On The Importance of Offering Abortion
An interesting article on the importance of offering abortions has crossed my radar. It is a record of a speech given by Canadian abortion doctor Garson Romalis to the University of Toronto. I hope you give the entire thing a read.
I remember one 18-year-old patient who desperately wanted an abortion, but felt she could not confide in her mother, who was a nurse in another Vancouver area hospital. She impressed on me how important it was that her termination remain a secret from her family. In those years, parental consent was required if the patient was less than 19 years old. I obtained the required second opinion from a colleague, and performed an abortion on her.
About two weeks, later I received a phone call from her mother. She asked me directly “Did you do an abortion on my daughter?” Visions of legal suit passed through my mind as I tried to think of how to answer her question. I decided to answer directly and truthfully. I answered with trepidation, “Yes, I did” and started to make mental preparations to call my lawyer. The mother replied: “Thank you, Doctor. Thank God there are people like you around.”
Several attempts have been made on his life but he still continues his practice. You have to respect a man who is not afraid of Christian Radicals and rabid pro-lifers because they scare the shit out of me. It’s good to see a postive spin on what I believe to be an honorable and necessary profession.
–Garson Romalis