In reading Mr.
Murphy’s recent piece in the National Post titled “Christian’s Need not Apply”,
Mr. Murphy references profound ethical dilemmas at the intersection of politics
and religion; I assert there should never be a dilemma there. Mr. Murphy was
contemplating the challenge of religious conscience, voting, the abortion issue
and Justin Trudeau’s insistence that all liberals must vote in favour of
pro-choice. Now, the abortion is the most difficult of issues by which to make a
point because, it has been so badly tarnished by an extended and heated debate;
one hopes if the point can be made here, it will provide a means by which to
conduct governance absent the inappropriate imposition of what is often
religious doctrine. I should premise this discourse by saying that I live in
harmony with the Charter of Rights and freedoms and most Christians would find
little fault with the way I live, save perhaps a little too much zeal in Scotch
consumption; the key thing to note, however, is the delineation between the two
– religion & governance.
In forging policy,
the very first question is “what are we endeavouring to manage”. If the policy
is related to human action and or human interface, the next question is “what
goods are being moved forward or harms are being reduced”. Here we take our
guidance from the Charter of Rights and Freedoms – Section 7, Life, Liberty and
Security of person provisions that we are at liberty to conduct our lives as we
see fit, save a direct and immediate threat to another or the public at large.
The Supreme Court of Canada has read the charter and is applying it, and this
will be the rigour by which legislation will be tested in the future. The only
time a personal action can be managed by a statute in Canada and have
continuity with the Charter is when it has externalities that affect public
health & safety – in an immediate way. Mr. Trudeau Sr. said “the government
has no place in the bedrooms of the nation” and he was right, nor the kitchen,
nor my liquor cabinet, nor my medicine cabinet – the government has no role to
play in private and personal choice. To have a diverse and secular society this
is as it must be.
The critical
assumption that must be maintained in the contemplation of legislation is that
we are governing a population of informed adults who have the right to make
choices and resist the inclination to protect people from themselves. The
paternalist bent in governance in Canada is offensive to the informed and
enlightened. The encroachment on personal liberty is insidiously escalating in
Canada and has been for some time, government finds its way into every aspect
of our personal lives. The channel by which government often finds its way into
our personal lives is via morality-based legislation, the other channel is
through government-provisioned services – e.g. medical services, between the
two, Canada has become a totalitarian state. By accepting that others’ truths
are as valid as our own, we can forge a human interface between diverse groups
that is harmonious. Societal harmony is in no way everyone believing the same
thing, it is providing a venue by which people of diverging beliefs can
co-exist.
The abortion issue is
most challenging, for me and most others I believe, because it bumps up against
a universal concern for the sanctity of life. At the other end of life, death,
the way is crystal clear; it is an adult managing their own life’s end. With
the issue of abortion, it is the suspension of a created life that is so
troubling for us all. Here, however, we need to ask ourselves, what rational
woman would end a pregnancy absent good reason. How is an organization as blunt
and unwieldy as a government going to intervene effectively in such a herculean
choice to be made by a woman?
If offering council
to a young woman who was contemplating ending an accidental pregnancy, my
advice would be to carry to term and find an agreeable arrangement for the
child’s well-being. This advice would be offered less from a moral perspective
and more from a concern for the long-term happiness of the young woman. I have
limited experience here, but I do know, that no one I’ve encountered has found
happiness from having an abortion and many have from happiness witnessing a new
life. The most important consideration here is that there was an
accidental pregnancy in the first place – the event in and of itself
demonstrates a complete lack of leadership in the young girl’s life – she has
really been failed by the people responsible for her. Even in the case of just
an unwanted pregnancy, the personal circumstance is so nuanced there is no way
to draft legislation to address what is a deeply personal issue. We have to
rely on the good judgement of women and support mechanisms to maintain this as
a very last resort in the most difficult of circumstances – where the whole
complex of events makes it medically necessary. Will there be errors made, it
is inherent in the whole human endeavour that tragic errors occur, it is a
question of finding the best means to mitigate human tragedy.
The very best way to
address any moral issue, and this is no exception, is by being active in civil
society. Seek to effect good and wholesome behaviour through culture, a culture
of love, informing, support and health, rather than a culture of the
persecution of the sinner. It is the ambient culture of shame, the overzealous
suppression of sexual inclination and the seemingly unquenchable desire for the
“moral” to punish that has driven so many women to abortion and many to extreme
harm and death. If it is Christian morality you’re drawing on for guidance
here, the look to Christ for direction, as opposed to dogma, Christ taught
about tolerance and love as opposed to fear and control. Most of the pain
associated with the whole challenge could be avoided with openness and being
proactive, this of all issues calls for leadership at the forefront, rather
than managing the aftermath.
As a nation we had
reached equilibrium on this issue, an awkward consensus – perhaps an agreement
to disagree; it is odd that this issue came into election concern from the
progressives, normally it is the pro-life group railing against the present
Canadian circumstance. The fact that it could be activated in political
interests as Mr. Murphy asserts, reflects the mercenary nature of politics; it
is my sense, that in this case, it was a predominantly progressive Canada
protecting hard-earned ground.
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