Feminist group wants pro-life pamphlets banned
Episode Stats
Words per Minute
166.8186
Summary
In this episode, I discuss the use of pro-life propaganda and materials depicting abortion as a political or public policy issue in Canada, and why the government needs to protect the right to free speech and debate about it.
Transcript
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the response to seeing something you don't like should never be to censor it but unfortunately
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that's the precise response that so many people in the west have in this day and age we see this
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phenomenon crop up most recently with pro-life imagery graphic materials images depicting
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abortions or aborted unborn children used by pro-life groups and pamphlets and signs
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to show people the reality and brutality of abortion i'm sure you've seen these signs before
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in some form or another you don't need to be pro-choice to not want to see them and similarly
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you don't need to be pro-life to believe that these are protected forms of free speech in canada
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in fact if it makes you uncomfortable that is exactly why free speech exists we don't need
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protection from things that don't make us uncomfortable we only need protection from
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things that are offensive or difficult or challenging to our sensibilities or those of society
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but the canadian center for bioethical reform a pro-life advocacy group has been dropping pamphlets
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that have these images on them into people's mailboxes and communities around canada most
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recently in windsor ontario one woman lauren crowley who works with an organization called
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feminists for action got one and thinks that the government needs to legislate it so no one
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else has to see one of these pamphlets crowley says in addition to frightening a child who might
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come across those images you're also forcing those parents to answer questions or have conversations
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that they might not be ready to have with that child which is in turn interfering with that guardian's
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right to raise that child how they deem fit crowley has lobbied city councillors she's launched a media
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campaign she's trying to get legislative action so the pro-life pamphlets can't be dropped in
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mailboxes now if something were adopted by the city of windsor it wouldn't be the first time calgary has
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a bylaw that prohibits dropping in anyone's mailbox a non-commercial pamphlet if they have a no flyers or no
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junk mail sign on their box this is something that was enacted in response to pamphlets from the very same
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organization the canadian center for bioethical reform but there have also been some free speech
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victories when these sorts of materials have been challenged just recently a man in calgary had a
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ticket issued by calgary transit ripped up when he threatened a constitutional challenge they said that
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he was distributing materials without the consent of the city which in a free society you do not need
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government consent to hand out pamphlets or materials on any political or public policy issue
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abortion is no exception to this now obviously i'm pro-life i don't hide that i don't conceal that
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but more importantly i'm willing to have a debate or discussion about this or any other issue with
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people in the country who wish to and most pro-life activists are which is why they stand on street
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corners and talk about abortion in the first place they want to have the debate but unfortunately there is
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a contingent of the pro-choice opposition to these people that not just opposes but wants them shut down
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wants them barred from having demonstrations on campus wants them barred from putting flyers
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in people's mailboxes wants them barred from being able to advertise on buildings billboards bus
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advertisements whatever the case may be this is not what a free society needs to do when it comes to
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political or public policy issues we need to run into the debate not run away from it and there's a
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reality to this that only those who are not confident about their beliefs want the debate about those
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very beliefs shut down you have the right to look away you have the right to throw something out you
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have the right to close your eyes but you do not have the right to redact the world around you