General

Repeat: The Conservatives aren’t social

MP Stephen Woodworth is proof the Conservatives have moved on

In honour of apparently undead Conservative MP Stephen Woodworth’s zombie-like resurfacing in the House today to defend his ridiculous and backward attempt to have fetuses classified as human beings, here is the  money graph from Government Whip Gordon O’Connor’s repudiation last April of Woodworth’s motion:

Abortion is a very serious and long-lasting decision for women, and I want all women to continue to live in a society in which decisions on abortion can be made, one way or the other, with advice from family and a medical doctor and without the threat of legal consequences. I do not want women to go back to the previous era where some were forced to obtain abortions from illegal and medically dangerous sources. This should never happen in a civilized society.

So, can we finally admit that Woodworth is clearly an embarrassment to his party? Can we put an end to the argument, favoured by certain members of the left, who say the Harper government is a Trojan Horse for the social conservative movement? Can we finally start saying that this “pro-life” faction is actually just a splinter group of disgruntled Reform Party holdovers who actually have very little sway within the only party that will have them? Can we say that, while there are Harper government initiatives that certainly deserves criticism and derision, its decidedly reasoned take on social issues isn’t among them?

And, while we’re at it, can we hope that the next time Woodworth brings his noise, he finds someone qualified to talk about abortion—you know, like an actual woman?

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