Al0 - Wednesday, June 2, 1982 - North Shore News

inquiring
reporter

| by

Ellsworth

Dickson

a (Ar

Some time ago Canada agreed to sell a
nuclear reactor to Argentina. This month the
actual nuclear material will be shipped. A
heated controversy has begun because
Argentina has not signed any agreement
promising not to build an atomic bomb with
the nuclear materials. Knowing Argentina’s
aggressive tendencies as seen in their attack
on the Falkland Islands, maybe we should

cancel the order.

Today’s question is:

| ‘Should Canada go through
with its nuclear reactor
sale to Argentina?”’

Rolf Gunther

Whistler, B.C.

We should = definitely
cancel the reactor sale.
With the crisis in the
Falkland Islands going
on, it would be like
helping the enemy. I!
don’t think the govern-
ment of Argentina can be
trusted.

John Posehn

North Vancouver

I don’t think we should
have sold them a reactor
in the first place. How
can we possibly trust the
government of Argen-
tina?

Joyce Carroll

North Vancoaver

I think it 1s a dangerous
mistake to send
Argentina any kind of
nuclear matenal

FROM PAGE A1

third years as directors on
the hospital board.

The objective, they say, is
not to ban abortions at Lions
Gate and other Hospitals,
but merely to have them
decided according to what
they see as the intent of the
law.

Carruthers comments: “!
think we can live with the
abortion committee if it ful-
fills its function that
parliament intended.”

They want the court to
define the word health - as
used in determining
justification for abortions -
and to clarify the role of
abortion committees.

The two point to there
being three times. the
national average, rate of
abortion at Lions Gate
Hospital - 52.3 abortions per
100 live births - with 2,248
abortions carried out there
in the three years ending
March 31, 1981.

A statement tssued by
Carruthers and Whelton
declares: “We cannot let the
current situation continue
while LGH staff are laid off,
the elective surgery list

grows and abortions con-
tinue as usual.”

But Hospital board
chairman Ken Bruce says it
is precisely for those reasons
that the last thing the
hospital board needs now is
this court action.

“It is particularly dis-
appointing when we have
these terrible fiscal problems
we now have. We have
enough problems right now,
as you know.”

Of the action being
brought by Carruthers and
Whelton, he said: “I am dis-
appointed that they would
take these steps, particularly
when they are members of
the board.”

The two say it has been
impossible for them to deal
with the abortion com-
mittee’s interpretation of the
law during the time they
have been members of the
board.

Whelton says of the
subject being discussed at
board meetings: “It is just
the focus of a lot of rancous
dissention.”

Canadian law states that
abortion is legal when to
continue the pregnancy
would threaten the life or
health of the prospective

Seeking abortion ruling

mother.

The dispute arises over the
fact that in determining
approval of abortions Lions
Gate uses the World Health
Organization definition of
the word health: “... a state
of complete physical, mental
and social well-being and not
merely the absence of
disease or infirmity.”

As such, say the plaintiffs,
abortions have been carried
out on social and economic
grounds.

They say the abortion
committee is not fulfilling
the function intended by
law, of reaching an in-
dependent opinion on ap-
plications it receives.

Carruthers and Whelton
say that of the 799 abortion
applications the committee
received in 198! and the 209
of the first quarter of this
year, not one was refused.

Abortion is an issue which
has repeatedly divided the
North Shore community.
Until now it has been dealt
with by both sides of the
dispute annually signing up
as many people as they can
to join the North and West
Vancouver Hospital Society
and attend the = annual
meeting to vote for directors

representing their views on
abortion.

It bas been an annual
headache for the hospital
and administrator John
Borthwick has said the
situation will only be settled
once the politicians have
spelled out a law which was
left ambiguous, so there are

clear cut guidelines over
when abortion is_ legal,
rather than it being dis-

cretionary.

As such, both Carruthers
and Whelton feel that both
sides in the dispute should
welcome their legal
challenge of the hospital
policy and that in the long
run it will be in the com-
munity’s interest.

“We are doing everyone a
favor by having it clarified,”
Whelton maintains. “There
will be no more debate.”

Since they express the
view that final clarification is
in the interest of both sides
in the abortion dispute.
Carruthgers says he hopes
both sides will cooperate in
the matter going to court.

He anticipates the case
would take until next July to
be heard, and would
probably be in court for at
least a week.

These term deposits will provide a high yield short term investment

opportunity for members

Over $5,000.00
180 - 269

(Annualized yields are 15 83% and 14 81%)

Less than $5,000.00
180 - 26

Days Days
Per : Per
1 Annum’ Annum”

North Shore Community

Philip ( arrol
North Vancouver

We should cancel the
deal It as folly to sell a
reactor complete with

nucicar matenmals toa
country so unstable and

aggressive

Raymond Martin
Nomh Vancouver
We should back out) of
the sale There is nothing
Argentina from
building o bomb with the

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five branches serving North Vancouver
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making a scnous mistake