6 - Wednesday, August 16, 1989 - North Shore News Govt.’s abortion complicated by Charter JHE CHANTAL DAIGLE CASE leaves the government nowhere to hide any longer and will add tc the wounds with which it emerges fram the abortion ‘war. The new factor now introduced have rested inviefinitely. But the is that — for the first time — a scene has bee:: radically changed judge has ruled the fetus is a ‘‘per- this summer ‘iy the Pro Life tactic son’’ entitled to ‘life, liberty and of seeking civil court injunctions. security’’ as guaranteed under the And the argument ihat the fetus is Charter of Rights, True, the judge — 3 human being protected by the was a Quebecer and was referring Charter having now been accepted specifically to the Quebec Charter. by a Canadian judge, a precedent But exacily the same guarantec is has been set for similar provincial given in the Canadian Charter. court rulings anywhere in the country. They could ALL be appealed to the Supreme Court, of course. But even if the latter routinely over- turned them for the same reasons as the Daigle case, an intolerable situation would obviously develop for women compelled to undergo Chantal’s recent costly trauma of injunction followed by appeals. So Ottawa would finally be forced to act. Either by declaring the fetus a legal ‘‘person’’ (and then trying to measure its rights against those of the woman). Or by declaring it NOT to be a ‘‘person.”’ Either ape The Supreme Court of Canada, which nixed the Quebec judge- ment, has so far refused to rule on whether the fetus is a person. It threw that particular baby (if you'll pardon the expression!) firmly back into the government's lap 18 months ago when it declared the former abortion law un- constitutional. With recent polls indicating that six Canadians out of 10 feel no abortion law of any kind is needed — and with MPs hopelessly split between Pro Choice and Pro Life camps —- there the matter might rere Rees Photo submitted FOR EXCELLENT PESSCRMANCE.,..Cap College student Sean Mor- rison (left) receives the Chartered Accountants award from Financial Management Program couvenor John Wilsor. Dead-end dollars ENYING INCOME assistance to employable people who haven’t bothered to look for work is a step that is long overdue. Currently, lax rules have allowed thousands of employable people to live off the state for too long. But have we been doing them 2 faver? There are few people who would say they want to be on welfare, but, given the opportunity, it is too easy te become dependent on that hand-cut past the time the recipient truly needs it. Rather than sending dollars down the dead-end welfare drain, taxpayers’ money would better serve society by creating new agencies, or increasing funding to current ones, to help as many people as possible become self-supporting. Dollars currently given out in income assistance could instead be refunneled into counselling and job- . training programs to help welfare recipients determine and achieve personal and career goals, and into day care to provide assistance for single parents. While the decision to cut back on income assistance means that some people will find themseives taking what they consider to be distasteful, low-paying jobs, if they want to work their way into a more fulfilling career, the means are usually available if the motiva- tion is there. If they choose not to avail themselves of these means, that’s their choice — but they must bear the consequences — not society. INSIGHTS options would mean an addition to the Charter, since both are statements of principle, not Criminal Code laws. That's one problem about writ- ten constitutions. Their authors don't always foresee what the future may do to their words, with the result that laws begin to be made by the courts instead of by Parliament. It’s a problem largely unknown in Britain, which had muddled along quite nicely for over 850 years without a written constitution. Without the Charter the gov- ernment would have a simple PO- LITICAL choice: to reguiate abor- tion if supported by a majority of MPs — or, as favored by 60 per cent of Canadians, NOT to regu- late it. But Mile. Daigle’s personal ordeal under the Charter has made the issue far more complex than that. ene WRIGHT OR WRONG: (accord- ing to George Eliot): No man can be wise on an empty stomach. Golden 50th last Saturday, Aug. 12... And many happy returns of today, Aug. 16, to West Van bir- thday girl Denise Izzard. tke TAILPIECES: For heritage fans this coming Sunday, Aug. 20, North Van author Roy Pallant conducts another of his popular historica: walks visiting heritage homes west of Lonsdale — meet him at 1:30 p.m. on the District Hall parking lot, 355 West Queens, for the leisurely three-hour jaunt around North Van’s past... Win- ner of the Institute of Chartered Accountants award for excellence of performance in the university transfer program is Cap College commerce student Sean Morrison of North Van... Pray for the weatherman to smile tomorrow evening, Aug. 17, on the free Van- couver Symphony concert in Waterfront Park, complete with booming cannons during the 1812 Overture... Likewise tomorrow at 7 p.m. on the Summer Pops Youth Orchestra entertaining in West Van’s John Lawson Park... From the Better Late Dept. congrats to Twin Towers residents Fred and Avis Godfrey on celebrating their NEWS photo Clady Goodman WALKING AROUND NORTH VAN’'S PAST...Roy Pallant conducts 2 tour of Upper Lonsdale homes built in the 1920s. zi \icnnia [eau FOR SWIMITING THE JUAN FOR SURVIVING THE DERICA STRAIT USING THE POLLTION. BUTTERY STROKE. Publisher ........... Peter Speck a are Display Advertising 980-0511 Managing Editor... Barrett Fisher rlassitied Advertising 986-6222 Associate Editor ..... Noel Wright Distribution one aaa7 Advertising Director Linda Stewart Gauieia fi Subscriptions 986-1337 SUNDAY » WEDNESDAY + FRIDAY North Shore News, founded in 1969 as an independent Fax 985-3227 ee ares ce tate eed anes {G0 Konecale Avene. x . 18 publi Wedteecay. fuday and Sunday by Nolin’ Shore Fee ‘North Vancouver, B.C. MEMBER - ee ee a ee ore. 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