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By Jim Coggins
CHRISTIANS have been quite vocal in their response to
the announcement that Henry Morgentaler is being awarded the Order of
Canada.
Several Christian groups have issued protests,
including the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Evangelical
Fellowship of Canada, Lutheran Church-Canada and REAL Women.
Lucien Larré, a Coquitlam Catholic priest who
received the Order in 1983, sent his award back, saying the Morgentaler
award was “degrading to the Order of Canada.”
He told BCCN that “as Canadians, we tolerate opposing
views,” adding: “I can’t expect everyone who has the
Order of Canada to reflect my views.”
However, he said, giving the award to Morgentaler went
too far, since “half of Canadians see him as a scoundrel and a
murderer.”
Canada, he concluded, “has become
dechristianized.”
The Madonna House Apostolate returned the Order
of Canada award which was given to the founder of that Catholic community,
Catherine de Hueck Doherty, in 1976.
There have been suggestions that the awarding committee
changed its procedure; while it usually requires unanimity,
Morgentaler’s award was decided by majority vote.
Several MPs have called for Morgentaler’s award
to be rescinded. Rules for the Order of Canada allow for the revocation of
awards in some cases.
Gerald Vandezande, who received the Order of Canada in
2001 for his work with various groups, including the national Christian
social action organization Citizens for Public Justice, said he was not
surprised by the award.
“The Order is extended to people of various
backgrounds, beliefs and views who have made important contributions to
Canadian life.”
There is no question Morgentaler “has been an
influential, albeit controversial figure in Canadian life.” He
suggested recognition of someone’s work does not necessarily mean
endorsement of that person’s ideology.
Vandezande noted that another of this year’s
recipients, Kim Campbell, supported the last bill (C-43) that attempted to
limit and regulate abortion in Canada.
Morgentaler opposed C-43; Vande-zande conditionally
supported it.
Vandezande has no plans to return his award. He said he
accepted it on behalf of “the many people who have been faithful in
trying to apply their Christian faith in everyday life and Canadian
politics.”
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He also sees the award as providing a useful platform
from which to lobby for “a more just and equitable society for all
Canadians.”
Not all Christians are opposed to Morgentaler’s
award. Former Vancouver mayor Philip Owen, an Anglican who was made a
member on the same day as Morgentaler, told the CBC he respects the Supreme
Court of Canada’s decision to legalize abortion.
“We should move on,” Owen said.
Murray McCheyne Thomson, a Quaker who was made an
Officer of the Order in 2001 for his disarmament work, said Morgentaler
“deserved” the award. “If there is no restriction on
human life, we are going to have so many people that many more are going to
die, especially the poorest.”
Still, the majority of Canadian Christians commenting
on the issue were highly critical of the award being given to Morgentaler.
National Post columnist
Father Raymond de Souza suggested the award to Morgentaler was
intended by his supporters “to confer . . . a sense of settled
legitimacy to the publicly funded unlimited abortion license.”
Instead, the award has had the opposite effect,
reopening the whole abortion debate.
Vandezande said he would welcome such a debate, and
stated that the dialogue should include all parties – including
Morgentaler and those who share his opinion – so that real progress
can be made toward “the common good.”
Vandezande said what he has been saying throughout his
public ministry: that Parliament should recognize the fundamental right to
life of the unborn child – but also “the basic right to life,
adequate child care, affordable housing and income security” for
pregnant women and their families, so that they can make “meaningful,
responsible decisions for themselves and their loved ones.”
August 2008
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