The Harperites and Choice

When it comes to reproductive choice, the Harperites take their direction from Homer Simpson. Remember, it is uterus, not uteryou.

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Oops

From the Globe:

The Harper government turned its back on advice from its own civil servants when it excluded abortion funding in its G8 maternal- and child-health initiative, The Canadian Press has learned.

I am sure Minister Oda would be glad to go in front of a committee to defend ignoring the advice of her officials. Bev? Bev?

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File This Under So What

So what, a majority of the population (58%) wants Harper to fund abortions overseas. Harper is ruling for his 30% base and no one else. In fact, everyone else can go fuck themselves. 30%, as long as Harper can slice the remaining votes the right ways, gives him minority government forever. God bless FPTP.

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Narrow That Message, Bev

The "Eye of the Needle Award" goes to Bev Oda. Yesterday in the House, Minister Oda said this about the U.S. policy toward aid and abortion:

Mr. Speaker, this government wants to ensure that the G8 initiative is actually going to get results.

What I want to ensure is that that side of the House has done its homework. If members go to the U.S.A. website, they will find that the U.S.A. does not support the funding of equipment, the training of people who perform abortions, and neither does it support research into abortion.

They should do their homework. We know the facts and we know how to really make a difference in the lives of mothers and children.

I noticed how narrowly and carefully the Minister framed her response. That always gets my bullshit detector flashing red. I went to the website as she suggested and found this page which outlines the U.S. policy on abortions overseas. I draw your attention specifically to the rescinding of the Mexico City Policy. The U.S. government allows USAID to fund organizations that carry out abortions, as long as the funding for abortions comes from non-U.S. government sources. So, unlike in Canada where it appears our government is cutting off any agency that provides abortions for any reason, regardless of the source of funding, the U.S. is going a different route. Canada is going the Mexico City Policy route which, like all things Republican, is more in line with the thinking of the Conservative Party's base.

I am sure Ms. Oda wasn't trying to suggest that Canada was onside with the Obama administration's general aid aims on maternal health. I am sure she was just trying to give the PMO's crack Propaganda-Abteilung research team a shout out.

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Charm Offensive

Conservatives to the women of Canada: "Shut the fuck up', or else. I thought, as a country, we were past the point of threatening women with violence, even metaphorically .

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Is Ottawa The New Jerusalem?

It is often said that Israel has no foreign policy, only domestic policy. It seems the Conservatives are importing that governing philosophy into Canada. The government, by announcing that it is not going to fund abortions overseas (while doing so at home, but shhh), is using foreign aid policy as yet another means to shore up its base. If it can use abortion and the "non-opening" of the abortion debate as another wedge issue, so much the better. But, you had better not suggest that this is just more cultural warfare on the Conservatives' part. They don't engage in culture war. Don't you know that, you leftard?


Almost Instant Update: I guess no one has to ask what the Conservatives would do about domestic abortion if they ever got a majority.

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