On recognizing threats

As if Canadians needed yet another reason to be concerned about socially-conservative Liberals, soon-to-be-ex-PMPM has declared that he won't stop the bulk of his party's MPs from voting to end abortion rights if the issue comes up:

Earlier this week, the prime minister insisted he would instruct all Liberal MPs and senators to vote against a bill that banned abortion and that his new government would stand firmly in favour of a woman's right to choose.

But yesterday, Martin said he would treat a vote on the issue the same way he did last year's decision on same-sex marriage -- by whipping his cabinet, but unleashing backbenchers.

The same-sex marriage vote saw 32 Liberal MPs vote against changing the definition of marriage and, if re-elected, a similar amount are expected to vote against abortion.

It's only fair that as long as PMPM insists on making an issue out of abortion, he should have to answer for his own candidates. And he's now made clear that the loyalty of those candidates is more important to him than a woman's right to choose.

The big question now is whether the issue will get enough public attention to permanently sink the Libs' claim to defend progressive values. Even before Martin's turnaround, pro-choice advocates had tempered their admonition not to vote for the Cons with a statement that disaffected Liberals should turn to the NDP. Now, there are still a couple of days left for Henry Morgentaler and others to acknowledge that some of the greatest threats to abortion rights lie in the Liberal party...and that PMPM doesn't care enough to try to stop them.

(Via Sinister Thoughts.)

(Edit: Correction - it was Carolyn Egan of the Ontario Coalition of Abortion Clinics, not Morgentaler himself, who specifically mentioned the NDP.)