The Question of Abortion
Abortion has long been a mainstay of Canadian law, and has generally had wide acceptance among Canadians - a 2001 poll found that 32% of respondents believed it should be permitted in all circumstances, 54% in some circumstances and only 14% believed that abortion should never be permitted. But the increasing popularity of conservative influencers like Jordan Peterson, and the recent election of Doug Ford in Ontario seem to be riding a rising tide of pro-life support.
Those who oppose abortion say that it is a form of discrimination against unborn people, and that it deprives them of the opportunity to live a full life where they achieve their potential. They argue that we don't know for certain what it feels like to be an unborn child, so we should err on the side of caution and oppose procedures that might cause suffering.
Those in favor of abortion rights say that a woman has the right to choose what she does with her own body and that access to abortion is an important part of our toolkit for reproductive health. They argue that personhood requires more than just having human DNA in your cells; a fetus is not a person because it lacks consciousness, self-awareness and self-motivation, among other things.
These ethical disagreements are further muddied by religious beliefs, politicization, and attempts by both sides to frame the debate with prejudicial labels like "pro-murder" or "anti-choice". The question is complicated by edge cases and boundaries. Do we make exceptions in cases of rape, medical conditions or nonviable pregnancies? Do we draw the line at a certain point in the fetus' development?
Excerpt
Abortion has long been a mainstay of Canadian law, and has generally had wide acceptance among Canadians - a 2001 poll found that 32% of respondents believed it should be permitted in all circumstances, 54% in some circumstances and only 14% believed that abortion should never be permitted. But the increasing popularity of conservative influencers like Jordan Peterson, and the recent election of Doug Ford in Ontario seem to be riding a rising tide of pro-life support.
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