The Impact Of Frank Coleman's Pro-Life Stand

Any UPDATES will appear at end of posting.

Hans Rollmann, pro-abortion activist and writer/editor/columnist for The Independent, provides a very good overview of what’s at stake in our province with the appearance of a verified “pro-life” candidate for the premier of the province. His article is entitled Frank Coleman and reproductive rights: step up or step out.

As I indicated in last Friday’s posting, I expected the debate to heat up considerably this week as a result of Frank Coleman’s press release in which he defended his prolife views but stressed that he wasn’t out to impose his views on anyone else.

Some pro-lifers are certain to take him to task for that but also those in favour of legalized abortion will not be happy that Coleman did not say more in his statement to assure them that as new Premier he will not disturb the status quo on access to abortion in this province. Rollmann makes this point very clearly in his commentary but goes much further, revealing the altogether intolerant—if not militant—attitude of those who claim a right for mothers to kill their unborn children at will.

Here are some of the crucial highlights of Rollman’s analysis:

Frank Coleman, the solitary leadership candidate for Newfoundland and Labrador’s governing Progressive Conservative party, is fortunate that he waited until all the other candidates had withdrawn from the race before detonating the public relations equivalent of a low-yield nuclear bomb in the midst of the party he seeks to lead.

Yep: Frank dropped the A-bomb right in the middle of the campaign. Some might suggest it’s not entirely his fault: he was answering a question from a reporter and didn’t realize the consequences of his comments. But for a leadership candidate—and a would-be premier—such an oversight is doubly damning.

…

This type of extremism has nothing to do with conscience and in fact little to do with ‘life’, either. It has to do with controlling women and pushing back the agenda on equality in our society.

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It’s rendered all the more serious by the fact there is already a crisis in abortion access in Atlantic Canada. PEI has no abortion providers, and this month national media attention was focused on the closure of New Brunswick’s sole abortion clinic (government refused to fund it and abortion access in New Brunswick hospitals is regulated under archaic regulations that some have argued violate women’s equality rights). The governments of those two provinces are failing their obligations to provide this essential public health service for women.

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One of two things must happen if the PCs are to emerge from this scandal unscathed. Coleman could do the honourable thing and step out of the race…

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Or, he ought to make a clear public statement—far more clear than his dithering comments thus far—proclaiming his support for strong and sustained access to abortion, his clear commitment to enhance and improve the already seriously under-funded access to that public service in this province, and his commitment to not ever march or participate in events like this again while serving in public office.

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But one thing I know is that I—like a great number of other Newfoundlanders and Labradorians—will never vote for a party whose leader engages in morally repugnant activities like anti-choice activism.

Read the full article here.

UPDATE:

Opinion shaper Ed Hollett from Sir Robert Bond Papers

One very recently published non-surprising view on the local abortion debate 

Man set to be next premier of Newfoundland under pressure from pro-life group