April 1988

By HUBERT BEYER

VICTORIA -- For the first time since the abortion debate heated up, Premier Vander Zalm has introduced an argument that cannot and should not be ignored.

The government's new $20 million family support program is precisely what was needed to combat the alarming increase in abortions.

Rather than wishing abortion would go away, making people feel guilty for even considering an abortion or, worse, trying to force an end to abortions by withholding funding for the medical procedure, the new program offers alternatives to abortions.

Initiatives For Strengthening The Family is a solid program that proposes to battle the rising number of abortions in all the right places.

The program is based not so much on religious considerations, which are an important moral guide for the individual, but on a humanistic respect for life, which should be a major moral beacon for any society. Here are some of the highlights of the program:

. The health ministry will conduct a major public awareness program on how to prevent unwanted pregnancies. Pamphlets on pregnancy prevention, produced by the B.C. Public Health Association, will be available at doctors' offices and in pharmacies and local health offices.

. The education ministry will continue its Family Life Education program in grades seven to 12.

. An additional $6.1 million will go to increasing subsidies for infant day care. The government hopes this will help women return to the work force or to school and enable them to maintain their independence after the birth of their baby.

. The housing ministry will spend $3 million on a variety of accommodation for women who want to have their babies but cannot stay at home.

. Approximately $7 million will be spent on programs that enable young women to complete their education by offering child-care services and parent training.

. The adoption program will be streamlined to make adoption of unwanted children easier. There is now a waiting list of 2,500 families wishing to adopt a child.

. The new Family Maintenance enforcement Act, operational by July, has a lot more teeth than previous legislation and is expected to be much more successful in enforcing maintenance payments.

. A marriage preparation program, devised in consultation with the B.C. Council for the Family, is to prepare couples getting married in a civil ceremony for the pitfalls of marriage and "strengthen understanding and communication skills in marriage."

. Women facing an unwanted pregnancy will be able to get a 20-minute video at libraries, video outlets and health offices throughout the province. The video features a discussion with a family physician and a psychologist and is to inform women of the alternatives to abortion. The video will be available free of charge.

"The government of British Columbia is committed to advancing the well-being of the family," the premier said when he announced the program.

"I believe through the strategies we have outlined, we have met that commitment in a way that will benefit all British Columbians," he said.

I believe so, too. The premier has, at long last, shown a willingness to go beyond expressing his personal agony over the abortion issue, an agony that is shared by many, including those who have criticized his previous decision to cut off funding for abortions.

Personally, I couldn't agree more with a reader who wrote me that she was saddened and horrified by the fact that last year, more than 12,000 women "didn't want their babies." At age 75, she said, she no longer understood the world.

Having brought up four children and now being grandfather to four little ones, the very thought of abortion horrifies me, too. But as I pointed out before, no government can and should try to force moral beliefs on individuals. If morality needs to be propped up by force and coercion, it's already dead.

The premier deserves full marks for his initiative which should go a long way toward reducing the number of abortions in British Columbia. And if the program is successful, its funding should be increased. No money would be better spent.

I should welcome the day when not one women chooses to have an abortion. But that choice must be made freely. Only then will society be able to celebrate the sanctity of life.