A British Columbia woman initiated a petition earlier this year asking that abortion no longer be a taxpayer-funded medical service. Citing the fact that abortion is not an injury, illness, or disease and never medically necessary, the petition is available for signing by all Canadians until August 22, 2019.
For a petition to be introduced and read in the House of Commons, it needs to be sponsored by an MP. Kitchener-Conestoga MP Harold Albrecht was found willing to sponsor this petition. When the petition recently came to the attention of pro-abortion groups, Albrecht was quickly attacked for the standard intellectually bankrupt or ad hominem arguments: not your body, not your choice; if you care about the pre-born children you somehow aren’t caring about women; caring about human rights is somehow backwards; and, of course, the fact that he’s a man who can’t bear children.
But Albrecht is a good example of playing offence, not defense. He knows he is in the right, and has never hidden his pro-life views. When approached by reporters with these critiques, he was clear and to the point. He pointed out that Canada is alone on the world stage in its lack of restrictions on abortion, and many democratic countries have successfully implemented abortion restrictions.
“I have worked to promote a culture of life, including improved palliative care, organ donation, suicide prevention, as well as protection for our pre-born,” Albrecht said. “There’s nothing new here.”
This is a good example of how we should all answer when challenged on our pro-life views, and a great opportunity to thank a politician for using his position to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. Take a moment to send a note of encouragement to Mr. Albrecht thanking him for his clear, unapologetic stance and willingness to support pro-life views being heard in Parliament. He can be reached at harold.albrecht@parl.gc.ca.