Are governments truly serious about the protection of human life?.From the early reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic in Western countries, the rhetoric has strongly focused on saving lives. Canada has not been an exception. Prime Minister Trudeau has said as much countless times, claiming he’s prepared to do “whatever it takes” to save lives. .Across ideological lines in Alberta, the message has been the same, if slightly modified. The premier speaks about putting his powers to work in terms of four layers of protection. He often speaks about protecting the healthcare system, protecting doctors from having to make the awful choice of deciding who gets care and who doesn’t, and the twofold formula of the latest political mantra: the protection of lives and of livelihoods. .The claim of protecting doctors from making choices they often make daily has gone unchallenged by media and pundits. The claim of saving lives and livelihoods, however, has not. There has been a large number of Albertans who have openly challenged the overreaching orders which have closed business and provoked enormous harm in the name of saving lives..But we have not heard many speak for the lives of the unborn who continue to be terminated in Alberta at uninterrupted rates..Since COVID-19 showed up in Alberta 15 months ago, six times as many Albertans have died in the womb by abortion than have died from COVID-19. And unlike other industries in Alberta, the abortion industry has not had to reduce its hours or even limit its operational practices. The abortion industry does not seem to have contributed to the unemployment rolls during this pandemic. Their profit margins have not suffered. Abortions continue without significant interruption in Alberta. .What’s more, they continue always at the expense of the taxpayers. The same taxpayers, one needs to point out, who are enduring the economic ravages of government-imposed lockdowns, which are hardest on ordinary Albertans. .If the latest “stop-the-spike” campaign being waged by the premier and health bureaucrats is all about protecting human lives, why has nothing been done to “bend-the-curve” on the unbroken abortion of unborn Albertans in the womb?.We can be unhappy most activities and individuals have been restricted, that many have been inhumanly confined, and some have been persecuted at the specific behest of politicians in blatant violation of the legal traditions of this land. But many of these tactics did not make their debut with COVID-19. .By the hand of government and courts, objectors to abortion and defenders of the unborn have been subjected to bans on protest (think “lockdowns”) and “gathering restrictions” that precede the current pandemic by decades. These restrictions have been placed on those who actively object to the loss of innocent life taking place in abortuaries, rather than in the service of the protection of these lives. .These restrictions take the form of “protest bubble-zones” which prohibit anyone from demonstrating outside of an abortuary, period. In fact, if even a single individual is protesting – even peacefully and silently – outside of an abortuary in Alberta, they face arrest and significant fines. To protest for the lives of the unborn legally, demonstrators must be at least 150 meters away from the site, and limit their group to five people or less – which is as equally absurd as the five person maximum currently permitted to attend an outdoor funeral. No group or cause in Alberta faces such harsh legal discrimination on their right to free expression and assembly. .Most agree human life is precious. The crux of the issue then is the absence of intellectual and legal consistency that underpins the foundational principle of the rule of law. How many times in recent months have we witnessed the sight of preachers being forcibly arrested in the name of saving lives?.How many times have we witnessed defiant restaurant owners arrested because the government declares, “life is more valuable than profits?”.Yet, in the Alberta of 2021, our provincial government castigates those objecting to lockdowns and other measures “protecting [the] lives and livelihoods” of Albertans from COVID-19, while simultaneously undermining the rights of those who want to protect the lives of unborn Albertans, albeit at the expense of the livelihoods and profitability of abortion providers. .Richard Dur is, among other things, executive director of Prolife Alberta.Marco Navarro-Génie is a columnist for the Western Standard and president of the Haultain Research Institute
Are governments truly serious about the protection of human life?.From the early reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic in Western countries, the rhetoric has strongly focused on saving lives. Canada has not been an exception. Prime Minister Trudeau has said as much countless times, claiming he’s prepared to do “whatever it takes” to save lives. .Across ideological lines in Alberta, the message has been the same, if slightly modified. The premier speaks about putting his powers to work in terms of four layers of protection. He often speaks about protecting the healthcare system, protecting doctors from having to make the awful choice of deciding who gets care and who doesn’t, and the twofold formula of the latest political mantra: the protection of lives and of livelihoods. .The claim of protecting doctors from making choices they often make daily has gone unchallenged by media and pundits. The claim of saving lives and livelihoods, however, has not. There has been a large number of Albertans who have openly challenged the overreaching orders which have closed business and provoked enormous harm in the name of saving lives..But we have not heard many speak for the lives of the unborn who continue to be terminated in Alberta at uninterrupted rates..Since COVID-19 showed up in Alberta 15 months ago, six times as many Albertans have died in the womb by abortion than have died from COVID-19. And unlike other industries in Alberta, the abortion industry has not had to reduce its hours or even limit its operational practices. The abortion industry does not seem to have contributed to the unemployment rolls during this pandemic. Their profit margins have not suffered. Abortions continue without significant interruption in Alberta. .What’s more, they continue always at the expense of the taxpayers. The same taxpayers, one needs to point out, who are enduring the economic ravages of government-imposed lockdowns, which are hardest on ordinary Albertans. .If the latest “stop-the-spike” campaign being waged by the premier and health bureaucrats is all about protecting human lives, why has nothing been done to “bend-the-curve” on the unbroken abortion of unborn Albertans in the womb?.We can be unhappy most activities and individuals have been restricted, that many have been inhumanly confined, and some have been persecuted at the specific behest of politicians in blatant violation of the legal traditions of this land. But many of these tactics did not make their debut with COVID-19. .By the hand of government and courts, objectors to abortion and defenders of the unborn have been subjected to bans on protest (think “lockdowns”) and “gathering restrictions” that precede the current pandemic by decades. These restrictions have been placed on those who actively object to the loss of innocent life taking place in abortuaries, rather than in the service of the protection of these lives. .These restrictions take the form of “protest bubble-zones” which prohibit anyone from demonstrating outside of an abortuary, period. In fact, if even a single individual is protesting – even peacefully and silently – outside of an abortuary in Alberta, they face arrest and significant fines. To protest for the lives of the unborn legally, demonstrators must be at least 150 meters away from the site, and limit their group to five people or less – which is as equally absurd as the five person maximum currently permitted to attend an outdoor funeral. No group or cause in Alberta faces such harsh legal discrimination on their right to free expression and assembly. .Most agree human life is precious. The crux of the issue then is the absence of intellectual and legal consistency that underpins the foundational principle of the rule of law. How many times in recent months have we witnessed the sight of preachers being forcibly arrested in the name of saving lives?.How many times have we witnessed defiant restaurant owners arrested because the government declares, “life is more valuable than profits?”.Yet, in the Alberta of 2021, our provincial government castigates those objecting to lockdowns and other measures “protecting [the] lives and livelihoods” of Albertans from COVID-19, while simultaneously undermining the rights of those who want to protect the lives of unborn Albertans, albeit at the expense of the livelihoods and profitability of abortion providers. .Richard Dur is, among other things, executive director of Prolife Alberta.Marco Navarro-Génie is a columnist for the Western Standard and president of the Haultain Research Institute
