It’s interesting that the most recent revelation of Conservative duplicity is in the area of maternal health. Of course, not one of us would be alive today if not for the sacrifices made by our mothers in bringing each one of us to birth. For most of us, that moment of birth—the culmination of nine months, more or less, of endurance and expectation—was just the beginning of an extended period of self-sacrifice, of caring, training, providing, and protecting. The successful result of 20 years of this selfless service is an adult with choices and skills, ready to contribute to society and prepared in varying degrees to make similar sacrifices for the next generation. No, this is not a Mothers’ Day vignette, although a grateful acknowledgment of the debt owed to our mothers (and fathers) is always appropriate. This is rather a snapshot of the contortions being made by many, in the media and in government, to frame the burning questions of the day within the context of traditional values (albeit values stretched thin through deliberate misinterpretation). Back in the day (earlier this year) when the Conservative government under Stephen Harper brought the issues of maternal mortality and infant care to the G8 Summit, strident voices called for the promised funding to cover abortion and contraception as well as clean water and professional health care before, during, and after delivery. Due to consistent pressure from prolife MPs, the Prime Minister agreed to keep abortion out of the aid package and, in fact, received praise from many in the prolife camp for doing so. However, those who are blown about by pressure from lobby groups are unreliable when it comes to defending positions of principle. Thus, in September, the prolife community witnessed the betrayal of their confidence when Minister Bev Oda announced the donation of $6 million to IPPF (International Planned Parenthood Federation), the largest and best-funded abortion provider in the world. Two other news items of note highlight the issues of motherhood in relation to the policy decisions being made behind closed doors at federal and provincial levels: maternity benefits for post-abortive women and the non-sentencing of a mother who strangled her own child. Most of us were shocked by the revelation that some women who kill their children in taxpayer-funded abortion clinics are receiving EI maternity benefits after they “get rid of” their babies. This is so contrary to the concept of protecting life and promoting sound family values, even to the notion of prudent and appropriate use of EI funds, as to make it difficult to respond to. Obviously, maternal benefits are designed to make it easier for new mothers to care for their babies and to reduce financial stress during the early days of family bonding and nurture. To think that taxpayer dollars would be used not only to kill children but to support women who have chosen not to make the sacrifices of pregnancy, childbirth, and child-rearing is a serious blow to those committed to the defense of life. For now, this outrage continues. The judge-approved strangling of a baby in Alberta brings a stark reality to our loss of collective values and reason. The Alberta judge, Justice Joanne Veit, who refused to sentence the baby’s mother, Katrina Effert to jail, reasoned that since public opinion allowed the killing of the unborn through abortion, the killing of a born child by its distressed mother should also be allowed. The weight placed on public opinion, whether or not her perception of that opinion is accurate, removes from our law that recognition of eternal principles that supersede the shifting sands of collective emotion. If anyone may do anything because the people refuse to keep the laws that exist, then either the laws are very bad or the people and those they have chosen to represent them have become lawless. When lawlessness and anarchy prevail, the actions of courts become a charade, designed only to convey an “appearance” of order as was the case in Nazi Germany. Of course, judges are supposed to enforce existing laws, not make up their own. Maternity (motherhood) provides a sphere of influence in our society the impact of which cannot be measured; it can only be dismissed or ignored at the risk of losing civilization entirely. Modernity is the transformation of our social interaction in response to technological and historical developments. If informed by biblical moral values, the modernization of our traditions and interactions could make life better for most, endurable for all, and conducive to the equipping of our young people for the changes they will face in their lifetimes. If divorced from our moral foundations, modernity will be a curse, giving us more efficient means of violating eternal moral laws. It’s time to stop believing in the ‘tooth fairy.’ PM Harper is not pro-life. Our conservative government will not protect the right to life. CHP Canada is Canada’s only pro-life, pro-family, federal political party. We’re ready to welcome you to the battle for life in Canada. Join the Christian Heritage Party today!