Abortion Fantasy

I was pleasantly tickled with Jacqueline McCluggagc's article (Salient March 19) dealing with the Women's Abortion Action Committee and the legalization of foeticide.

There was that marvellous passage when she called forth Surveys and Statistics to add weight to her arguments. I am reminded of the story of a certain Jacqueline McGarbage who petitioned the Government to pass a Bill declaring the moon to be composed of cheese. You see, the cheese could be quarried and fed to the Starving Millions. The Petition had the backing of the majority of citizens. Yet the Prime Minister declared: "It is beyond my power. I cannot change such a reality". 65.2% of the nation's women were heard to mutter, "What right has any man to force his philosophy on us"? And Jacqueline McGarbage herself said: "The goals of the Cheese Movement are distorted and the issue confused with false philosophical and religious arguments". Obviously she was right.

Secondly, I too am concerned that backstreet abortions are hazardous to health. I am reminded of the story of the burglar who burnt his face and hands with an acetylene torch while trying to open the safe of a Bank. This prompted a certain Jacqueline McGarbage to petition Parliament to take all locks off safes in the interests of public safety. Also, the penalty for some burglaries exceeded 14 years so that the removal of such locks also meant the removal of the injustices of the penalty. It should be obvious to all moralizers that the legalization of burglary would remove all burglars, just as the legalization of foeticide would remove all illegal abortions.

A small word of disagreement though. I notice on page 3 of Salient (March 29) that the Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child is termed 'Catholic dominated. I am told that the Patron and the President are not catholics, and would be loath to call it catholic ridden for fear of unjustly insulting the majority of members.