Morgentaler named to Order of Canada *****
Posted on 01 July 2008 by Jack
Henry Morgentaler, the country’s best-known abortion-rights crusader, has been named to the Order of Canada, the country’s highest honour.
Governor General Michaëlle Jean on Tuesday announced 75 new appointments to the Order of Canada. The new appointees include five Companions, 26 Officers, and 43 Members, as well as one Honorary Officer.
Dr. Morgentaler was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada. He was awarded “for his commitment to increased health care options for women, his determined efforts to influence Canadian public policy and his leadership in humanist and civil liberties organization,” the Governor General said in a press release.
Even before the official announcement, the fact that Dr. Morgentaler’s name attached to the highest honour in the land ignited a firestorm of controversy, with online blogs, people opposed to abortion and pro-choice supporters wading into the Order of Canada committee’s decision.
Note: So much for the value of the Order of Canada. It was just thrown into the garbage where it has long belonged.
Update: Abortion And The Order Of Canada
Update: Dr. Morgentaler Is Just What the Order of Canada Needs
Updated Note: I disagree with BOTH links and as I said yesterday, “In no way would I ever accept this award”. The pic explains why. Call me totally disgusted with the GG. She should have known better.
Update: Jonathan Kay on the issue…
“Conferring such a prestigious award on Dr. Morgentaler would be a huge mistake — one, I expect, that will be greeted by the clink-clink of dozens of current OC holders returning their medals and pins. One wonders whether the Order of Canada would ever reclaim its former prestige.”
Goodnight again.
Popularity: 20% [?]
July 1st, 2008 at 7:23 pm
This Order of Canada is in the garbage along with all those murdered fetuses.
July 1st, 2008 at 7:24 pm
The awarding of the Order of Canada to Dr. Morgentaler and Peter Mansbridge brings back memories when certain soldiers in my regiment were awarded the Jubilee Medal in the late sixties.
The first to be called to receive the award was the Commanding Officers driver followed by his “batman”.
Deserving receipents followed but you could almost see them cringe when their name was announced just as I’m sure many present Order of Canada members are feeling today.
July 1st, 2008 at 7:28 pm
Any member of the Order who disagrees with this decision should return the “honor” immediately. They can do nothing less if they are truly “honorable”.
July 1st, 2008 at 7:57 pm
I’m not in favour of abortion, but I can accept that there is no law that would successfully prohibit it. Such a thing only serves to weaken the liberties of women and ultimately weakens the liberties of the society itself. If I were to choose whether to give Dr.Morgentaler the award, I probably wouldn’t. But millions of women wouldn’t agree with me. And I suspect it is on their behalf, their freedom to make that choice as a sovereign individual, that they feel he deserves it.
July 1st, 2008 at 8:07 pm
Doesn’t matter, Raphael. This goes to what I said yesterday about “high honors” in our society. They don’t mean a damned thing coming from the crowd that continually pull our legs and steal from us at every opportunity.
I hope Harper yanks the legs right out from under them at the first opportunity and creates a new award that has real meaning. As demonstrated today by the GG…the old awards are “popcorn stuff” and mean nothing at all.
July 1st, 2008 at 8:12 pm
“and yes”…I’m pissed off. I didn’t think the GG was this stupid but apparently she is.
“Happy Canada Day everyone!”
July 1st, 2008 at 8:14 pm
Jack, are you saying that National awards must conform with the beliefs of the majority of the population? Did Dr.Morgentaler not provide a safer medical environment for millions of Canadian women to seek the termination of unwanted fetuses without resorting to potentially dangerous and fatal techniques? Even if abortion were illegal it wouldn’t change the fact women would have them. But like some backwater Third World communist country our women would be having them in secret. And nothing would change.
July 1st, 2008 at 8:23 pm
I am saying that this man does not deserve the award. He has contributed nothing but death and destruction to our young and no matter how you try to paint the picture it still comes down to a bloody fetus in some doctors hands simply because the woman (in many cases) found it inconvenient to carry to term.
The fetus in the picture could have been any one of us. Think about that.
July 1st, 2008 at 8:35 pm
I am saying that this man does not deserve the award.
And I respect that opinion.
The fetus in the picture could have been any one of us. Think about that.
Yes it could have. But it wasn’t. And the likelihood is that the fetus in that picture didn’t feel any pain, nor had the sentience to know otherwise. This is a social construct of our own belief system that places a human value on a life form with potentiality to become human. I say potentiality because the life form cannot develop without the host mother, at least until well past the three month first trimester time period in which I say that abortion should be legal.
I think that it’s interesting that so many right wing individuals [myself excluded] think abortion is heinous, because it seems based largely on reasons of either a philosophical, archetypal, or theological basis. Philosophical because some people think that life, any life, is sacred. Archetypal because they haven’t given it much thought beyond “It’s wrong”. And religious because they don’t have a choice of free will, enslaved as they are to the ideology of their religion.
What I find interesting about the right wing view, is that conservatives above all should understand the folly of having children without the means to care for a child. The poor, and uneducated may not realize how difficult it is to have a child, and what kind of sacrifice it takes. When you think of the abandoned black babies in Toronto, or the scores of trailer parks, or the girls getting pregnant with child when they themselves are barely children, it makes you wonder whether this absolutist position on pro-life is all it’s cracked up to be.
And that’s just talking about Canada. In this nation almost anybody can raise a child and the welfare state will care for it. But what about Africa, Asia, and Latin America? The last thing I would proscribe for these people is more hungry mouths to feed, which means that the more prophylactics, sexual education, and access to abortions they get, the better. You have a situation in China and India where there are so many people that resources are a veritable scarcity and they’re going to come looking for ours.
Do you cherish the right to life so much that you would deny birth control methods in the third world where people can’t afford children? Do we really need another billion children in Asia?
July 1st, 2008 at 8:44 pm
It is just plain wrong. If indeed you feel Raphael that this was a wonderful option given to women–it wasn’t. What was a good option was birth control and condoms and responsible living. Abortion should never be thought of as birth control. Abort a fetus that is dead, yes. Abort when the mother is at risk. Killing babies is not on. Using birth control is. I do not require, nor do I welcome a male’s intervention on women’s issues. Oh I am angry. This man does not deserve this award. To reward someone for killing. How sick is that.
July 1st, 2008 at 8:51 pm
NB Tory Lady,
I don’t think it’s a wonderful option. It’s a matter of pragmatism. You can’t restrict a woman’s choice, you’ll only force it underground. As for responsibility of birth control… well, you can barely get some people to care for themselves. And you expect them to be “responsible”? That’s sort of an internal contradiction isn’t it?
July 1st, 2008 at 8:54 pm
If the choice were not there. If it was illegal to do abortions. Women would be more responsibile. A mere male has no credibility with me on this subject. Do not even try !!!
Out !!
July 1st, 2008 at 8:56 pm
It is too bad that no will republish all the editorials, columns, letters to the editors etc that were for or against abortion. Especially the letters etc that predicted what would happen, and the slippery slope we were about to embark on. Also all the proabortion articles that said, it would never lead to birth control, it would never be allowed after the first trimester. All those writers have been proven wrong 100 times over. I don’t think in Canada, yet, that abortions are allowed during birth like in the USA. It is strange or weird that in many hospitals women are having abortions on one floor, while a team is fighting to save the life of a preemie.
And what happens in africa has no bearing on this murderer getting the Order of Canada. Maybe he should have went to Africa but I bet he would not be welcomed there.
July 1st, 2008 at 8:58 pm
And what is worse is the liberals voted against the bill that would have made it illegal to harm the fetus of a woman who had made a choice to have her baby. Liberals are against women, plain and simple, from Jennifer to pregnant women.
July 1st, 2008 at 8:59 pm
Mary, I think what pro-lifers should focus on, instead of the all-or-nothing brick wall they are hitting their heads on, instead try to make it illegal after the first trimester. Then support Ken Epp’s bill C-484 on the right for women to choose to carry to term by making it a crime to harm a fetus.
July 1st, 2008 at 9:08 pm
Lead story on the national tonight is about this event and lots of people opposing it. The Prime Minister issued a statement, which Peter actually read, and showed the copy, saying the Government of Canada has no involvement in who gets this award.
The Chief Justice of the SCC is one of ten, on a committee, to select the receipients.
Art Hanger is outraged. Judy Rebick is estatic.
July 1st, 2008 at 9:12 pm
I commented earlier today, and if you will allow Jack, I will essentially repeat the comment.
The Liberals are working hard on their core vote constituency - the eastern urban woman, in the career/childbearing years. They have thrown this bit of red meat into the cage for us to snarl over while their greed shaft program circles the bowl.
As outraged as I am, my head kicks in at this point and says, ignore this. Let the old baby-killer have his piece of tin, his segment on CBC and CTV, and then, let him fade into eternal obscurity.
Let the baby-haters reconcile with their Maker over this.
In the meantime, just let the issue fizzle, and not rise to the bait. The red *astards know exactly what buttons to push. Let’s be smarter, and let them just punch a big marshmallow.
Baby haters. It’s what they are. Mercy upon their souls.
July 1st, 2008 at 9:19 pm
Oh, and Peter had to say that over 75 thousand people come out to celebrate on the Hill today. Big difference from the 20,000 he first said, it was a much smaller than other years.
July 1st, 2008 at 9:30 pm
This is just so wrong…and so sad.
And a complete slap in the face to the millions of Canadians who oppose unrestricted abortion.
A sad day, this Canada Day.
July 1st, 2008 at 9:34 pm
It is also a wedge issue that the Liberal hacks in charge of nominations are probably hoping to exploit. Looking for a sound bite of an outraged Conservative MP to use during the campaign.
Filthy Liberals; an that’s putting it kindly. Trying to divide and conquer again. With blood on their disgusting hands.
July 1st, 2008 at 10:03 pm
How many OC recipients will have the balls to send their medals back? This will separate those wih principles from those who lack same.
Mine would be in the mail or on a courier back to the GG’s office immediately! Tonite! Canada Day ‘08!
CRB
July 1st, 2008 at 10:10 pm
Terminate the entire awards program. I thought it of dubious value before. The award to the abortionist demeans the awards to an embarrassing valueless piece of cheap metal. Cancel the Order of Canada immediately.
July 1st, 2008 at 10:22 pm
I would have thought Pierre Trudeau devalued the award decades ago anyway…
July 1st, 2008 at 10:25 pm
I think LG’s got it right. This is Liebral bait while GST2 circles looking for support.
We’ve got bigger fish to fry than the nomination of a talking head and an abortionist.
Onwards and upwards.
Weird Brew though
July 1st, 2008 at 10:37 pm
The order is bestowed on those with a certain political bent - i.e. not a conservative thinker. I know many who have been named for the order for many years and will never receive one because of their politics. To mention just two: Don Cherry and Lowell Green. Both tops in their fields and both politically incorrect.
Just shows how cheap the whole thing has become.
July 1st, 2008 at 10:56 pm
Maybe we should rename it the “Disorder of Canada”.
Disgusting.
July 1st, 2008 at 11:27 pm
Take it easy folks - it’s the joke of the century - they’ve finally dumped one in their own nest.
Sit back - read the list - have a good laugh at how ridiculous they all look, lined up to be gonged with the Butcher of Toronto.
Kim Campbell
Mansbridge
McKenna
Some beat up old daughter-in-law of Lethter B Pearthon
Buzzzz Hargrove
French Fries McCain
and other assorted liberals by the score
It’s a list to warm your heart!
July 1st, 2008 at 11:37 pm
I lost any respect for the Order of Canada quite a while ago. Trudeau got the O of C in 1985. “Nough said?
July 2nd, 2008 at 12:05 am
Unfortunate that the Order of Canada has degenerated to this. Sort of stains those who really deserved it.