I had the privilege of attending the University of Calgary for four years in the early 1990s. During my time there, I was also privileged to be part of the university track and field team. I have fond memories of my years at the university and was sad when they were over.
My time at university gave me the skills to have a job that is not only fulfilling, but also to earn a wage that is family-supporting. More importantly, it taught me to be interested in the world around me. To seek knowledge and information to make informed choices. To become a critical thinker and decide, with all the information in front of me, what is best for me and now my family.
I believe one of the ways the medical profession and the policies of our government is failing Canadian women is to not provide them with all the information needed when making the decision to abort a baby. It is taking the power of informed choice away and figuratively patting us on the head and telling us to just let the doctors take care of the details. I, as a woman, am greatly insulted by this kind of treatment. It is diminishing and belittling. Our bodies, our choice. This needs to be a fully informed choice. The decision to stop a heart from beating needs to be made with full disclosure.
This is where the reason for my letter becomes apparent. Mr. Weingarten, I cannot believe you would allow the suppression, by threats, of this information to occur on your university campus. What should be a mecca for free speech has become a dictatorship. If indeed the Campus Pro-Life group would like to educate and inform students and faculty alike of the reality of abortion then they, in my opinion, are doing the very thing that universities have been created to do. They are filling a void where so many women are shamelessly under informed.
I whole-heartedly agree that, if these displays are to be observed by the casual observer, there should be advanced warning by way of signs. This is appropriate for underaged viewers who are not intellectually mature and could be harmed by the casual viewing of such material. But let’s be realistic, Halloween displays are every bit as horrific and gory and they are displayed with total abandon.
I sincerely hope you rise to the challenge of protecting our rights as women to make intelligent, informed choices and support the right of the Campus Pro-Life group to provide such educational material in a clear and factual format.