Abortion, unfortunately, will not be on the ballot April 28. A just society would protect in law the life of every person, including the unborn. However, none of our major parties will open the abortion issue for debate in Parliament. The Liberals and NDP have banned candidates who oppose legal abortion. The Conservatives will allow pro-life candidates. That is, a candidate can personally oppose abortion, but if they think a Conservative government will restrict abortion, forget it. Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has stated that will not happen.

This is a scandalous situation for Canada. It cannot be sugar-coated. That our country, which has many virtues, allows the unrestricted use of abortion shows darkness in our national character.

Mostly, we don’t even talk about it anymore. It is a polarizing issue that divides family members and sets friends against each other. A lively discussion about abortion used to take place in Canada. I recall attending a debate at the University of Regina in the mid-1970s between the renowned pro-life philosopher Germain Grisez and a pro-choice advocate whom I have long forgotten. It was a raucous affair attended by hundreds of people. At least the issue was discussed.

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After the fateful day of Jan. 28, 1988 when the Supreme Court of Canada struck down the country’s abortion law, flimsy as it was, the cone of silence began to descend. Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, to his everlasting credit, twice attempted to pass a new restrictive law. 

The first attempt failed when pro-lifers felt the legislation was too lax, and those who favoured legal abortion believed it was too restrictive. Abortion became an issue during the 1988 federal election, but it was a distant second in the public mind to the proposed Canada-U.S. free trade agreement. The Liberals said their MPs could vote their conscience on abortion, while Mulroney only said he was opposed to abortion on demand.

After the Conservatives were re-elected with a majority, Mulroney introduced a much more restrictive bill than his first attempt. It would have banned all abortions unless the health or life of the mother was threatened. Realistically, one could not have expected further restrictions to win parliamentary approval.

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In retrospect, it seems incredible that the bill passed in the House of Commons. Nevertheless, in the Senate, it died on a tie vote, with pro-choice and some pro-life senators voting against the bill. Mulroney then announced he had done all he could to pass an abortion law and would not try again.

Since then, no government has re-opened the issue. The stance of the Liberals, NDP and Greens can legitimately be described as pro-abortion. (With the Greens especially, that is hard to swallow.) However, the Conservatives have not been much better. They fear the fallout from proposing to restrict abortion and won’t touch the issue with a 10-foot pole. Some of their leaders have been nominally pro-life but refused to introduce legislation.

Although this did not involve abortion, the failure of the Harper government to restrict assisted suicide revealed the Tories’ fear of tackling the issue. A February 2015 Supreme Court decision overturned the law which made it a crime to help a person commit suicide. The court delayed implementation of its ruling for a year to allow time to pass a new law. While that gave the Harper government lots of time to act, it ignored the opportunity. Instead, the Conservatives called an election on Aug. 4, which the Liberals under Justin Trudeau won 11 weeks later.

The new government passed a law allowing for assisted suicide, now euphemistically called medical assistance in dying, with weak restrictions. In 2027, those restrictions will be further weakened to allow those who are mentally ill to apply for and receive assisted suicide. 

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Nobody holds their head high in this situation. The best pro-life supporters can do is to try to change the cultural climate. Organizations that offer education about the life of the unborn or provide help to pregnant and new single mothers are our way of showing we respect both the mothers and their babies. 

Although some pro-lifers resist the idea, a seamless garment approach can help nurture public respect to human life at all stages. Stand against war and the global arms buildup, and in favour of programs to end homelessness, reduce drug addiction and counter climate change. Human life should be protected in a myriad of ways. Support the efforts that you can. However, don’t expect politicians to end abortion. They won’t.