A . ea a 7 _ ae wea ee etme we

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Abortion issue has
been “artfully shifted”

To the editor,

Having raised to Ter-
race Municipal Council
the issue of abortion
counselling at the

Women’s Centre, I feel I.

Should say a few things.

First of all, [ have no
intention of attacking
the personal integrity of
anyone advocating or
facilitating abortion as a
choice, Some of these
people I know personal-
ly, and I believe some of

‘them are motivated by

what they perceive to be
high ideals. What I do
reject is the nature of the
choice they are ad-
vocating.

I have the impression
that anyone who has
been following this
“debate’’ in the local
press and media must be

scratching his head by
now trying to figure just
what the issue is all
about. To. my.
knowledge, the ‘‘choice’’
which is being so
vigorously defended: has
not been explained or
described, This is
understandable, because
it is considered very poor
taste indeed to complete
the slogan ‘‘a woman’s
right to choose...’’
when the general public
knows full well that the
“choice’? may involve
the destruction of a pre-
natal child (at the
estimated rate of six a
month in our community
hospital). It seems rather
that the debate has been
artfully shifted to the
airy realm of ‘‘freedom
of information’’ where

Bank releases forecasts

continued from page 4
will probably remain
steady for the coming
year.

On a more positive
note, Kavanagh stated
confidence that ‘‘as B.C.
firms discover new
niches for their products,
develop new products
and workers gain new
skills, the unemployment
rate will come down
from the socially costly
levels of the past several
years.’” He also noted
that retail sales in B.C.
were two to three percen-

"tires.

tage points above the na-
tional average in 1985
and forecast a similar
performance .
‘Small business, in our
view, is becoming more
and: more important,’’
he said, and went on to
say that small businesses
have a major role to play
in alleviating unemploy-
ment.

- Kavanagh concluded
by stating the Bank of
Montreal’s feeling about
the B.C. economy in
1986 as being ‘‘cautious-
ly optimistic”.

People stroll through the Northwest Juried Art Show at
the Terrace Art Gallery. Exhibits are on display until the
and of this month. See story page 19.

Kind words

To the editor,

We wish to extend our
heart felt thanks to
everyone for their kind
words, cards and flowers
during the recent passing
of Libby Anderson, a
loving husband, father
and grandfather.

Special thanks to doc-

tors and nurses of Ter-
race during his illness of
several years when we
resided there.
Donations may be
made to the Heart Fund.
Edith, Jeanie, Penni,
lan, Colleen and
grandchildren
Burns Lake, B.C.

+ Classifieds.

The next best thing to owning your own
_, Money machine!

_ the quicker money getter upper.

in 1986.°

the unpleasant facts
about abortion can be
conveniently ignored.

Council has taken a
heavy barrage from the
advocates of choice, Lest
our representatives fear
they have favored a
minority position, they
should take heart know-
ing that the oft-quoted
figure ‘‘72 percent of
Canadians favor a
women’s right to
choose...”’ is actually a
lot of nonsense.

This misleading
statistic was obtained
from a 1982 Gallup Poll
designed: and commis-

‘sioned by the Canadian

Abortion Rights Action
League, a staunchly pro-

abortion organization. A -

solitary, double-
barrelled and loaded
question was used,
resulting in a survey that
proved an embarrass-
ment to the Gallup In-
stitute; so embarrassing,
in fact, that Gallup ran
their own poll on the
abortion issue in 1983,
This professionally
designed survey produc-
ed some very useful in-
formation: only 23 per-
cent of Canadian adults
felt that abortion should
be ‘‘legal under ail. cir-
cumstances’’ (this is the
abortion-on-demand
position);
answered ‘‘illegal under
all circumstances’; and
59 percent replied ‘‘legal
only under certain cir-
cumstances.’’ The ‘‘cer-
tain circumstances’’
ranged from: an im-
mediate threat to the
mother’s life (the only
official pro-life excep-
tion), to gross fetal ab-
normality, to pregnancy
in cases of incest or rape.
The bottom line: 77 per-
cent of Canadians reject
abortion on demand,

I would like to make a
final
closing. A Women’s
Centre spokesperson was
quoted as saying ‘‘The
legality of the abortion
issue was settled in the
70°s.’’ The facts are
otherwise: there are
several critically signifi-
cant legal cases currently
proceeding to the
Supreme Court of
Canada, the most
notable of which are the
Carruthers/ Whelton
case, and the Borowski
Challenge. The applica-
tion of the Charter of
Rights in these landmark
decisions could turn the
present legal status of
abortion on its head.
And at the grassroots
level, | would say that
the real debate has just
begun.

Mark Ruelle
Terrace, B.C,

17 percent

rejoinder before

é

Terrace Review — Wednesday, March 19, 1986 4

Letters te to the Leditor Sunday trading

will be harmful

To the editor,

There have been recent
news reports as follows:
“Psychiatrists report
that jail cells are filled
with drug abusers and
pushers as well as
molesters. Psychiatrists
feel a large percentage of
this has to do with socie-
ty’s moral standards and
that of family
breakdown. It appears
fewer people care or are
forced to care less for
their families.’’

This brings us (Sun-
days for Families Com-
mittee) to the situation
of opening supermarkets
and department. stores
on Sunday; excluding
essential | service
businesses, i.e. phar-
macy stores.

Presently the Provin-.

cial Statute which
governs Sunday shopp-
ing hours is being
broken. There are also
other serious reasons
why Sunday trading will
be harmful. And they far
outweigh the good that

‘may come from what

some Sunday traders
describe as ‘‘increased
personal choice,’’

Your family
will be harmed

Families need to spend
time together to develop

strength and security. At -

greatest risk are the two
out of three shop
workers who are women
— most of whom are
married with families.

‘The result of Sunday
trading may bring forth
a new social pattern, for-
cing many others (bank
clerks, delivery drivers,
additional police force,
etcetera) to work ‘‘in
support’? of Sunday
trading activities. More
families will be divided
and the quality of their
life damaged.

Your nation
will be harmed

Studies done in
England in 1983
estimated job loss in the
range of 15,000 to
150,000 people should
Sunday trading be allow-
ed.

The present six days of
sales will be spread over
seven. Shops will employ
a smaller full-time staff,
supplementing the peak
days of Saturday and
Sunday with casual part-
timers. So permanent
jobs will be lost,

Previous studies done
in England, and reported
in 1984, taken from
7,000 individuals and
organizations, indicated
“eight hours of Sunday
opening (which would
increase trading hours by
around 13 percent)
would taise retailing

_ costs in the short-term by

around 10 percent. Even
if customers would be
willing to pay for the ex-
tra benefit of Sunday
shopping, the only prac-
tical means of recouping

these costs is by raising |

prices the

throughout
week.”

-Your church
_will be harmed

Increasing numbers of
Christians will be
prevented from joining
together for worship and
fellowship. Churches in
towns will suffer from
excess noise, disturbance
and parking problems.

More than a _ great
tradition will be lost, It
was a leader of the
French Revolution who
said, “If you would
destroy Christianity, you
must first kill Sunday.”’

Your community
will be harmed

There will be no week-
ly refuge from traffic
noise, litter and commer-
cial activity, everyone
will suffer more stress.
Those already under
stress will face a crisis.

Sunday trading may
also bring increased
financial pressures. The
extra opening time will

mean shops tacing addi-
tional costs for staff,
electricity and
overheads. These costs
will have to be met. And
there are two possible
ways fora shop to do so.

One way is to raise

prices — which will hurt -

everyone, The alter-
native is to sell more at

the expense of other .

shops.

Shops that sell less
may reduce staff putting
people out of work,
Some people who don't
want to work on Sunday

will be forced to do so to -

protect their jobs.

Some shops will go out
of business — giving the
public less choice. In ad-
dition, rates will increase
to pay for police,
transport staff and
public services having to
work longer hours.

Your Sunday is. about

to be hijacked! The only.

hope is for concerned
people everywhere to
make their voice heard

. now,

If you care, then you
must act. There is no
other way to rescue Sun-
day.

G. Kuehne, a
representative of
Sunday for Families
Committee

Terrace, B.C,

Punitive measures
are questioned

To the editor, |

What is it about our
present day society and
its judicial system that is

‘becoming more foul

smelling with each case,
where criminals stalk the
innocent, raping, killing,
or maiming little
children.

If apprehended these

criminals go to jail or

correctional institutions,
many smirking of
laughing at the sentences
they receive. They are
well fed, entertained
elc., etc., and taxpayers’
dollars protect them
from each other.

The innocent cannot
be afforded such protec-
tion, therefore once
they’ve been jailed these
depraved snakes should

‘have one open com-

pound, then perhaps a
process of natural
elimination could evolve.
However authorities
seem reluctant to sup-
port such measures, It
would seem only plaus-
ible that less desirable in-
stitutions would be a for-
midable deterrent to
such attitudes,

Surely the unbridled
advantages of the
freedoms in our society
have the very founda-
tions crumbling. While

‘the sanctity of the womb

seems to have become a

‘chamber of torture and

the innocent have no
place, there is a gather-
ing cry for discipline,
We do have cultural
and scientific exchanges,
etc,. with other coun-
tries, Why not an ex-
‘change with China on
ther punitive measures,
and how they deal with
people who feel
must hurt their fellow
man, Recent reports
from that country have
shown a very effective
procedure,
Douglas L. Bulleid

Terrace, B.C,
In court
On Fri. Feb. 21

Donald Dutton was fin-
ed $35 in Terrace Provin-
cial Court for possession
of a narcotic.

On Fri. Feb. 21 in Ter-
race Provincial Court
Lestie Lanterman was
fined $100 for an offense

‘under the Liquor Con-

trol Act.

Crystal Swanson was
fined $125 in Terrace
Provincial Court on Fri,
Feb. 21 for theft.

they |

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