Reproductive Rights and Anti-choice arrests

Tonight I've been invited to go to a reproductive rights session so I'll have something interesting to write about later.

At the Morgantaler Clinic this week Peter Ryan's wife was arrested by Fredericton Police for holding a "Show the Truth" sign (the ones with mangled fetuses on them; dont' worry, they're fake photos!) after being warned week after week not to bring the sign into public.

I figure the police must have been annoyed with the sign because I'm sure that they recieve complaint after complaint each week about them. They're pretty gross signs and its difficult to deal with a child especially who is upset by the sign, but are too young to understand. How do you explain abortion to a child? Especially a child who may be too young to know about sex and how babies are made. The only advice I can give to parents is that they should explain that these pictures are not real, and that they aren't even from Canada. Even then, the picture is engraved in their minds and they wont' be able to shake it for some time.

These photos are not from Canada, as they have foreign currency next to the fetus. This photo in particular shows a fetus next to a foreign coin. The fetus has formed eyes, fingers, toes, ears -- and they expect us to believe it is only a 10 week gestated fetus?? This is a third trimester fetus, and it is illegal in Canada to have an abortion in the 2nd or 3rd trimester. Is their argument so weak that they have to make up things? Or are they just too stupid to realize that these pictures are fake? Sigh....

So Ryan's wife was taken into custody Tuesday and I do not know if she was released or not. About an hour after she was arrested, clinic escorts and directors were asked if they knew her name because she would not tell police. Now, I think this is a stupid move, because you HAVE to give your name and date of birth in order to be released. I'm sure she's caved by now.

As much as it kind of made me chuckle to hear this, I know that this could be bad. Ryan's wife will be called a martyr of sorts for standing up for babies or something. I wonder what the clinic will look like next week. I'm sure there will be an insurgence of protestors when they hear the news of their Christian martyr. They will feel guilty and head over there next week. Should be interesting -- I'll let you know.