The Fight for Human Rights
The everlasting issue of violated human rights is something that has existed from the beginning of human existence. As such, it is of great importance that we uphold our standards. Unfortunately, many violations of basic human rights such as the right to life, freedom, and safety occur daily across the modern world. One example would be the millions of children enslaved in carpet factories across India, another being the holocaust. Thus, I present my assignments on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Human Rights Poster
In the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 16 protects the rights to get married and have a family with the person you want, no matter their race, nationality, or religion, while preventing child marriage and forced/arranged marriages.
While it seems to the blind eye that only lesser-developed countries such as India and Iran suffer from many violations of this article, that is untrue - Canada itself still deals with such violations, just in a less public way. Forced marriages aren't as common here which means that even with a supportive government, unlike those of lesser-developed countries, it can be very difficult to speak up and get help. Not as many people are forced into marriages therefore not many people would expect such marriages to happen in a first-world country like Canada. Unfortunately, both forced and child marriages happen all over the world, no matter the circumstances.
In the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 16 protects the rights to get married and have a family with the person you want, no matter their race, nationality, or religion, while preventing child marriage and forced/arranged marriages.
While it seems to the blind eye that only lesser-developed countries such as India and Iran suffer from many violations of this article, that is untrue - Canada itself still deals with such violations, just in a less public way. Forced marriages aren't as common here which means that even with a supportive government, unlike those of lesser-developed countries, it can be very difficult to speak up and get help. Not as many people are forced into marriages therefore not many people would expect such marriages to happen in a first-world country like Canada. Unfortunately, both forced and child marriages happen all over the world, no matter the circumstances.
Human Rights and the Media
Click here to see the article I chose to base this assignment on, as well as my annotations and inquiry.
Article: Trudeau is asking religious Canadians to betray their conscience for federal funding
Article: Trudeau is asking religious Canadians to betray their conscience for federal funding
A summary of the article:
As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is in the midst of passing a youth summers job program, a few complications arise as a specific clause in the agreement clashes with the views of religious groups, specifically those that believe in Christianity. Thousands of years ago when the right to religion was not something everyone had the liberty to, Christians were persecuted in their beliefs beneath the rule of the Roman Empire. They were forced to give a sacrifice to the emperor to prove their loyalty to the government and often crossed their fingers behind their back as a "concealed symbol of their allegiance to Jesus" (Haskell 2). While some Christians did this, not all were in agreement with their actions, as they believed a physical action could not nullify an admission of loyalty to someone other than Christ. This aligns with the problem at hand.
The summers job program will provide money to groups that hire students during the summer, and many groups are religious. In order to qualify, you must sign a document agreeing to fully comply to all 'legal' women's rights, including those for reproductive rights. This includes abortion. Many of the religious groups who do hire youth during the summer are not certain they could sign against their religion in order to get the grant. The article says, "To give assent to abortion, even via a check mark on a government form, betrays their values and conscience" (Haskell 7). The problem is that abortion laws still lay in a grey zone after the decriminalization of abortion practices which happened in 1988.
The author, who wrote this opinion-based article, takes the stance in saying that he believes Trudeau is targeting Christianity specifically, and that signing off on this agreement would be lowering the standards for Canadian morals and ethics. He writes on how this is a cause for concern in the Liberal's stance and admits he does not believe there are any human rights in violation here. As well, he speaks on how he disagrees with the Liberal's plan to establish an ideological purity test, which applicants for the program would have to take. His last statement should sum up his view quite nicely: "Their only "crime" is that their values don't align with those of our prime minister" (Haskell 19).
As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is in the midst of passing a youth summers job program, a few complications arise as a specific clause in the agreement clashes with the views of religious groups, specifically those that believe in Christianity. Thousands of years ago when the right to religion was not something everyone had the liberty to, Christians were persecuted in their beliefs beneath the rule of the Roman Empire. They were forced to give a sacrifice to the emperor to prove their loyalty to the government and often crossed their fingers behind their back as a "concealed symbol of their allegiance to Jesus" (Haskell 2). While some Christians did this, not all were in agreement with their actions, as they believed a physical action could not nullify an admission of loyalty to someone other than Christ. This aligns with the problem at hand.
The summers job program will provide money to groups that hire students during the summer, and many groups are religious. In order to qualify, you must sign a document agreeing to fully comply to all 'legal' women's rights, including those for reproductive rights. This includes abortion. Many of the religious groups who do hire youth during the summer are not certain they could sign against their religion in order to get the grant. The article says, "To give assent to abortion, even via a check mark on a government form, betrays their values and conscience" (Haskell 7). The problem is that abortion laws still lay in a grey zone after the decriminalization of abortion practices which happened in 1988.
The author, who wrote this opinion-based article, takes the stance in saying that he believes Trudeau is targeting Christianity specifically, and that signing off on this agreement would be lowering the standards for Canadian morals and ethics. He writes on how this is a cause for concern in the Liberal's stance and admits he does not believe there are any human rights in violation here. As well, he speaks on how he disagrees with the Liberal's plan to establish an ideological purity test, which applicants for the program would have to take. His last statement should sum up his view quite nicely: "Their only "crime" is that their values don't align with those of our prime minister" (Haskell 19).
Is the right to abortion denying the right to life?
Or is denying the right to abortion denying women the rights to their bodies and personal decisions?
http://www.nafcanada.org/
Inquiry*
What: The complications of Trudeau allowing grants for the youth summer job program to religious groups that support abortion
Who: Written from the perspective of religious author David Millard Haskell
Written about Christians (and other religious groups), PM Justin Trudeau, Employment Minister Patty Hajdu, and the Liberals
Where: Canada
When: Original changes for program began in December
What happened: Religious groups are unhappy that they have to agree to respect women's rights, including reproductive rights
How: Liberals have made a clause in the agreement which requires applicants to respect women's rights
Why: It is a traditional religious view for Christians to look against abortion, as they believe it is child murder
Making religious groups respect these rights prevents youth from being voided of employment for non-work related reasons
(i.e. abortion)
*Additional inquiry is featured in my version of the document in the form of annotations, available beneath the header of this assignment.
Who: Written from the perspective of religious author David Millard Haskell
Written about Christians (and other religious groups), PM Justin Trudeau, Employment Minister Patty Hajdu, and the Liberals
Where: Canada
When: Original changes for program began in December
What happened: Religious groups are unhappy that they have to agree to respect women's rights, including reproductive rights
How: Liberals have made a clause in the agreement which requires applicants to respect women's rights
Why: It is a traditional religious view for Christians to look against abortion, as they believe it is child murder
Making religious groups respect these rights prevents youth from being voided of employment for non-work related reasons
(i.e. abortion)
*Additional inquiry is featured in my version of the document in the form of annotations, available beneath the header of this assignment.
Human Rights Violations?
While it isn't implicitly stated in the opinion-based article, there are many problems with this scenario. One is that the author is implying that Trudeau should not have included "respecting women's rights, including reproductive rights" in the document for the youth program. For Trudeau to exclude that from the document would allow violations of human rights to occur, like Article 17, which deals with the freedom from interference of privacy, family, and home, and unlawful attacks on honour and reputation.
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Not agreeing to respect women's reproductive rights would allow an employer who disagrees with abortion to terminate a student's employment or to deny the opportunity in the first place. To fire an employee over a personal decision that would not affect the victim's work abilities (i.e. abortion) is both illegal and completely unfair. As well, in religious settings, not agreeing to be respectful would allow issues to arise in the reputation of the youth. From my experience with the Church, people are not very kind to people who have abortions, and can even be kicked out of the church. The reputation of the student would likely be shattered if this clause were not in effect. All of these are human rights violations the author fails to see when he states "there are no rights being violated here" (Haskell 14).
On the other side, though, the Liberals are also violating human rights, which makes this a very difficult issue to solve. People who disagree with abortion, religious or not, have the right to their opinion (Article 19). Those who are religious have the freedom of belief and religion (Article 18), and to put this clause in the document and expect them to sign it could be considered anti-religious, or a violation of this right. But, this all comes down to the original point of the author, which is the ethics of the situation.
On the other side, though, the Liberals are also violating human rights, which makes this a very difficult issue to solve. People who disagree with abortion, religious or not, have the right to their opinion (Article 19). Those who are religious have the freedom of belief and religion (Article 18), and to put this clause in the document and expect them to sign it could be considered anti-religious, or a violation of this right. But, this all comes down to the original point of the author, which is the ethics of the situation.
One last violation favours the life of the victim who chooses to have an abortion. Should a youth be terminating a pregnancy as a result of complicated circumstances, such as the endangerment of their life, denying her right to abortion would deny her right to life and personal security, as well as interfere with the right to education (Article 26). Many youth choose to have abortions because of how much it will affect them and the outcome of their lives just based on the time of conception. Raising a baby in high school or even earlier has a massive effect on the life and education of the mother. In most cases, the mother will not be able to afford or have time for post-secondary education.
Should the summer youth jobs program include the clause in the document which forces applicants to agree with women’s rights - and reproductive rights?
Or is it a human rights violation in itself?
Relevant Links:
Globe editorial: In Canada, abortion is a right. But so is criticizing it - www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/editorials/globe-editorial-in-canada-abortion-is-a-right-but-so-is-criticizing-it/article37667535/
Globe editorial: In Canada, abortion is a right. But so is criticizing it - www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/editorials/globe-editorial-in-canada-abortion-is-a-right-but-so-is-criticizing-it/article37667535/
"...The Liberal government learned that one of its own MPs had used the Canada Summer Jobs program to give more than $50,000 to a group that actively campaigns against abortion rights, the protection of which is a pet issue for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau."
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Religious Views on Abortion - www.spuc.org.uk/abortion/religion.
Timeline: Abortion rights - significant moments in Canadian history - www.cbc.ca/news/canada/abortion-rights-significant-moments-in-canadian-history-1.787212.
Abortion in Canada - www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/abortion/
New Polls Show Canadians Want Restrictions on Abortion - cambridgerighttolife.ca/new-poll-shows-canadians-want-restrictions-on-abortion/
Timeline: Abortion rights - significant moments in Canadian history - www.cbc.ca/news/canada/abortion-rights-significant-moments-in-canadian-history-1.787212.
Abortion in Canada - www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/abortion/
New Polls Show Canadians Want Restrictions on Abortion - cambridgerighttolife.ca/new-poll-shows-canadians-want-restrictions-on-abortion/
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My Personal Views
I, myself, am a Christian, however that does not mean I am completely against abortion. I was never raised to have a particular view against this topic. That is something I am very grateful for.
Personally, I would never be able to have an abortion myself, and I wouldn't exactly be thrilled to hear if someone close to me wanted to have one, but I am someone who is totally for women's rights at their fullest. Women should have the rights to their own womb and their own decision. If you want to have an abortion, I will not judge, especially if there is reasoning behind it or specific circumstances. There is one exception to this - abortion in the third trimester, unless absolutely medically necessary. I disagree with that as I believe development is far enough to be considered murder. To abort a baby at eight or nine months in for no specific reason is cruel, in my opinion. |
Works Cited
Haskell, David Millard. “OPINION: Trudeau is asking religious Canadians to betray their conscience for federal funding.” CBC News, CBC/Radio-Canada, 18 Jan. 2018. www.cbc.ca/news/opinion/summer-jobs-program-1.4491602.
“Globe editorial: In Canada, abortion is a right. But so is criticizing it.” The Globe and Mail, 19 Jan. 2018,
www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/editorials/globe-editorial-in-canada-abortion-is-a-right-but-so-is-criticizing-it/article37667535/.
Long, Linda. “Abortion in Canada.” The Canadian Encyclopedia, 24 Oct. 2016, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/abortion/.
“National Abortion Federation - Canada.” National Abortion Federation - Canada, www.nafcanada.org/.
“New Poll Shows Canadians Want Restrictions on Abortion.” Cambridge Right to Life, 17 Nov. 2011, cambridgerighttolife.ca/new-poll-shows-canadians-want-restrictions-on-abortion/.
News, CBC. “Timeline: Abortion rights: significant moments in Canadian history.” CBCnews, CBC/Radio Canada, 27 Mar. 2017, www.cbc.ca/news/canada/abortion-rights-significant-moments-in-canadian-history-1.787212.
“Religious Views on Abortion.” Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, www.spuc.org.uk/abortion/religion.
“The Universal Declaration of Human Rights.” Claiming Human Rights, National Commissions for UNESCO of France and Germany, 4 Jan. 2010, www.claiminghumanrights.org/udhr_article_22.html.
“Globe editorial: In Canada, abortion is a right. But so is criticizing it.” The Globe and Mail, 19 Jan. 2018,
www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/editorials/globe-editorial-in-canada-abortion-is-a-right-but-so-is-criticizing-it/article37667535/.
Long, Linda. “Abortion in Canada.” The Canadian Encyclopedia, 24 Oct. 2016, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/abortion/.
“National Abortion Federation - Canada.” National Abortion Federation - Canada, www.nafcanada.org/.
“New Poll Shows Canadians Want Restrictions on Abortion.” Cambridge Right to Life, 17 Nov. 2011, cambridgerighttolife.ca/new-poll-shows-canadians-want-restrictions-on-abortion/.
News, CBC. “Timeline: Abortion rights: significant moments in Canadian history.” CBCnews, CBC/Radio Canada, 27 Mar. 2017, www.cbc.ca/news/canada/abortion-rights-significant-moments-in-canadian-history-1.787212.
“Religious Views on Abortion.” Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, www.spuc.org.uk/abortion/religion.
“The Universal Declaration of Human Rights.” Claiming Human Rights, National Commissions for UNESCO of France and Germany, 4 Jan. 2010, www.claiminghumanrights.org/udhr_article_22.html.