Dear Signal Hill/BC Pro-Life*: Is this the best you can do?

I'm laughing my ass off. In the comments to this post, an Anonymous commenter (as deBeauxOs sleuthed out, probably a Signal Hiller checking out what kind of bang they're getting for their news-wire buck) directs us to its polls page. (Last night, there was also a link to a PowerPoint slide show. I downloaded it, but it was corrupted and would not open. Now, it's gone.)

I hit the link called 'Polling Tables' and downloaded a legit-looking spreadsheet from Angus Reid.

It is dated August 22/24, 2008.

Here's what I think: It took the geniuses at Signal Hill four and a half months to figure out how to spin it.

And here's why I'm laughing. The best they could do was shrieeeeek about how few people know that there is shrieeeeek! NO TIME LIMIT ON ABORTION!!!

Q: As far as you know, when can an abortion be performed in Canada?

61% replied 'only in the first 3 months'. 11% went for 'only in the first 6 months' and a measly 8% knew that an abortion can be performed any time up to 9 months gestation. (What I find fascinating is that 19% answered 'not sure'.)

But look at the responses to other agree/disagree statements:

Abortion is a private matter between a woman and her doctor: 81% agree

I would never personally choose abortion, but I do not want to force my moral views on others: 63% agree

Abortion takes a human life and should therefore never be sanctioned except if the pregnancy threatens the mother’s life: 67% disagree

I personally believe having an abortion is wrong: 64% disagree

And what were they thinking with these two?

The government should dictate how many children a woman can have: 93% disagree

The government should limit the number of abortions a woman can have in her lifetime: 56% disagree

The closest they got to a 'right' answer was on the matter of funding, and even here, a majority disagreed.

I consider abortion an elective medical procedure —- taxpayers should not pay for abortions: 47% agree, 49% disagree

So, here's how it went: The Signal Hill commissioned and paid for a poll. They got results they did not like. (Results, in fact, that demonstrate yet again that Canada is a pro-choice country.) They worry at the numbers for FOUR AND A HALF MONTHS and the best they can do is try to spin it like this: A previous poll showed a majority of Canadians are OK with the status quo. Our poll shows that a MASSIVE majority of Canadians don't know what the status quo actually is. Therefore. . . um, er, shrieeeeeek!!!

Then they write a press release and pay again to have it run at CNW Group.

The plain and simple fact is Canadians are cool with the status quo because they know that women are mostly sensible and make important decisions about continuing a pregnancy in a careful and timely way. Canadians know that late-term abortions are performed only if there is a serious risk to the woman's health or if the fetus is a no-hoper.

But does anyone think the fetus fetishists will get the message and STFU?

Nah, me either.

UPPITY-DATE: In the comments here JJ suggests we refer to this gang of sneaky liars as The Signal Hill/BC Pro-life.