More Proof Kids are Smarter than Adults

Written on 8:40 PM by Jack B.

From Canada and the London Free Press, Pupils send message - The black wristbands worn at a track meet yesterday protest UWO's decision to honour Henry Morgentaler.

Here's the article:

With a small piece of black ribbon around his wrist, Grade 7 pupil Henry
Peters wanted to send a big message yesterday.
Like dozens of classmates from Parkhill's Sacred Heart school, Peters, 12, wore a black wristband at a London District Catholic school board track meet to protest the University of Western Ontario's decision to honour Dr. Henry Morgentaler, a leading abortion-rights activist, this month.
"It sort of stands for all the (unborn) babies that have been killed in the moms' stomach," said Peters, a long-distance runner.
The wristband idea -- encouraged in a letter by Sacred
Heart parents, principal Andre Lisowyk and Rev. Michael Ryan -- was
applauded by Joe Rapai, the board's education director, during yesterday's
opening ceremonies at Western's TD Waterhouse Stadium.
"I read that (story) and I said, 'All the power to the grassroots,' " Rapai said in an
interview. "They're going to be saying something about who we are. We don't make any apologies about who we are as a Catholic school system. "We're
not in the debate about pro-life or pro-choice. It's a statement about how
there was a poor decision made (by UWO)."

Not everyone, however, was as impressed by the Parkhill protest. "It's inappropriate for children to be drawn into such a complex issue", said Henry Svec, a local psychologist. Rapai's remarks came as a shock, he said. "I'm not sure how this fits in with the provincial curriculum," Svec said, noting he is a Catholic. The meet is the wrong place for the protest, he said. "Sport is to be pure. Sport is about sport. You shouldn't be bringing in other political issues," Svec said. "Nine-, 10-, 11-, 12-year-olds are wondering, 'How am I going to do at the track meet and how are the hotdogs?' "I don't think they understand -- nor do many of us -- the complexities of this problem. It's not appropriate."
Morgentaler is scheduled to receive an honorary law
degree at a June 16 convocation.

The Catholic board is paying Western
$250 a day to use the stadium during the three-day track and field meet,
which will draw about 8,000 students this week.
Rapai said the track meet's
location is "not an issue" -- and one Parkhill parent agreed.
"We thought this was an opportunity . . . to let our light shine," said Michelle Peters, who has five children at Sacred Heart. "We're just here to
express our disapproval with Paul Davenport's decision.
"We're here in a peaceful and respectful manner."

One Grade 6 pupil made it clear the decision to wear the
wristband was his own. Nathan Vandersanden, who was
running in the 1,500 metres
yesterday, said he's eager to support the right
to life. "This is just to
say that abortions are wrong," he said of the
wristbands. "All the parents
decided to do this and I thought it was a
pretty good idea."

Notice how the "psychologist" Henry Svec (who just happens to volunteer the information he's Catholic - which has nothing to do with anything and which could also mean anything, there are a lot of people who call themselves that but aren't just think of Frances Kissling or her ilk) says kids 9-12 years old can't understand the "complexities of the situation". How much you want to bet he would also say 9-12 year olds should be able to get abortions without their parent's knowledge? How "appropriate" is that?

It seems to me that young Nathan Vandersanden "understands" exactly what he's talking about. Good for him.