4 - Wednesday, February 10, 1988 — North Shore News

MY SCHEDULE called for
me to write a column, but
the babysitter was down
with the flu, so there was
nobody to take the three-
year-old.

My nine-year-old son was home
with strep throat. My wife had
missed two days of work already
that week. And so, with a martyrly
sigh, } hauled my word processor
up from the office at the back of
the yard and set up shop in the
dining room. :

This involved all the usual
preparations that one docs before
writing anything: pouring coffee,
reading papers, sifting through the
most recent file, trying (0
remember if I've ever had an opi-
nion on the subject at hand, and if
not, what do [ think?

There is a tendency, I find, to
not want to always be thinking.
There's an awful lot to think about
in the world. Ozone layers, Con-
taminated shellfish. Tobacco
advertising. Land claims. Por-
nography. Balance of payments.
Abortion....

This flow of thought is normally
uninterrupted. | am so used to
having a space to myself to work
that it has become a habit. f even
had my phone removed fro:n my
office because I spent too much
time yapping with other people,
instead of getting on with being
productive,

This was quite different, up in
the dining room.

Willy decided to set up shop on
the other side of the computer,
laying out his Stratego set for later
and talking to his G! Joe.

Emily dragged a box of toys into
her favorite spot under the table.
Soon, a bunch of plastic frogs and
Smurfs were being directed by her
as she took up all the different
dialogue, staging an claborate
play. Aloud, of course.

“You're a good girl, Daddy,"*
Emily said.

‘Thank you, swectheart."’

“And I'ma good girl. And
Mom's a good girl. And Willy’s a
good girl..."

“That's nice, love. You just play
now and let Daddy...."’

Think. Think about a society
that does not allow cuthanasia but
allows abortion. That will not kill

A society so highly-evolved and sensitive that it
recognizes the ‘psychological integrity of women
and ‘the security of the person’ as constitutional
prerogatives, yet turns a blind eye to the obvious
physical fact that life begins well before delivery,
and that a fetus is just a young, not yet-born

child,’”’
ROE TEC ee

Abortion, Yes. It was becoming
my good journalistic intention to
write about the dramatic news that
the Supreme Court of Canada had
overturned the abortion laws.

Below the table, Miss Piggy was
being introduced to an audience of
Barbies, She-Rahs and My Little
Ponies. Sgt. Slaughter was swing-
ing along an imaginary rope down
from my computer on to the table
in pursuit of Dr. Mindbender and
Cobra Commander.

Holding up a toy service station,
Emily announced, half-gibberishly:
“Daddy, [ buy this shopping for
Christmas.**

“Right, dear."’

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even mass murderers, but allowed
10,759 unborn children to be ter-
minated in B.C. alone fast year,

A morally confusing society,
wouldn't you say? Confusing to
me, anyway.

A society whose highest court
now says it is a profound interfer-
ence with a woman's body to ref-
use her an abortion, but which ig:
nores the *‘profound interferenve’”
of being aborted. :

Think. A society so highly-”
evolved and sensitive that it
recognizes the ‘psychological in-
tegrity of women"’ and ‘the secu-
rity of the person" as constitu-

tional prerogatives, yet turns a
blind eye to the obvious physical
fact that life begins well before
delivery, and that a fetus is just a
young, not-yet-born child.

Dark thoughts on such a day! {
know. What right has a male to
tell a female what to do with her
body? All that. If | had an un-
wanted child inside me, would 1
give adamn about abstract ques-
tions like ‘‘when docs humanness
begin'’?

Easy for a male to say!

But let me say it anyway,
gender-jaundiced as 1 may be. The
answer is so biologically obvious:
life begins when pregnancy begins.

There is no point after concep-
tion where you can draw a line and
say this is where a husnan being
begins. The moment of creation is
the moment of creation. Delivery
is a critical stage, indubitably, but
it is just a stage, not the beginning.

It seems to me these are logical,
rather than mystical thoughts.

The Supreme Court ruling is a
giant step for women, no doubt,
but in terms of the progress of
humanity up from barbarism,

» Gisclaiming legal responsibility for

the first nine months of life seems
to me to be ultimately an enor-
mous backward step. Sorry.
Children. They fill me with awe.
Don't kid me about when they
begin. And if you are going to
sauff them it seems to me you
should have a pretty damned good
reason, ©

Seniors housing
gets go-ahead

PLANS FOR a new seniors hous-
ing project on Bridgman Avenue
and 16th Street were given the
green light by North Vancouver
District Council Monday.

Construction of the three-storey,
64-unit complex could be under-
way within two years.

The Capilano House site was
chosen because of its convenient
access to public transport and sur-
rounding stores. But at council's
Monday night meeting, Ald. Mary
Segal expressed concern over the
housing plans, which would leave
some north-facing residents with a
view of a blank wall.

But district director of develop-
ment Richard Plunkett assured
council the proposed design would
not be approved if residents are
unhappy with the plan. “We will
pay careful attention to their con-
cerns,” said Plunkett.

Because of the style and density
of the development, the district
planning department has
acknowledged problems with
second-storey views.

In a report to council, the
department recommends construc-
tion of a screen of trees between
the complex's property line and the
back of the Norgate shopping cen-
tre.

The housing project is supported
by the Capilano Lions Club.

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