I am writing in response to the editorial entitled “Some Compromise Should be Possible”. There has been a lot of discussion about the new maternal health initiative that will be discussed at the G8 summit next week. Prime Minister Stephen Harper should be commended for choosing not to include abortion as part of this initiative. Many recent polls have shown that abortion is not a closed issue for Canadians. In fact, in May of this year, the annual March for Life was held on Parliament Hill with over 12,000 people in attendance - making it the largest event ever on Parliament Hill.

Abortion advocates have long argued that abortion is necessary to protect the health and safety of women, since many would otherwise seek unsafe abortions. But an analysis of data from a new report published by the World Economic Forum (WEF) has found that countries that permit abortion don’t have lower maternal death rates. The WEF’s 2009 Gender Gap Report found that countries with the most restrictive abortion laws also had the lowest maternal death rates, while countries with more permissive laws tended to have higher maternal death rates. Claims that large numbers of women are dying from abortions in the Third World is deceitful. Inflating that statistic has been a longstanding tactic of the pro-abortion movement.

For example, in 1985, infamous Canadian abortionist Henry Morgentaler claimed that one million women died in back-alley abortions. He was being interviewed with Dr. Bernard Nathanson, founder of NARAL Pro- Choice America, who later converted to the pro-life cause following advances in ultrasound technology. Only then did Dr. Nathanson admit that he and his colleagues had fabricated this statistic on deaths stemming from illegal abortions.

As recorded in the May 2009 issue of the Catholic Register, Dr. Nathanson responded to Morgentaler’s claim by saying: “Henry, we made up that lie around my coffee table. We thought the media would accept the one-million number and they did. Now you [Henry] are feeding me my own lie.”

In reality many women regret having abortions, and many are not warned of the numerous risks associated with having an abortion including: a high probability of a direct link between breast cancer and cervical cancer; 8 out of 10 women who have had abortions struggle with depression for the rest of their lives; 98% of women who have had abortions would not recommend it to a friend; and, that many women who have aborted their pregnancies have related medical complications in later ones. Many women “choose” to have abortions without being informed of any of these facts.

I recognize that the issue of abortion is very controversial and also very personal - it should be. It is the decision of life or death. Never before have I written a letter to the editor. It is not my custom to be so “vocal” and yet I could not sit by and let the other side of the story remain untold. All life holds incredible potential and is miraculous. At even just 18 weeks in my womb my daughter clapped her hands together during an ultrasound, causing both the technician and me to laugh with glee at this wonder. My little girl went on to experience a most traumatic birth, where her charts have the label “stillborn”.

Despite receiving no oxygen for more than 15 minutes, she was revived with the prediction of severe brain damage. And yet today at 19 months old, my daughter is growing and developing as any toddler does, without any evidence of brain damage. I share this personal story with you because some would have advised me to terminate this pregnancy early on when it became evident that it was going to be life-threatening for both me and the life within. Yet I firmly believe this was not my choice to make. Each and every life is precious. Abortion is in no way a solution, not for me and not for women in third world countries. Once again I commend Prime Minister Harper for not including abortion in his government’s maternal health initiative.

H. Campbell

Orangeville