At least one Roman Catholic nun is considering whether to become the third person to return her Order of Canada to protest against the same honour being given to abortion-rights crusader Henry Morgentaler. Sister Margaret Smith, appointed to the Order of Canada last year for her work in bringing health-care programs to Northern Ontario, said yesterday she was "profoundly shocked and saddened" when she heard Dr. Morgentaler was being granted the country's highest civilian honour.
"Am I going to return my medal? I don't know. I'm reflecting on it," she said. "I think the image of the order has been tarnished to some extent by this."
Yesterday, representatives of Madonna House, a Catholic lay community in Combermere, Ont., took the medal and framed citation awarded to their founder, Catherine Doherty, back to Rideau Hall and handed them over to an official.
They said they didn't want to be on the same list as an abortion-rights doctor.
Before her death in 1985, Ms. Doherty told staff in a letter that the award belonged to all of them.
It was the second such protest against Dr. Morgentaler's appointment as a member of the order on Canada Day. Father Lucien Larré, a Catholic priest in Coquitlam, B.C., who was named to the order 25 years ago, shipped his medal back to Ottawa last week.
Lucie Caron, a spokeswoman for Governor-General Michaëlle Jean, confirmed yesterday that the insignia has been received.
While some in the religious community have reacted angrily to Dr. Morgentaler's appointment, not everyone is willing to part with the prestigious award.
Sister Margaret Vickers, who was made a member last year for her contributions in improving health care and introducing innovative hospital services, said she was "saddened" to hear of Dr. Morgentaler receiving the honour. But "I'm not considering returning my Order of Canada membership," she said from Vancouver.
And Rabbi Emeritus Erwin Schild of Toronto's Adath Israel Congregation said that, while he is opposed to abortion unless it's necessary to protect the health of the mother, Dr. Morgentaler is deserving of the award because of his bravery and consistency in advocating for the rights of women.
Rabbi Schild received his honour in 2001 for his devotion to improving dialogue between the Christian and Jewish faiths.
"All in all, the committee that hands out the honours is doing as good a job as anybody could do," he said. "I'm very proud of my Order of Canada and certainly I see no reason at all [to believe] that it is denigrated in any way by sharing it with Dr. Henry Morgentaler."
Supporters of Dr. Morgentaler, 85, say it is about time he was recognized for his fight to legalize abortion in Canada, but those opposed to abortion argue that the Order of Canada has been debased.
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