Interest Groups on Different Issues

Nowadays there are a great number of interest groups that claim to voice the public opinion on such issues as gun control, abortion, or capital punishment. It is rather hard to identify the measure of their effectiveness because they include both political and moral issues for consideration, which is already a matter of several sciences and areas of human life. It is impossible to detect whether the opinion of a particular interest group is really reflecting the public interest objectively because, for example, the pressure group “Right to Life” fights against abortion and requires legislation to prohibit the practice.

Nonetheless, they do not include exceptional cases when abortion becomes essential for the life of a woman and do not form any regulations that would help doctors decide on whether the abortion is needed or not. More than that, such pressure groups impede the right of free choice in Canada, which is also a violation of the Canadian constitution. Despite the fact that the group voices serious, reasonable arguments against abortion, it is still ineffective in the enactment of corresponding legislative provisions.

Another example is the Technical Committee of the Canadian Food Processors’ Association and the Canadian Medical Association which represent moderate interest groups contributing much to the progress of their demands in the country and being fairly successful in the political arena. The main secret of success for pressure groups seems to be in the purely political, social, and public interest – doubtable issues such as capital punishment, abortion, or gun control are doomed to strong opposition from the general public as well, so their position may be unstable in the long run.