Ford Government Says Sensible Thing

Last Updated on: 4th September 2019, 03:20 pm

A promise from the Doug Ford government is about as useful as a marzipan dildo so we’ll see where this goes, but for now, because I am nothing if not a fair man, I’ll give them credit for the way they’re handling this one publicly. Ford pledges not to re-open abortion debate after 3 MPPs speak at anti-abortion rally

Yes the statement is riddled with the usual slogans and claptrap, but if you can get passed that it’s actually quite reasonable given how we know Ford feels personally about abortion and how he tends to deal with things he doesn’t like.

After 1 p.m., his office issued a statement saying his government “will not re-open the abortion debate.”
“The Ontario PC Party is a big-tent. We welcome members from a wide variety of backgrounds and beliefs. Our government is focused on protecting what matters most, cleaning up a fiscal mess left behind by the Liberals, making Ontario open for business and open for jobs, and lowering taxes for families.”

Hardly revolutionary and definitely politically smart especially given all of the pushback they’re getting on many of their service and funding cuts lately, but still a nice and unexpected deviation from the if something is good make it bad and if it’s bad make it worse strategy they generally employ.

It doesn’t even bother me that Ford didn’t “denounce his MPPs’ dangerous, anti-choice and anti-women position” as the NDP wants him to. Women and like-minded men are smart enough to see that for themselves and vote accordingly if that’s how they feel. But even more importantly than that, not denouncing those beliefs is the right thing for him to do. Were he to come out and slap his MPPs on the wrists for what they said, it would be absolutely hollow and dishonest.

At various times since entering Ontario politics, Ford has made comments about abortion and how it is governed.
During the 2018 leadership campaign, he questioned why a teenage girl seeking an abortion could obtain one without the consent of her parents, comparing it to other activities teens need parental consent for, such as a school field trip.
He told the anti-abortion news website Right Now that he was “personally pro-life” but that “all Canadians have to make this decision based on their own conscience and beliefs.”
He told the Campaign for Life Coalition he opposed the previous Liberal government’s so-called “bubble zone” restrictions on protesting outside locations that provide abortion services.

Is that really the guy you want coming out and saying “abortion bad”?

A strong opposition is a good thing. Opposing for the sake of opposing often isn’t.

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1 Comment

  1. I wish I could even read this article. I see the word abortion and I feel sick. I see the word Doug Ford and I damn near have a panic attack. Is it PTSD? Maybe. All I know is I can’t read this.

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