Debrief on Morgentaler protest

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Extracts from Dr. Henry Morgentaler’s news conference yesterday after receiving an honorary degree from UWO.
Q Were you surprised by the controversy this honour has created?

I was really surprised. . . . To my mind, the abortion question has been resolved in Canada, in the sense that women have access to it in most parts of the country. And those who are opposed – nobody’s forced to have an abortion. They can’t be opposed because it’s not their business. . . . So where’s the problem?

Q You changed Canadian history (when the Supreme Court struck down an abortion law in 1988). Yet this is the first university to give you an honorary degree. How do you feel about that?

I feel great that finally a university has had the courage to award me this honour. Without being modest, I think I do deserve it. But I’m really surprised that there’s been so much controversy because of a small minority of people who are still against the right of women to ask for and receive a safe abortion . . .

Q When you attribute fallen crime rates to increased abortions, the board of governors of UWO said you’re promoting eugenics. How do you respond to that?

About 10 years ago when the first statistics came out saying crime diminished in Canada and the United States, a theory came to my mind that, ‘Wow, the abortion must have something to do with it.’ . . . Last year, Toronto had its lowest rate of murders in 30 years. . . . I think the theory is true. . . . We do have a situation where most women for whom a pregnancy is unwanted or inconvenient, the women know it’s not the right time for them to bring a baby into the world when they know a baby needs a home and love and attention. . . . That’s why I say because abortion is available, we have a safer and better society. . . . That has nothing to do with . . . eliminating those people who are not wanted. It’s hundreds and thousands of decisions by individual women who make that difference.

Q To oppose an unjust law, you chose to break the law and yet today you said you don’t advocate civil disobedience. You advised students to change laws through the political process. Has your opinion changed?

I think that to practise civil disobedience, first of all it’s very difficult for the fact that you’ll be jailed and persecuted. I don’t think in a democratic society like Canada, it should not be necessary, really.

**Q Your supporters believe you should receive the Order of Canada. What do you have to say about that? **

Well, I wouldn’t mind receiving it! (laughter)

Q After decades standing up for your beliefs, how do you react when you still see the crowds of protesters?

I would say hello to them. They have a right to protest. Peaceful protest is something which is accepted in this democracy. And it’s a good thing. I think people should protest what they believe is something that is wrong. . . . There’s not much to it. We have many religious groups opposed to abortion and they’ll probably be opposed for the next 10, 20, 50 maybe 100 years, until such time that they change.

Q What about those individuals in Canada whose conscience does not allow them to support what you are doing? Would you support them or help them figure out how their tax dollars would not go to fund abortions?

That’s a more difficult question because when you start choosing, ‘I’m going to support the government on this and not on that, I want to take a part of my taxes because they do this and they do that,’ how far can you go with that? We all pay taxes, part of which go to health care. People who die of, say, lung cancer who brought it on themselves by smoking, I don’t say ‘These people are responsible for the lung cancer, therefore I am not contributing part of my money.’

Q What limits should there be on a woman’s ability to terminate a pregnancy in the second or third trimester?

Late-term abortions shouldn’t be done unless it’s necessary to protect the life of a pregnant women (or the fetus can’t survive) . . . The more there is the development of the fetus the more it becomes human. . . . To me what counts is . . . the viability of the fetus (and) the development of the brain . . . I would put the upper limit on abortion at 24 weeks.
 
Hushed protesters let placards, symbols speak

APRIL KEMICK, Free Press Reporter

canoe.ca/NewsStand/LondonFreePress/News/2005/06/17/1092045-sun.html

Symbolic pallbearers carrying a casket topped with a pair of baby booties trekked for kilometres through the rain yesterday, protesting against UWO honouring Dr. Henry Morgentaler.
The black-clad mourners made their way from Victoria Hospital to the University of Western Ontario campus, starting hours before Morgentaler received an honorary degree at UWO’s graduation.

Members of the London-based group Truth and Love for Life were part of the visually striking, but largely silent, protest outside Alumni Hall against UWO’s action.

“We walked all the way here in a procession of mourning,” said Sandra Semac. “We’re mourning the children whose lives have been lost.”

The group’s casket, topped with a tiny pair of white baby booties to symbolize the unborn, was among many images at the UWO demonstration, which drew more than 300 protesters from as far away as Michigan.

Many demonstrators toted huge placards with graphic images of aborted fetuses. Other posed provocative questions on their signs.

“In this visual society, we need to actually show the image of the children that are killed by abortion to wake people up,” said Ann-Marie Tomlins, who travelled from the Barrie area with the group Show the Truth.

“Awards: H. Morgentaler today, K. Homolka next?” read one sign.

Men, women and some children from across Southwestern Ontario attended the heavily policed protest, which took place in a fenced-off area near Alumni Hall.

“You’re never too young to know right from wrong,” said Shelley Cameron, who attended the protest from Toronto with her three children, ages 8, 9 and 11.

“They don’t believe in abortion, either, and we came to show our opposition to the university honouring Dr. Morgentaler,” she said.

“He’s killing babies that deserve to live,” said Cameron’s daughter Shaya, 11.

The peaceful demonstrators included members of church and anti-abortion groups, UWO alumni and students.

Some spilled out onto routes leading to the campus, Western Road and Richmond Street.

“We’re having a peaceful protest, as peaceful as an unborn child,” said Nikki Cooke, a member of the Campaign Life Coalition London, who helped organize the protest. “This is not about confrontation.”

Unlike the raucous protest at UWO when Morgentaler visited in 1985, yesterday’s demonstration was marked by silence and solemnity out of respect for the graduates.

The main protest broke up just after 10 a.m., when the graduation ceremony began.
 
Ani Ibi They can’t be opposed because it’s not their business. . . . So where’s the problem? [/QUOTE said:
One word: Kristalnacht
Click to expand...
 
MORGENTALER AT UWO

canoe.ca/NewsStand/LondonFreePress/News/2005/06/17/1092044-sun.html

Melinda Dalton and April Kemick, Free Press Reporters

The Free Press asked a sampling of students graduating yesterday how UWO’s conferral of an honorary degree on Dr. Henry Morgentaler affected their graduation.
“I’m really happy he’s getting the award. But it’s such a touchy topic, I still think they could have picked a less controversial person.”

Shannon Thompson

“Originally, I didn’t think it was necessary for him to get the award at our graduation but so far everything has been very organized and very normal.”

Stefanie Frishe

“I couldn’t bring my grandparents because we were only allowed two tickets per person, which was disappointing. But it hasn’t put too much of a downer on me.”

Tait Williamson

“It’s kind of gross because there’s a lot of big pictures with dead babies. But other than that, it hasn’t really affected me.”

Andrea Manto

“It’s making our lives a little more stressful just because of all the little things like tickets (being limited). This is supposed to be about us, not the teachers or random people protesting.”

James Lacaria

“We were only allowed to bring two guests and I couldn’t get any more tickets, so I couldn’t bring my grandparents.”

Leona Bartlett

“Maybe if there was some crazy bombings or protests, it would affect us. But at this point it hasn’t really made a difference.”

Adam Cooper

“The protesters out front really freaked me out. I was bawling by the time I got here.”

Colleen Van Camp

“It made grad more interesting and it’s been a big excitement for me and my friends.”

Peter Bedore
 
**King’s observes quiet protest
**
About 50 people opposing abortion attend a chapel service for a subdued protest

canoe.ca/NewsStand/LondonFreePress/News/2005/06/17/1092043-sun.html

MELINDA DALTON, Free Press Reporter

In stark contrast to the main protest against abortion doctor Henry Morgentaler at Western yesterday, a small group gathered at an affiliated Catholic college to celebrate life.
Graphic images of aborted fetuses were prominent on the signs many pickets carried outside Alumni Hall, where Morgentaler received his honorary degree from UWO.

But less than a kilometre away, at King’s University College, the scene was more subdued.

Neither police nor swarms of media invaded the quiet King’s campus. The college sat nearly empty except for about 50 abortion opponents who crowded into the small chapel to express their disagreement with the university’s decision.

The protesters didn’t bring signs or raise their voices. Most didn’t even say a word during the hour-long service.

They came to pray in support of the dignity of life, said Rev. Michael Bechard, who conducted the service.

“I think there’s always been different ways in which people voice their lack of support,” he said. “For us, our prayers are our protest.”

During his opening greeting, which began just before Morgentaler was scheduled to speak, Bechard reminded those gathered that while their protest was not as visible as those on the main campus, their commitment was significant.

“We gather not to condemn but rather to pray for all those who seek to defend the dignity of the human person (and) God’s gift of life from conception to natural death,” he said. “Today we gather steadfast in faith.”

While the service was held inside the college’s chapel, most of those who attended weren’t students.

Shelley Morgan, a Western alumnae, brought her young daughter Elise to King’s instead of the main protest because she feared things might get out of control.

“I did think about going to the protest on (the) main campus, but I thought it might not be a good idea. I just really wanted to support the people who disagree with this honorary degree.”

King’s student Sarah Donahue said she attended the off-campus service out of respect for graduates.

“I think this is a more appropriate way to protest because the day on campus is for the graduates,” she said. “I think this is a better way to show our displeasure with the honorary degree.”

Catholic leaders had asked all Catholic schools in the province to observe a moment of silence and pray for the unborn yesterday morning.

All eight high schools in the London District Catholic school board participated in the moment of silence during morning prayers, said board spokesperson John Boles.
 
True to their word
As promised, Dr. Henry Morgentaler is awarded an honorary degree while about 300 protesters march peacefully

canoe.ca/NewsStand/LondonFreePress/News/2005/06/17/1092040-sun.html

JONATHAN SHER, Free Press Reporter

There were hundreds of protesters – but no violence – yesterday as UWO became the first university to give an honorary degree to abortion-rights pioneer Dr. Henry Morgentaler.
More than 300 protesters stood on Lambton Drive and along Western Road between Sarnia Road and Huron University College.

A fence kept them 40 metres from Alumni Hall, their civility leaving seven uniformed police little to do but watch.

Inside the hall, Morgentaler was met with two standing ovations – the applause loudest from students – while pockets of spectators remained seated.

“I feel great that finally a university has had the courage to award me the honour,” he said.

The event that had sparked months of acrimony and drew dozens of reporters from across Canada proved anti-climactic.

“The protesters proved good to their word – this was a peaceful protest,” said London police Const. Jeff Arbing.

At 6:45 a.m., near Victoria Hospital, 14 men and women dressed in black walked in rain toward the University, carrying an empty coffin draped in a child’s blanket and topped with baby booties

In Strathroy, a right-to-life group boarded a school bus, one of many groups from London and the region that joined the protest.

But concerns by police that fanatics might be drawn to a protest described by some as a “pitched battle” on the websites of abortion opponents proved unwarranted, so much so even Morgentaler remarked the security seemed excessive.

“There was no threat to life, no threat that any violence was going to be committed . . . I think they over-reacted a bit,” he told reporters.

With two uniformed police watching from the back of the hall and plain-clothed officers elsewhere, the convocation began with academic dignitaries in brightly coloured robes marching in front of the stage, the 82-year-old Morgentaler tapping a railing as he walked toward his seat.

Small and slight of build, Morgentaler signed a book for honorees, his script sprawling and so large he wrote his last name below his first.

He spoke with authority and a touch of humour, chronicling a life in medicine that began after he was given a diploma at the University of Montreal – then a Catholic school – by Cardinal Paul-Emile Leger.

“He didn’t know at the time the black sheep I’d become. I didn’t know either,” he said.

Morgentaler spoke of his struggle to make abortion legal and accessible and how he endured trials and 10 months in jail after an appeals court substituted its judgment for jurors who found him not guilty. He outlined his work that has become cherished by supporters and derided by opponents: eight clinics, more than 100 doctors trained in a “vacuum suction” technique he pioneered and thousands of women who’ve received safe abortions.

“When I look back on my life, I can do it with a sense of pride,” he said.

A survivor of a Nazi regime that killed his parents and a sister, Morgentaler said there was a link between unwanted children and human atrocity.

“Well-loved children grow into adults who do not build concentration camps, do not rape or murder,” he said.

Twice the crowd rose to it feet in applause. Just once there was a faint smattering of boos.

The honorary degree was the first for Morgentaler, who later said it was well-deserved.

The wider availability of abortions has resulted in fewer unwanted children and as a result, less crime, he said. “Because abortion is available we have a safer and better society.”

Asked by a blind reporter if it would be valid for a woman to abort because the baby would be born with an illness or disability, Morgentaler – who appeared not to notice the reporter’s blindness – said, "If it’s determined (the child would have) Down syndrome, I think it’s justified for the woman or the parents to say, ‘I don’t want to have a Down syndrome baby. We’d rather terminate this pregnancy and try to have a normal pregnancy, a normal baby.’ "

Morgentaler was introduced by UWO provost Greg Moran, who said the limits on abortion the doctor had fought had “failed miserably to meet the needs of woman.”

“Today we honour (him) . . . for his determination, courage and effectiveness in promoting human rights and especially the right of women to make their own decisions regarding reproduction,” Moran said.

Later, at a media conference, UWO president Paul Davenport, who chaired the committee that selected Morgentaler, said the honour, which he supported, came from a committee of the Senate whose membership is overwhelmingly faculty.

Asked if he was pro-choice, Davenport, who chaired the Senate committee, fell silent.

“I’m hesitating only because when I make a statement on an issue like that, it tends to be interpreted as the position of the university. And I just said the University of Western Ontario has no position on a woman’s right to choose or on abortion. We have to provide an environment where people can speak their minds . . . and not think that someone’s going to accuse them of contradicting what the president said.”
 
Fans, foes, the doctor himself - all came off well

canoe.ca/NewsStand/Columnists/London/Ian_Gillespie/2005/06/17/1092028.html

IAN GILLESPIE, Free Press News Columnist

To be honest, it was the last thing I expected. I expected angry voices. I was prepared for faces flushed with rage. I was primed for conflict and confrontation.
But I got something else entirely.

With its roadblocks, checkpoints, barricades, identity tags and a highly visible police presence, the University of Western Ontario was clearly hunkered down for trouble at yesterday’s convocation ceremony honouring Dr. Henry Morgentaler.

But what emerged was something different.

I saw it in the behaviour of an anti-abortion protester who was leaning against the temporary fence erected more than shouting distance away from Alumni Hall.

Like many protesters, the man was holding a sign. But his message seemed more startling than most.

His sign read: “Awards: Dr. Morgentaler today. Karla Homolka next?”

I assumed that anyone displaying such inflammatory words would likely offer up some heated comments. But when I approached the man for a comment, he smiled politely and pointed at another sign that read: “We protest in silence.”

Inside Alumni Hall, about 70 reporters and camera operators were poised to pounce. And let’s be honest: Many of us were waiting for trouble – a shouted insult, an unfurled banner or some other dramatic sign of disapproval.

Instead, we got respectful silence.

As UWO president Paul Davenport put it later, “You could’ve heard a pin drop in that auditorium.”

When Morgentaler was introduced, there was a hint of booing. But it was so slight and short-lived that I had to ask a fellow reporter if he’d heard it too. And the low, round sound of disfavour was quickly drowned out by applause.

To be sure, Morgentaler was interrupted twice during his speech – but both times it was due to a standing ovation.

And to be sure, not every spectator stood. But that was the extent of their displayed displeasure: about 100 spectators remained sitting while some 1,500 others stood.

During a news conference after Morgentaler had accepted his honorary doctor of laws degree, the abortion activist was asked what he would like to say to the crowd of more than 300 protesters who’d gathered outside.

“I would say hello to them,” said Morgentaler. “They have a right to protest. Peaceful protest is something which is accepted in this democracy. And it’s a good thing. I think people should protest what they believe . . . is wrong.”

Morgentaler has seen his share of violent controversy. But he seemed puzzled by the security.

“I think it was excessive,” he said. “I think they (the police) over-reacted a bit.”

And despite some not-so-subtle attempts by some reporters to spark strong words from the activist, Morgentaler seemed nonplussed.

“On the whole, I would say that the debate in Canada about abortion has practically disappeared and that even the people who are opposed to it . . . most of them are peaceful people,” he said.

He said he’d accidentally met the president of an anti-abortion group at a Toronto restaurant and the two had a “pleasant conversation.”

“There was no personal animosity on his part, nor on mine,” said Morgentaler. "We disagree on the basic issues, but it does not involve personal recrimination.

“I always take the high road, in spite of being vilified,” he said. “The debate (on abortion) now is much more civilized that it ever was.”

And though it could’ve been fuelled partly by relief, even Davenport had nothing but praise for the protesters.

“They affirmed their faith, they affirmed their beliefs,” said Davenport. "But they did so in a way that fully respected our convocation (and) fully respected the students and parents who were on campus.

“We have something to be proud of in our city and at our university – that we can have different points of view and state our points of view, demonstrate peacefully and with respect.”

And that’s what struck me most about yesterday’s convocation. I saw it in the protesters, police, parents, press and graduates: Respect and tolerance.

I expected something else. I’m happy I was wrong.
 
**Abortion helped make society safer: Morgentaler Last updated Jun 16 2005 01:43 PM EDT
CBC News

toronto.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=to-morgentaler20050616http://toronto.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=to-morgentaler20050616
**
TORONTO – Dr. Henry Morgentaler said his fight to give women access to abortion has helped make society a safer place as he received an honorary degree Thursday.
“By fighting for reproductive freedom, and making it possible, I have made a contribution to a safer and more caring society where people have a greater opportunity to realize their full potential,” he said, shortly after receiving his honorary doctor of law degree from the University of Western Ontario in London.
“Well-loved children grow into adults who do not build concentration camps, do not rape and do not murder,” said Morgentaler, 82, who himself survived a Nazi death camp.

He claimed that violent crime has decreased since 1991, a trend he attributed to more abortion procedures being made available.

“The most important factor is that there are fewer unwanted children, fewer children likely to be abused, brutalized or neglected … children so victimized they may grow up for a thirst for vengeance which seeks an outlet in violence,” he said.

Morgentaler went through four jury trials and spent 10 months in jail for providing abortions. The Supreme Court of Canada struck down the country’s law in 1988.

He told the graduates that he did not advocate civil disobedience, but he urged them to stand up for their rights.

“You are the younger generation, you can change what’s going on in Canada through your political influence,” he said.

University officials had beefed up security for the ceremony after the decision to award Morgentaler an honorary degree sparked controversy at the school.

About 500 demonstrators gathered outside the university to protest the school’s decision. Some people withdrew their donations to the university, including one bequest for $2 million.

More than 12,000 people signed a petition that called on the school to change its mind and not give Morgentaler the honour. But 10,000 other people signed a petition in support of the university’s decision.

Don McDougall, chair of the university’s board of governors, criticized the way the decision was made to award Morgentaler the degree, saying it was reached through a “breach of customary protocol” and that “the process was corrupted.”

One of the members on the selection committee resigned in protest over the way Morgentaler was selected.

But the senate honorary degrees committee denied the charges. In a letter, the committee said he was “elected for an honorary degree by a process that was fair, open and reflected normal practice.”
 
Fallout Continues over University’s Honouring of Abortionist - Student Senator Resigns
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005/jun/05061701.html

OTTAWA, June 17, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The University of Western Ontario’s decision to give an honorary doctorate of laws to notorious Canadian abortionist Henry Morgentaler continues to hurt the institution. In addition to a petition signed by 12,000 protesting the move, a demonstration of some 600 pro-lifers including 6 UWO professors took place at the graduation where Morgentaler was awarded yesterday. In addition to millions of dollars in lost donations, Veronica M. Granic, Student Senator, resigned from the University Senate because of the university’s shameful decision.

http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/images/2005/GRANICV.jpg"I am ashamed that Western has decided to ignore the voice of students and to honour Morgentaler," said Granic, a fourth year Administrative and Commercial Studies and Psychology student. “As a Student Senator it is my role to represent all students. The University of Western Ontario has always prided itself on inclusiveness and tolerance regarding the needs of its constituent groups, especially students. However, many students are staunchly opposed to the awarding of this honorary degree, and Western should respect their views as much as it does those that support Dr. Morgentaler,” said Granic.

“This is shameful. By awarding Morgentaler an honorary degree, the administration is sending a clear message to its vital core - the students- that it is unconcerned with their views. I have to represent the students, even if Western will not. I can no longer work with an administration which does not listen to students. I hope my resignation will send a signal that the views of students can no longer be blithely ignored,” said Granic.
 
Abortionist Receives Honorary Doctorate from University While 600 Protestors Pray
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005/jun/05061609.html

LONDON, ON, June 16, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) - As graduates and their parents and the administration of the University of Western Ontario (UWO) entered the grounds for the graduation ceremony this morning they passed by some 600 pro-lifers who prayed silently protesting the honorary doctorate of laws to be conferred on notorious Canadian abortionist Henry Morgentaler. Graphic abortion signs and other signs protesting the scandalous award were prominent,.Media presence was abundant. Six UWO professors took part in the pro-life demonstration, some dressed in their professorial regalia.

For months pro-lifers have protested the decision. As many as 12,000 signed a petition against the award and graduates who respected life were forced to choose between missing their graduation and honouring a man personally responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of unborn children. The university is also known to have lost millions of dollars in donations.

The demonstration led by Campaign Life Coalition (CLC) was held only in the morning so as to allow graduates to enjoy their celebration after the ceremony. Jim Hughes, CLC National President Jim Hughes took part in the demonstration and told LifeSiteNews.com that it was a very positive event, with a third of participants under age 25.

One group of protesters representing the Evangelical group Truth and Love for Life, carried a coffin some 6km to the event to remember the over 2.5 million Canadian children killed thanks to Morgentaler’s successful campaign for abortion in Canada.

The protest began with a Mass celebrated by London Bishop Ronald Fabbro who encouraged the pro-lifers to keep working for life. He noted in his homily that he had asked that all parishes in the diocese remain open so the faithful could join in the event by prayer, if not able to attend in person. He also stressed that all Catholics are called to act in defence of life.

In an interview given to the Globe and Mail prior to the ceremony Morgenatler said, “I do believe, even if it may not sound modest, that I deserve this degree.”

Morgentaler received two standing ovations at the event. During his speech he recalled his own graduation saying of his degree: “I got it from the hands of Cardinal Léger, who was at the time chancellor of that university. It was a Catholic university at the time. He didn’t know what kind of black sheep I would become eventually. I didn’t know that either.” He continued, “Forty years later, it had become a secular university and I was the only one in my class who had been given a citation for my work in ensuring freedom of abortion for women in Canada. What a change.”

At a press conference after the ceremony Morgentaler was asked several probing questions by UWO radio reporter Roger Khouri. Khouri told LifeSiteNews.com that when asked if he’d perform abortions based on gender, disability or illness, Morgentaler responded that he had no problem performing abortions in cases of disability or illness of the fetus and that it was “up to the mother”. Abortions based on gender he said he was unsure of. Morgentaler also said he believes life begins between 24-28 weeks gestation, but nonetheless added that he had performed such late term abortions “in a few rare cases”.

Both Morgentaler and the man most directly responsible for the award controversial award, University President Paul Davenport were impressed by the peacefulness of the pro-life demonstration. Davenport noted the peacefulness of the demonstrators during the conference and Morgentaler said the heavy security was unnecessary.
 
200,000 Catholic Students Protest University Award to Notorious Canadian Abortionist

lifesite.net/ldn/2005/jun/05061508.html

LONDON, ON, June 15, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – As the University of Western Ontario (UWO) prepares to grant notorious Canadian abortionist Henry Morgentaler an honorary degree despite immense popular opposition, hundreds of thousands of students are gearing up to protest the event through whatever means are at their disposal.
Already the London Catholic School board has announced that each of its eight high schools will observe a minute of silence and prayer at the beginning of the day. “We do this as a symbol of our unity . . . to observe one minute of silence in recognition of the thousands of lives taken from this world by Dr. Henry Morgentaler,” said Joseph Rapai, the education director of the London District Catholic school board.

All the Catholic high school boards across the province, covering a total of as many as 200,000 students, have been asked to do the same thing. Elementary schools as well have been asked to join in the spiritual protest.

“To witness our values and beliefs in a prayer service – what more powerful means of protest can there be?” said Gerald Killan, the principal of King’s College in London.

Jake A. Cooke, a Grade 10 student Mother Teresa Catholic Secondary School, in an open letter to Dr. Paul Davenport and many others, warned the university of the other more tangible means of protest which will be employed against the university by him and many of his friends if the degree-conferring ceremony goes ahead as planned.

“Some of my friends are coming out of grade twelve ready to go to university and now they will have to go elsewhere,” said Cooke. “I hope you do realize that you are about to lose a major amount of your income, graduates, and good reputation. I have some friends currently studying at Western who will immediately go elsewhere to a different university even if it means leaving their family to go and study.”

Cooke compared the granting of an honorary law degree to Morgentaler to awarding NHL player Todd Bertuzzi for the best sucker punch in the league. “It is unrealistic, right;” said the grade 10 student, “well why are you doing this then, honouring someone who is proud that he has killed more than one hundred thousand babies?”
 
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