Cause and effect

The Morgentaler Clinic, the only private abortion clinic in the province, has been vandalized.

I'm sure this has nothing whatsoever to do with the Ontario-based group "Show the Truth", which did a whistle-stop tour of the Maritimes last week displaying huge, graphic (and some allegedly deceptive) posters with images of supposed aborted fetuses on the sidewalk.

Their tour included Fredericton. Twice, as punishment for our Mayor suggesting they take their shock tactics back to Ontario.

Surely there must be no connection because after comments and letters of outrage appeared in the media from parents who were stuck in traffic on the busy downtown city street with no way to shield the eyes of the children in their vehicles, the group's leader Rosemary Connell said in an interview that in nine years "she has never seen a distressed child after one of her protests".

So we know all it doesn't inflame, shock and stir people. Or upset children.

So they took your right as a parent to introduce your beliefs on choice - for or against - in a time, place and manner of your choosing away from you. Too bad, so sad.

So they exposed your child to images as bloody and disturbing as blown-up images of any surgical procedure. Tough titty, kittie.

Civilized discourse, that's what it is. Nothing to do with intimidating women or performing psy-ops on children and teenagers.

(The one bright spot is that the tactic usually ultimately usually backfires, as it did in cities across the Maritimes where almost no one spoke in favour of the gruesome dog-and-pony show.)

ronnie