News

By John Jalsevac

July 2, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Following the last-minute announcement that Henry Morgentaler, Canada’s most notorious abortionist, has been named to the Order of Canada – Canada’s highest civilian honor – various news publications have posted online polls on the issue.

Thus far, seven different news organizations in Canada are polling readers on the question of whether or not Morgentaler should have been given the award.

CTV.ca asks readers “Should Dr. Henry Morgentaler have been named to the Order of Canada?” As of the writing of this article, 57% of respondents (5375 votes) have said no, while 43% (4131) have said yes. (To vote go to: https://www.ctv.ca/)

The Globe and Mail asks readers “Do you think Dr. Henry Morgentaler should have been named to the Order of Canada?” At the time of this writing, 51% (4801 votes) have voted no, while 49% (4600) have said yes. (To vote go to www.globeandmail.com)

Others polls on the question may be found at:

1) https://www.newstalk650.com/
  2) https://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/index.html
  3) https://www.vocm.com/survey.asp
  4) https://www.winnipegsun.com/home.html
  5) https://cnews.canoe.ca/ 

At the time of this writing, the “no” side holds the majority of votes in six of the seven polls listed. However, the one poll in which the “yes” side holds a majority – the Canoe.ca poll – does not offer a simple “yes” or “no” response, but instead gives the choice of: “Yes, he’s a champion of women’s rights,” “No, he’s a murderer,” or “unsure.”

While online polls conducted by news organizations by no means offer a scientific look into the opinions of Canadians, the polls are at the very least offering evidence for what many commentators are observing – that Henry Morgentaler is one of the most divisive figures in Canada and that a significant number of Canadians do not believe that his life’s work of promoting abortion on demand is worthy of being honored with the highly prestigious Order of Canada.  

As the National Post wrote in an editorial today, “Dr. Morgentaler’s cause doesn’t enjoy unanimous approval in our society. It doesn’t even enjoy majority support: Even most pro-choicers, unlike Dr. Morgentaler, believe there should be a law placing limits on how late in gestation an abortion can be performed.”

Interestingly, this is not the first time that the Globe and Mail has conducted a poll on the question. In February, when it first came out that pro-abortion groups were once again agitating to have the Order of Canada conferred on Morgentaler, the Globe asked readers, “Should Dr. Henry Morgentaler be awarded the Order of Canada?” A overwhelming 92% of respondents (306968 votes) said no, while a mere 8% (26234) said yes.