15 YEARS OF "CHOICE?"
Canadian Physicians for Life - January 27, 2003

It has been 15 years since the Supreme Court struck down Canada's abortion law and effectively removed all barriers to abortion on demand. In this time, abortion has erased over 1.5 million Canadian children from our families, our playgrounds, our schools, and our future.

In Canada today it is often easier for a woman to obtain an abortion than pregnancy support or crisis pregnancy counselling. As a result, many a woman finds the only "choice" available to solve her problems is a dead baby.

Many in today's abortion-rights establishment are determined to avoid straight talk about what abortion really is. The "no choice but pro-choice" ideology endangers women by not respecting their right to fully informed choice. Women's health is being harmed by abortion, without their knowledge or consent.

An informed abortion choice must start with the clear understanding, easily available through ultrasound, that a child is really there, beating heart and all. Next, why are women not being told about studies reporting a strong correlation between abortion, especially of a first pregnancy, and breast cancer risk? They should also be warned of the risk of post-abortion emotional trauma and harmful premature delivery of future children.

Withholding basic information shows disrespect for women and is both dishonest and patronizing, since it implies that women are"intimidated" by the truth. Ignoring or suppressing what we now know about the dangers of abortion serves a coercive agenda, which fails to care about women's most important needs.

A government which demands warnings on every pack of cigarettes should require every Canadian health care provider who counsels about, arranges, or performs abortions to tell women about the risks involved. Fundamental respect for the concept of informed consent should place these dangers above the politics of abortion so that lives can be saved.

Canadians remain deeply divided on the morality of abortion and rights of the fetus. But we believe there is general consensus that over 110,000 abortions annually in Canada is evidence of a social failure and that it is unacceptable that thousands of women take risks about which they are denied the information to truly consent.

Canadian Physicians for Life

Will Johnston, MD, President
Vancouver, BC

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Canadian Physicians for Life c/o Administration: Janet Les, 10150
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