roman Catholic Church pay income taxes & open its books to public scrutiny. Those would be actual GOOD causes.
There is ample evidence in the form of 1) the literature that various anti-choice groups give out that uses numerous biblical and doctrinal ''reasons'' to oppose abortion and 2) various religious leaders are constantly in the news condemning abortion on religious grounds.
Since these leaders preach publicly regarding their church's stance AND have the audacity to instruct their followers on how to vote regarding this issue, the anti-choice movement must accept that having allied themselves with the religious groups, they are unified with them, and pay that penalty.
Religious animosity towards abortion, birth control, single mothers and equal rights under the law for LGBT persons has been extremely vocal - I don't hear the non-religious anti-choice spokespeople out there disavowing these stances.
You are judged by the company you keep.
1) Nature always sides with the mother. If a pregnant female of any species is at risk and aborting the foetus will alleviate that risk, Nature always goes with the abortion. It's only natural. An adult female of child-bearing age is a considerably better survival bet than a newborn infant with or without a surviving mother. Forcing a female to carry to term and give birth even when it jeopardizes the female's health, on the other hand - that is distinctly unnatural and only humans have ever tried it.
2) .You speak of the 'traditionally dishonest pro-abortion movement' when there has never actually *been* a pro-abortion movement - just a pro-choice movement that insists that a woman (yes, you too) has the right to dictate what happens to her own body - including the right to carry to term even if your health is in jeopardy. Yet your 'movement' actually *changed* it's name from 'anti-abortion' to 'pro-life' when they realized that the name 'anti-abortion' appeared politically incorrect and has never cared about life at all. Once the question of abortion is off the table, your movement couldn't care less if mother and child *both* die, as long as no abortion was involved. So who's *really* 'traditionally dishonest'?