Until 1929 women were not legally recognized as “persons” in Canada. We, women, fought long and hard for that distinction. We, women,  followed that battle with one that allowed us to vote and then another to allow us to have seats in Parliament. One would think that having fought so hard, we would work even harder to convince everyone that we deserved it because we were, after all, capable of reasonable thought. And furthermore we could now use that status to help other Canadians in ways that only other women know are important. You know - women as nurturers.

Well that was the idea until you two ladies showed up and proved that theory wrong.

More women than men suffer from MS. We need help. Help is out there. But instead of acting like women and having us hear your roar, we are instead subjected to drivel that comes straight out of the mouths of self serving men such as Mark Freedman, Alain Beaudet and Yves Savoie but it is served up by two women, who should be our champions.

But champions for women and men with MS you are definitely Not! How do I know? Well aside from the fact that you parrot three men who have their own agendas, you can't be bothered to respond to anyone who writes you; the odd time you do it is a form letter and clearly the wording on cigarette packages is more worthy of your time than the 76,000 Canadians with MS.

Well the cigarette thing is getting old and stale. It is sometimes downright idiotic - eg  Vogue's package warns that it causes impotency. Here is a wee history lesson. After WWII, hoards of people were smoking, including women who would not have dreamed of smoking before the war. After the war we had a baby boom. Correct me if I am wrong but if smoking causes impotency, how the sam hell did a baby boom come about.  It is not even logical. Do not mistake this for a pro smoking statement - it isn't. But I fail to see how packaging of anything is more important than people suffering from MS.

Form letters are insulting.

And those three men are the last men on earth you want to rely on. Read the drivel from Alain Beaudet at December 7th's Parliamentary Subcommittee on Neurological Disease. Listen to Mark Freedman on CTVs w-5 show or go and read all the misrepresentations on the MS Society site that Yves Savoie obviously approves of.

When are you going to start thinking................like women who care. When are you going to cast aside those props and start acting based on logic and compassion? When are you going to start listening to the Canadian people - 75%, according to Angus Reid,  who think vascular angiopathy should be allowed in Canada.

When, ladies?

Sincerely

Karen Copeland