Debate: Should physicians provide, or refer for, abortion? (who declined to debate)

A "pro-choice" commenter to my blog said that:
"this debate was a total set-up. no one from the pro-choice community in ottawa was asked to participate in the debate. while it was nice that jovan accepted the non-invitation, he did not have the background or experience to argue from the perspective of the pro-choice movement and ended up making some pretty oppressive and ineffectivley thought-out arguments. stephanie spends her entire career articulating these issues, of course she "won". but the pro-life side certainly didn't gain any credibility for such a poorly run event."

So I checked it out, to see exactly who was invited to debate Stephanie Gray.

Here is the list of people who either declined, or did not reply, or ignored the organizers' invitations.

i. Dr. Henry Morgentaler (declined to debate)

ii. Heather Mallick ("pro-choice" columnist for the Toronto Star) (no reply to invitation)

iii. Hon. Dr. Hedy Fry (MP) (declined to debate)

iv. Hon. Dr. Carolyn Bennett (MP) (declined to debate)

v. Dr. Kathryn Treehuba, Uof Ottawa professor (Obs-Gyn), and Ottawa-area abortion provider (no reply to invitation)

vi. Dr. Fraser Fellows, UWO professor (Obs-Gyn), and London-area abortion provider (no reply to invitation)

vii. Federation of Medical Women of Canada (declined to debate)

viii. Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada- Joyce Arthur (declined to debate)

ix. NDP Party (no reply to invitation)

x. Canadians for Choice (declined to debate)
xi. Action Canada for Population Development (no reply to invitation) 

xii. Hon. Dr. Keith Martin (MP) (No reply to invitation)
xiii. Planned Parenthood Ottawa (Heather Holland - Executive Director- Declined to debate)
xiv. Canadian Federation for Sexual Health (no reply to invitation) 
xv. Professor Sanda Rodgers (University of Ottawa) (declined to debate)
xvi. Professor Wayne Sumner (University of Toronto) (declined to debate)

If the "pro-choicers" were not happy with Jovan Morales representing their position, they have only themselves to blame. They were given plenty of opportunity to participate, and declined to.

I guess they thought they could shut down the debate this way. Well, how well did that work out for them? Not too good I'd say.

Maybe they'll think twice next time, before rejecting or ignoring invitations to debate.

A right to speak truth

Heather Holland of Planned Parenthood doesn't think that Freedom of speech means the right to display anything, anywhere, anytime.

Typical of the pro-abortions, Ms. Holland gets all cranky pants when Carleton University students Ruth Lobo and four other students from Carleton University and Queen's University tried to educate the public on the facts around abortion.

Here is my response to Ms. Holland this past week in the Ottawa Citizen.

A right to speak truth

The Ottawa Citizen October 28, 2010

Re: Poster place provided, Oct. 22.

Letter-writer Heather Holland thinks that freedom of speech "does not mean the right to display anything, anywhere, anytime." Really?

Does Holland not like to see the truth expressed graphically? Because that is what these pictures in the Genocide Awareness Project exhibit show -- the truth about abortion and how it destroys an unborn child.

The problem is that Carleton University is allowing itself to be bullied by those who support abortions and don't want the truth to be shown out there in the world for all to see, especially on university campuses.

These photos make it hard to deny that fetuses exist. If we pretend that fetuses don't exist, then it follows that nothing actually dies during an abortion. But pictures of dead fetuses blows that pretence out of the water. Kudos to those students who stand up for the truth and refuse to be bullied. Freedom of speech is all about speaking the truth, anywhere and anytime.

Patricia Maloney,
Ottawa
© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen