What A Feminist Looks Like...

Reproductive Rights, Religion and Rural Areas

Shoppers Drug Mart in Bancroft has decided to fund the Pregnancy Care Centre this year, with their Tree of Life campaign… in the past they supported Maggie’s Resource Centre (serving survivors of violence against women) because their focus is “Women’s Health”, although I would say that their focus is debatable given their support for any CPC/PCC. I wonder how women who have had an abortion or who are going to the pharmacy for their birth control or Plan B feel seeing that sign as they enter and throughout the store. Given that 1 in 3 women have needed and had an abortion at some point in their life, it is likely many women are offended or triggered by these signs.

Personally, I would not be comfortable dealing with this pharmacist (who is usually also store manager) for reproductive issues anymore, since my assumption based on their decision of who to fund is that they are NOT pro-choice. I will be moving all of my prescriptions to a different pharmacy, effective immediately. I also felt unwelcome in the store as an atheist, not that I am not used to feeling unaccepted for that reason in this town, but SDM seems to be unaware that Christianity is not the only religion practiced by people who live and work in this town.

The documentary movie 12th & Delaware clearly shows the immoral actions of PCC/CPC’s to include lying, manipulation, bribery and much more. For example, claiming that condoms do NOT work or lying to women about when they conceived so they think they have more time to decide then they really do. None of the staff at SDM (admittedly it is Sunday so it is not store management) seemed to even know that the organization was religious in nature and funded almost exclusively by churches, because they are not eligible for “public” funding, say from the United Way or the government. In fact, most businesses have a policy on their website stating that they will not support religious organization like CPC/PCC’s with either in-kind or financial donations (if you don’t believe me just google “in-kind donations”).

Given that even the government of Canada acknowledges that the greatest indicator of health is poverty or wealth, and since women are disproportionately affected by poverty it would make more sense to fund an anti-poverty organization than one that is not supportive of all the options women have available to keep themselves healthy, both mentally and physically. The fact remains that the abortion procedure itself is safer than carrying a child to term and delivery, especially for women who may experience a variety of complications as a result of being pregnant.

Until this business changes its policy on the type of organizations it supports, I will be exercising my right to spend my money elsewhere and my right to speak out about things that I feel are unjust, starting with letters to the local location, their head office and the local media. You have the same rights but it is your choice how you see fit to use them.

Tagged: Crisis Pregnancy CentrePregnancy Care Centreantichoiceprochoiceabortionreproductive rights