I think we’re kidding ourselves if we say that the debate about abortion is now over and shouldn’t be reopened. It may have been closed in the courts since 1988. It may be closed in the Parliament insofar as there is not (currently) any debate proceeding on legislation to regulate abortion. But it is obviously not closed and done with in the public sphere. It’s silly to pretend otherwise.
Twenty-five years after the country’s abortion law was struck down, Canadians are still divided on how – and whether – the procedure should be regulated.
But there is one area where there is widespread agreement across the political spectrum: This is not the time to re-open that debate.
That is what emerges from the results of a new [Angus Reid] poll…released [Jan. 28].
[…]
The one question in the poll that produced the most agreement was whether there was any point reopening the debate, with a solid majority, 59 per cent, saying No, compared to 30 per cent who want the discussion reopened and 11 per cent who are undecided.
Angus Reid also examined the issue based on voting preference and found that 55 per cent of Conservatives, 65 per cent of NDP backers and 66 per cent of Liberals do not want to reopen the debate.
Histrionic faith-based groups that are pathologically obsessed with clumps of cells != “the public sphere,” anymore than dead-end 9/11 Truthers or ‘Young Earth’-addled Creationists do. Besides, how exactly does one ‘debate’ those who don’t even traffic in rational argumentation to begin with?
DNFTT — especially the ones toting fetus-pr0n placards.
(h/t)
bastard.logic 