Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Bite me, Frum

It's Bizarro-World... one of the Bush Administration's chief warpig propagandists, David "Axis of Evil" Frum, pontificated recently in the National Post about how a legal decision giving women the right to abortion "cheapened the worth of human life". Typing was no doubt difficult with hands still sticky from the dried blood of Iraqi children, but nonetheless Frum managed to peck out a screed against the Morgentaler Decision, saying:
"On January 28, Canada marks the 20th anniversary of what may be the most astounding decision in the nation’s legal history: R. v. Morgentaler, the case that struck down Canada’s abortion laws.

The Morgentaler case was followed the next year by Daigle v. Tremblay, which clarified and amplified the Morgentaler ruling.

The result of the two decisions was to give Canada the western world’s most radical abortion regime. The mother’s ownership of the pregnancy is absolute and final, and she may end it at any moment, for any reason. Neither the father of the child-to-be, nor the government, nor the child itself has any rights in the matter at all."

"The western world's most radical abortion regime" -- gee Dave, you say that like it's a bad thing.

In fact, that radical freedom of choice is something many women, including myself, take as a point of pride. "Most radical?" -- in a world of repressive, sexually-twisted authoritarians who'd gladly dictate every aspect of our personal lives, maybe so. But one could also characterize Canada's "abortion regime" as the western world's most respectful of a woman's right to privacy and self-ownership. Thanks to Dr. Morgentaler, we have unrestricted reproductive choice. Thanks to Chantal Daigle, nobody can fuck with that choice by using (abusing) the legal system to force women to be unwilling incubators. Remember "freedom is on the march" and "let freedom reign" and "they hate us for our freedom"? Freedom is good!

Frum went on to damn late-term abortions -- no zygote zealot worth his salt will forget to give disproportionate time and space to the less than 1% of crisis abortions performed late-term. He ended:

"... the answers offered by R. v. Morgentaler will look more and more inadequate, shallow, short-sighted, and obsolete."

On that much we can agree. A woman's right to reproductive self-determination, including the choices of contraception and abortion, should be explicitly enshrined in the Constitution. Maybe then the Frums and the other anti-choice nitwits of the world will finally mind their own business and... (you know what's coming) get their snouts out of our crotches!

(h/t TGB)