Politics
Thursday September 18, 2008
Catholic School Board Officially Protests Awarding Order of Canada to Morgentaler
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By Thaddeus M. Baklinski
EDMONTON, September 18, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Greater St. Albert Catholic School Board in the city of St. Albert, located northwest of Edmonton, Alberta, has sent a letter protesting Dr. Henry Morgentaler's appointment to the Order of Canada to Governor-General Michaëlle Jean and to Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
"We would like Prime Minister Harper to understand that we are highly offended and deeply concerned that this Order of Canada should be given to Dr. Morgentaler for the services he has rendered to this nation, which were not positive or pro-life," said Board Vice-Chair Rosaleen McEvoy in a St. Albert Gazette report.
As a the board of a Catholic system, the St. Albert board has "no option" but to protest the decision, given that abortion is against the teaching of the Catholic faith, McEvoy explained.
"Considering that we are a Catholic school division and this is directly opposed to our pro-life stance, I certainly feel that we have to respond to this," McEvoy said.
The letter to the Governor-General and the Prime Minister states that at its first public board meeting of the 2008/09 school year held September 15th, a motion was passed to "add our voice to the many that have already protested honouring Dr. Morgentaler with Canada's most prestigious award, the Order of Canada."
"Since its inception the Order of Canada has honoured many outstanding citizens whose lives truly exemplified its motto: 'Desiderantes meliorem patriam' (They desire a better country), and because of their contributions Canada is a 'better country.'"
The letter concludes: "As members of a Catholic School Board we believe that human life is sacred from conception and that a country is always 'better' when it protects human life at all stages. Therefore we do not support rewarding Dr. Morgentaler's work with the Order of Canada and we respectfully request that you rescind this award."
The St. Albert Catholic School Board may be the first school board in Canada to publicly express its concern over Morgentaler's appointment, and has forwarded its letter to all Catholic school boards in Alberta and to the Alberta Catholic School Trustees Association, to encourage them to join in the protest.
In the St. Albert Gazette report, Rosaleen McEvoy cited the statistic that a classroom a day is aborted in Canada.
"We're losing students," she said. "Canada as a nation is also losing future citizens. We talk all the time about the shortage of workers in the labour force, and yet this man was awarded the Order of Canada for carrying out this service?"
Ten recipients of the Order of Canada have so far returned their medals to the Governor-General in protest of Morgentaler's appointment.
Read related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008_docs/Morgentalerorder.html
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