Political dialogue is understood as an important aspect in democratic societies such as Canada. Open conversation allows for various opinions to be expressed. If you disagree with an opinion, you have opportunities to articulate reasons for your disagreement and strengthen your own position. Or you have the chance to reconsider your position and perhaps admit that you are wrong. Or perhaps you will synthesize ideas and arrive at a better position. Isn’t this a reason for why the Prince George Citizen has an opinion section?
Therefore, I wonder why The Citizen over several years has refused to publish, or has removed comments, that challenge the abortion narrative below relevant articles. Facts such as Canada is the only nation in the world with no abortion laws have not been published in the comment section. Similarly, facts such as Canada allows for abortions based on sex discrimination, meaning a fetus (Latin for child) can be aborted on account of not being the desirable sex, have also not been published as comments. My assumption is that the reviewer did not appreciate the truth of these statements. Being charitable, perhaps The Citizen does not spend a lot of time reviewing comments and mine have been inadvertently missed several times over several years. It’s possible.
In the off chance that this opinion piece receives publication perhaps some facts can be shared:
- A woman’s body and a child’s body are not the same thing. Chanting “my body my choice” means nothing if it isn’t true nor does it make it true.
- A man can have an opinion about abortion.
- A fetus does not magically become a child upon birth.
- Just because something is legal does not make it moral. Slavery was legal once.
- Not being able to afford a two-year-old does not justify killing it just as abortion is not justified because of economic inconvenience.
I’m sure some of you have read this far and have dismissed me. I’m open to discussion on each of these points and to be convinced I’m wrong. Ask yourself: are you? If not, is it because you cannot defend your position?
Is The Citizen a place for dialogue? Or perhaps facts about Canada’s lack of abortion laws are too subversive. Or maybe my comments accidently didn’t get published.
Here they are now.
Thomas van Leeuwen
Prince George
