Order of Canada Poem--Henry Morgentaler

Attending a garden party at my professors' home last night, we began discussing Henry Morgentaler's recent honour, The Order of Canada (Canada's highest award, chosen by committee). One of my professors mentioned she began reading a poem about the divisiveness stemming from Morgentaler's recipiency to her partner over breakfast one morning, and ended up in tears. I was intrigued and she promised to send me a link. She did.

Here it is:

Order of Canada

by JOHN ALLEMANG


Compared, let's say, to Karen Kain,

Abortion's hero causes pain,

And if, as Stephen Harper said

(To help regain some pro-life cred),

The Globe and Mail

Our honorees must unify,

Then Morgentaler's not your guy -

For who'd dare say a D and C

Can serve the cause of unity?

As icons go, he's thought to lack

The virtues of a Conrad Black,

And can't compete with hallowed jocks,

Or jog as far as Terry Fox,

Or use his Hippocratic arts

To climb the ancient Billboard charts

Like Bachman-Turner Overdrive -

He just helped pregnant girls survive.

They used to die, you ought to know,

When reproduction's status quo

Commanded all to take to term

The accidents of egg and sperm.

However bad abortion seems,

Please conjure up the back-street screams

Of butchered women breaking laws -

And then judge Morgentaler's cause.

"A better country's what they seek."

The Order's motto doesn't speak

Of vague and inoffensive deeds

That won't disturb the leading creeds -

It honours those who make our land

A place where one who takes a stand

And gets accused of every sin

Can proudly wear the snowflake pin.