Canada: Honors for Dr. Henry Morgentaler

Dr. Henry Morgentaler

The University of Western Ontario (UWO) has awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree to Dr. Henry Morgentaler - physician, Holocaust survivor and relentless fighter for women's rights to self determination and reproductive freedom. Dr. Morgentaler is an Honorary Associate of Rationalist International and a member of the Humanist Association of Canada.

The degree was awarded in the UWO's convocation on June 16, 2005 amidst standing ovations and great applause. Dr. Morgentaler was honored for "his determination, courage and effectiveness in promoting human rights and especially the right of women to make their own decisions regarding reproduction,” said the University's Vice-President in the citation.

The University's decision, to honor Dr. Morgentaler, had been vigorously opposed by the Catholic Church. The "Catholics for Life" launched an online petition to force the UWO to go back from their plan. The ceremony was protected by police, as several hundred demonstrators against abortion gathered outside the University.

“I wish to congratulate the University, and its President, Dr. Paul Davenport, for standing by its decision in spite of protests by people opposed to what I represent and stand for,” said Morgentaler in his address. “Over the last 37 years I have dedicated myself to the struggle to achieve rights to reproductive freedom and to provide facilities where women could obtain safe abortions in an atmosphere of acceptance and compassion,” he said. “I am proud to have been given the opportunity to make an important contribution to a safer, kinder society where women are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve.”

On 28 January 1988, Dr. Morgentaler won the landmark Supreme Court of Canada decision that gave pregnant Canadian women the right to have an abortion. This was the greatest day of his life, he says. “It was a vindication of everything I believed in. For the first time, it gave women the status of full human beings able to make decisions about their own lives.”

Before that decision came down, he had to fight a 20-year battle with the national government, the judicial system, the police force, religions of every brand, snipers, and a deeply patriarchal social system. For openly performing thousands of abortions - one in front of cameras for CTV -, he had to endure several trials, numerous arrests, eight raids on his clinics, a fire-bombing and 10 months in jail. But nothing could deter him. "I believe what I do is important," he once said. "We have a safer, better society as a result. I felt it was my duty. And I've never regretted it."

France: Secularism and the Left

By Jocelyn Bézecourt (from Paris)

Several months after the law against religious symbols at state schools has come into effect, the result can be considered as extremely positive in France. The Muslim veil has disappeared from the class rooms. Less than forty girls had to be excluded for refusing to remove their veils - a small number, compared with the 1500 problem cases last year. Some girls left state schools, but the great exodus, which had been announced by Muslim fundamentalists, did not happen. They had threatened that Muslim schools would be mushrooming in France to welcome girls with veils, but this turned out to be wrong. Muslim girls understood that removing the hijab at school didn't mean giving up their faith, and then they preferred to continue studying in state schools.

The surprising thing about this victory of secularism is that it was a right-wing government that made it possible. Usually, the left-wing parties are considered the better promoters of secularism. In fact, the socialists, communists, ecologists etc. have been since many years extremely reluctant to criticize Islam for fear of being accused of racism. Interestingly, this argument denies Arabs the right not to be Muslim! A very dangerous alliance is seen between some leftists and Muslim fundamentalists.

However, that the "passion" of the government for secularism cannot be considered sincere became evident on occasion of the death of Pope John Paul II. In an astonishing proof of subordination, the whole French government declared a state of national mourning, with furled flags on state schools, ministerial buildings and city halls, and with officials being sent to mass. Suddenly, the separation of church and state - achieved in 1905 (one hundred years ago !) - was nothing more than a fade memory. French citizens, on the other hand, strongly disagreed with this general atmosphere of servility to the Catholic church created by the behavior of both, French officials and state TV. In this situation, there was almost no reaction in favor of secularism coming from the left-wing politicians. The top figures of the socialist party argued that this was not the right time for a national debate about such questions. Keeping silent was more appropriate in this time of mourning according to them...

Recently, a third event confirmed the above observations: the vote in the referendum on the European constitution. The text of the constitution is very favorable to religious organizations as it doesn't mention secularity as a major factor for progress and equality. Moreover, it considers religious organizations as good partners for the governments. Irrespective of European history, the constitution doesn't hesitate to consider that the "European spiritual heritage" has contributed to the achievement of progress and democracy in Europe. The long series of religious wars are swept under the carpet here, as are the repression against non believers and the support to European fascist states in the 20th century. The pro-religious nature of this treaty is also visible in some articles, obviously motivated by religious convictions though not mentioning religion. One article states, for example, that everybody should have the right to marry and the "right to life", but it doesn't say anything about divorce, birth control and abortion.

During the debate about the referendum on the European constitution, the socialist activists were divided in two camps, the pros and cons, while the communists and other leftists were altogether against the treaty. But again, one was waiting mostly in vane for secularist arguments to come out of those mouths. Of course, the socialist party, officially promoting a "yes" for the European constitution, didn't consider this text to be a danger for secularism. But the communist party, promoting a "no", failed to make the respect for secularism a major argument of its campaign. The small organizations, which are usually supporting the separation of church and state, stood almost alone pointing out the danger of this constitution with respect to secularism. Both Catholics and Muslim organizations were in favor of the treaty.

The result of the referendum was very clear: 55 % of the population rejected the treaty. It also showed that there is a serious gap between the French people and the parliament, which would have approved the European constitution with 80 or 90 %, if there had been voting in parliament.

In these three crucial situations (ban on religious signs at school, pope death and European constitution), the French citizens have shown remarkable coherence and great attachment to the idea of strict separation of state and religions. Most of the top politicians, on the other hand, have proven their subordination to the Vatican or their lack of courage vis a vis Islam. The actual crisis of the political elite in France (both right and the left-wing) lies in the fact that the people has taught its representatives, who are chasing their votes, a serious lesson.

A Humanist Pope?

Guess, who is out to make Africa a happy great continent of new humanism?

This time, it's the Pope!

"We must confess that Europe has exported not only faith in Christ to Africa but also all sorts of vices," Pope Benedict XVI said on 12 May in the Basilica of St John's in Lateran, listing violence, corruption, "abuse of the treasures of this earth", and arms trafficking. "We Christians have to do everything possible so that along with faith, there also arrives the strength to resist these vices," and to rebuild "an Africa that is happy, a great continent of new humanism".

That the Pope declares himself for a humanist - perhaps a born-again humanist - has come as a great surprise, especially for all those who thought, a Humanist Pope was too exotic a creature to be real. In fact, it is. And we are left with three options only: to assume that the Vatican is undergoing a great historic transformation, that the new pope is suffering from bouts of schizophrenia, or that this is just a case of label fraud.

The claim to bring humanism to Africa is not likely to open any doors and hearts there. It is clearly aimed at impressing a special European audience. Humanist work, and especially export of humanism into the third world, attracts in many countries government funds. Does the Pope try to ride the humanist funding wave? Will the Vatican soon apply for membership in the Humanist "Umbrella"? The bishops may make fine colleagues for certain Hindu saints, clad in saffron robes, who are already members of this organization.

Many humanists - among them rationalists and atheists - still regard humanism and religion as antipodes. Their humanism is antireligious in its very essence and they have fought the Vatican throughout history as the world wide greatest exporter of irrationality, self-denial, masochism, submission and inhuman concepts of sexuality and birth control. And they don't have any reason to believe that the fronts have softened or ever will. Just read the story of Dr. Morgentaler (first article in this bulletin).

Despite so many uncompromising and courageous humanists all over the world, humanism has lately become an extremely broad and elastic term, accommodating a wide variety of views and approaches under one "umbrella". Besides the rationalist / atheist / secular stream, it encompasses now many shades of religious belief. In fact, in its outskirts, it has been watered down to mean nothing more than humane. With this rather wide-meshed definition, even popes can manage to slip in. Humanism has become an open market place for all kinds of contemporaries who try to underline their humaneness - and a favorite hideout for frauds, agents and confidence tricksters. Not only humanist popes can try their luck there, but also Indian godmen like Sai Baba, exposed by Indian rationalists as unscrupulous charlatan and meantime internationally accused of child abuse. It was never so easy to be a "humanist". (A biography of Sai Baba has the title - "Satya Sai Baba - the Humanist).

Humanism is for many just a touch of friendliness and compassion that suits any philosophical and political position. Let there be a little bit of humanism in everybody's life! Most suitable, humanism has recently been compared with ketchup (in a public speech by a humanist hero). Shapeless and fluffy, this cheap and ubiquitous tastemaker can be poured over all kinds of meals, adding some color and sweetness. Once dipped in ketchup, can the unlucky and mishandled term still be rescued, at least defended against MacBabas and Pope Burgers? Being secular humanists - as we rationalists are - and knowing many serious humanists in the world, we think it is worth trying.

The Netherlands: "A teacher cannot simply state that man descended from an ape!"

The religious flood of Intelligent Design propaganda that tries in the USA to ban the Theory of Evolution from school curricula, is slopping to the Netherlands. One of its "pioneers" is Dutch education minister Maria Van der Hoeven from the ruling Christian Democratic Appeal party (CDA), who introduces the ideas of the American creationists in her weblog. Now the minister plans to initiate a public debate on Evolution versus Creation between scientists and religious believers in order to "make connections" between the two. It's "too bad", she feels, that scientists want to keep science and religion separated.

"You have to admit that the Theory of Evolution is incomplete. New discoveries are still being made", said Van der Hoeven in an interview with the daily de Volkskrant. "In the history of science there have often been moments that we thought that we knew pretty much all there was to know. Now we realize that we don't know everything yet, by far not". Follows a popular preacher's argument: "Now that scientific investigations expand the boundaries of our knowledge again and again, one should have an open ear and eye for different points of view" - for supernatural ones, that is.

The education minister is "convinced that we are on earth with a mission from God" - and she is not shy to make her government office the forum of her missionary ambitions. She does not share concerns that this may violate the separation of government and religion.

But so far, the traditionally progressive Netherlands seem to be no fertile ground for creationism. Though Prime Minister Balkenende (CDA) initially stated he found Van der Hoevens plan "ok", when discussed in the Second Chamber of Parliament (House of Representatives), it was rejected by all parties, even by the CDA. "The political parties aren't interested in a minister that sets us back to the 50's", said categorically an MP from the Liberal Party VVD, the coalition partner of the CDA, summing up a stormy debate.

Things did not end there. The education minister's escapade sensitized the public to the danger of creationism creeping into Biology curricula. In fact, Dutch curricula make it compulsory for pre-university high schools and senior general secondary schools to discuss God's creation of the universe as an alternative opinion to the Theory of Evolution. Though religious belief in creation is not presented as valid challenge to science here, bible stories are out of place in Biology classes and can only be discussed in Comparative Religion classes, argue education specialists with all political parties - except the CDA, which wants to keep the curricula as they presently are. Dutch MPs, moving to scrap the divine act of creation from the Biology curricula, are backed by the Dutch Institute for Biology, which counts most of the Biology teachers among its members.

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Meantime Von der Hoeven's party colleague Peter Boon, vice-chairman of the provincial board of the CDA in the northern city of Groningen and headmaster of the Protestant Augustinus College, added a harder note to the public debate about Creationism. Boon plunged the Augustinus College into a crisis, when he furiously insisted that there was no Theory of Evolution to be taught in his school. Several teachers felt offended. Boon got so enraged that he had to take some days leave to cool down and to allow the atmosphere at the school to normalize. In an interview with the newspaper Dagblad van het Noorden, he explained that he could not tolerate one of his teachers telling his class, he was a supporter of the Theory of Evolution. "A teacher cannot simply state to his or her class that man descended from an ape, Boon said. "People have to explain how evolution theory relates to Christian belief!"

Asked for their opinion, most teachers of the Augustinus College were "careful" enough to feel that the Theory of Evolution can well go hand-in-hand with the biblical account of Creation.