From her letter in the Feb. 8 Gazette, Doris Wrench Eisler again shows her stripes. Free speech is only "free" when it suits her agenda. From her last paragraph, she implies and equates a peaceful pro-life display on U of A property as hate speech because it could possibly cause emotional harm to any woman who might see it. She even suggests that those who set up the display aren't interested in stopping abortion, but only in harassing those who have chosen this option. If you even spent five minutes with someone in the pro-life movement you would know that's ludicrous. It doesn't even deserve a response. They are there only to shed light on the killing of innocent pre-born children. She finds it terrible that the Alberta Court of Appeal upheld the pro-life group's right to assemble and have a display without penalty "even though vigorous and disruptive opposition is likely" (those are the ones who should be penalized).
Ms Wrench Eisler also brings up rape and incest into the conversation. As horrendous as these are, they constitutes less than 1.5 per cent of all abortions. (USAToday, report from the Guttmacker Inst., May 24, 2019), yet it is always used as a talking point for defending "all" abortions in general.
Universities are supposed to be about the exchange of ideas, controversial or not. Where your thoughts and beliefs are challenged every day. To want to shut someone down because you don't agree with them shows a weak opposition. Instead, try talking to them, discuss and debate them and maybe in the end agree to disagree.
Section 2 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms: Everyone has the following fundamental freedoms:
a) freedom of conscience and religion;
b) freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication;
c) freedom of peaceful assembly; and
d) freedom of association.
Ms Wrench Eisler, no one benefits from shutting down debate or beliefs, especially at a university. You may want to hide the fact that there is an innocent, young human boy or girl in the womb, but that doesn't change its reality.
Hank Peters, St. Albert
