The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

S.. ~ ,~"..,..'.."....... Where is the law to protect the unborn? To the editor: If it were possible to make abor- tions retroactive, and to give the decision to abort to the mothers of those in favor of them, I would give serious thought to becoming Pro Choice. Nevertheless, faced with reality, this cannot be; so I wish to express my deep concerns regarding the Jan. 28 Supreme Court ruling on abortion. Devote some time to reflect on this life and death situation. I heartily applaud the decision of B.C. Premier Bill Vander Zalm. I truly admire his courage, strength of character and steadfastness, in spite of heavy opposition on what is a difficult decision. We need more Tothe editor: I am writing in response to our local MPP's letter in which he en- deavors to defend his actions con- cerning the presentation of the Whitby General Hospital petition. As I recall, Mr. Furlong was in- volved from the outset in this mat- ter. At apublic meeting held in early September in the Whitby council chambers, Mr. Furlong was made aware of the steps which the hospital intended to take to mobilize public opinion and as one who atten- ded this meeting, I am aware of the commitment which he made to do everything within his power to bring this matter to a successful con- clusioif. e I don't claim to be an expert on Parliamentary procedure. However, on the day that Mr. Furlong made his statement in the House, one of my associates contac- ted the Office of the Clerk. We were informed that the petition had been improperly addressed and that the wording was such that it appeared to be a direct request for funds. Had the petition been properly ad- dressed and had the wording been altered to request a re-evaluation of the decision which precluded the allocation of acute care beds, it would have been acceptable to the clerk. Subsequently, I wrote my letter and wish to make it abundan- tly clear that Ihaveabsolutely no in- tention of apologizing to Mr. political leaders of his calibre; we do not need those 'Pontius Pilate' leaders sp willing to "wash their hands" in an attempt to shirk responsibility. Premier Van der Zalm also attacks the problem head- on by allocating funds towards educational programs, urging women to carry pregnancies to term. Now that Vander Zalm has picked up the gauntlet, I challenge other leaders to follow suit. Sliding the bill through prior to the "Rights of the Fetus" issue later in the year is downright deceitful, con- venient, immoral, biased and totallyunjustifiable. To provide funding for this "Death Ritual" from OHIP, I protest, is a misuse of the tax- payers'health dollar and adds insult Furlong. Rather, it is my intention to take him to task for having ap- proached his responsibilities in what appears to be a haphazard manner. Certainly, as our local MPP, I believe that it was and is Mr. Furlong's responsibility to ensure that a petition of this importance is properly addressed and worded. Inasmuch as the petition was read during the course of the meeting which both Mr. Furlong and I atten- ded, one has to wonder why he did not take the opportunity to advise those involved of the need to revise the proposed petition. Frankly, Mr. Furlong's lack of thoroughness has resultedin the petition carrying far less weight than would otherwise be the case. Properly addressed and worded, the Premier or the Minister would have been compelled to respond to the citizens of this community. That was certainly one of the objectives of this whole exercise. Regrettably, momentum has been lost because the Premier and his Minister of Health have been provided with the opportunity to evade the citizens of thiscommunity. If as Mr. Furlong suggests, his ac- tions now and in the future are guided only by his commitment to his constituents, we aré indeed in serious trouble. Sincerelyyours, Stephanie Ball Oshawa to injury. Why should we even con- sider doing this? In some countries people are being turned down from receiving medical attention they need to stay alive, on the basis of age or inability topay. I have nothing but admiration, too, for those nurses who refuse to participate in abortions because they feel it is wrong. I hope to God they succeed! I am a person who believes in the 'Live and Let Live' 'principle. However, there comes a point where, if others are at risk, we must draw the line. Is it not so that we have laws to protect society, preventing individuals from taking their own lives, and those of others? Yet, where is the law to protect the unborn? Is it because it is not yet in the outside world, that we feel we can pretend it doesn't exist, has no value, is a lump of tissue, an incon- venience/mistake, or better yet.. .someone else's problem? What a tenuous position this tiny being is in, that someone can decide to snuff out its precious life and deny it was ever there in the first place. Remember the Hippocratic oath -the foundation of medical morals and ethics for more than 2,000 years. Does anyone remember it? In case physicians have forgotten, I will quote a portion of it: "I will follow that treatment which according to my ability and judgment I consider best for the benefit of my patients and abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous. I will give no deadly medicine to anyone if asked or suggest any such counsel. Furthermore, I will not give to any woman any instrument (pessary) to produce abortion. With purity and holiness I will pass my life and prac- tise my art." In addition, at the Declaration of Geneva, September, 1948, the World Medical Association wrote the following: "I will maintain the ut- most respect for human life f rom the time of conception. Even under threat, I will not use my medical knowledge contrary to the laws of humanity. And I make these promises solemnly, freely and upon my honor." With pain and sadness I remem- ber my own mother telling us "If I'd had my way, I'd never have had any one of you." That razor-like remark cut deep, very deep, into our fragile childlike beings; yet, what hurt more was that she just was not capable of seeing, let alone ap- preciating, the good in us. In spite of her difficulties and attitude, she and my dad raised a very good bunch of kids and had every reason in the world to be proud of us. However, now an adult, I realize a person's self-esteem must come from inside ourselves -it is not up to anyone else to discover it. From very early childhood, one of the first things I instilled in my own son was a respect for life -whether it be for another person or a mere in- sect, which, too, has it place in the order of things. I remember eavesdropping on his "Cowboys and Indians" play with his cousin. They were only four years old at the time - my son's impatient little voice calling out, "Rob pu' your hands up! I'm not supposed to shoot living things!" That belieflis still with him today, many year$ later, and is evidenced in his caring, gentle ways towards others. I shqdder to think of all that might not have been if my motherhadhadherway! My last and only hope is that in some way, people will find it in their hearts to not be a party to these abortions, either in attitude or ac- tion. Life is not always a planned event -often we must adjust and adapt, and take responsibility for our actions, starting at a very early age. Reflect on the thought that if this law could have been in effect earlier, making abortions retfoac- tive, you yourself might not be here today. And, to those mothers out there, I beg...At least give the child a chance -you owe it that much -and there are so many people out here who would be happy to love your child. AnneKeefer (Glad to be here today) RR 1, Ashburn CANADA'S top female gymnast and Summer Olym- pies medal hopeful Lori Strong of Whitby picked the winners of the Whitby Free Press Olympie Great Giveaways contest. Shown below with Collegiate Spor- ts (Oshawa) manager Ron Morin (centre) and their complete cross country ski outfits, the top two prizes in the contest, are Paul.Gilman and Gwen Meuleman, both of Whitby. AUv Furlong 'Ball'ed out