LifeCanada’s Monthly E-Newsflash

Tuesday February 17, 2005

This is LifeCanada’s second e-news monthly bulletin. LifeCanada’s Monthly E-Newsflash will appear on or about the 15th of every month. Please invite your friends or family members to sign up for this free bulletin which will provide important updates, action items and notices of upcoming events.

Statistics Canada

According to the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), which gathers information on abortion across the country, there were 105,154 reported abortions in Canada in 2002. The CIHI says this represents about 90% of the total number of abortions actually performed because there is no legal requirement for providers to report their numbers. That would put the actual abortion number at over 115,000 for 2002. Of the reported abortions, 46,748, or 44%, were performed at private clinics. Since all hospital abortions are reported, the true rate at abortion clinics is probably at or above 50%. Statistics Canada also released numbers on age, previous abortions, gestational age and type of abortion. These numbers, however, did not include information on more than half of the abortions performed since many facilities do not submit any information except total number performed. Among private clinics, only those in Alberta and some in BC submit detailed statistics. Almost 52% of abortions are performed on women in their twenties, 36% are repeat abortions, 89% are first trimester abortions, 7.5% are between 13 and 16 weeks, and 3% are over 16 weeks.

New Resource available

“Mom, Dad…I’m Pregnant” is a new book to help parents deal with their child’s unplanned pregnancy. Written by mother and grandmother, Jayne E. Schooler, this book offers help and advice for birth parents and their families in making the very difficult decisions that must come as a result of an unplanned pregnancy. Schooler says “As a result of our own family’s journey through our daughter’s unplanned pregnancy, I became keenly aware of the pivotal role parents play in the outcome of that pregnancy.” This book is available from www.amazon.com

Dolly scientist to clone human embryos

Ian Wilmut, the scientist who led the team responsible for cloning Dolly the sheep in 1996, has been granted a licence by the British government to clone human embryos. Wilmut and his team will use the cloned embryos to study motor neuron diseases such as Lou Gehrig’s disease. This is the second time that Britain has licensed scientists to clone humans for research purposes. Pro-life groups are outraged that human embryos will be created solely for experimentation purposes and then destroyed when they have served their purpose. This practice is inherently wrong and is in direct violation of the Nuremburg Code which states that “the voluntary consent of the human subject is absolutely necessary” and that experiments should be terminated if the “continuation of the experiment is likely to result in injury, disability, or death to the experimental subject.” This practice should be outlawed by all governments.

Reminder to send in petitions to stop the legalization of assisted suicide

Last month we reported that the Justice Minister, Irwin Cotler had announced that it was time for Parliament to revisit the issue of assisted suicide. We asked for your help to ensure that Mr. Cotler and other government leaders hear from every pro-life person on this issue by signing a petition and encouraging others to sign it as well. Copies of the petition in English and French are attached for your convenience. Please send all completed copies of the petition to the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, Box 25033, London, ON, N6C 6A8. The Coalition will forward all petitions to Members of Parliament to be read in the House of Commons.

Manitoba appeals abortion funding ruling

Thank you for your letters to the premier of Manitoba and the provincial health minister. The province has decided to appeal the decision by Associate Chief Justice Jeffrey Oliphant which claimed that the province violated women’s rights by not paying for abortions at the Morgentaler abortion clinic in Winnipeg. There is a good chance this decision will be struck down because the judge assumed that abortions were “therapeutic” and did not consider the negative health effects of abortion on women. If it is not struck down, it could be used as a precedent in other jurisdictions, most notably in New Brunswick, where Henry Morgentaler is already suing the province to force it to fund abortions at his clinic. It could also be used by other individuals and groups to force payment for all kins of procedures not covered by public health care. Please keep this intention in your prayers.

New Brunswick Court of Appeal denies intervenor status

On November 27, 2005, the New Brunswick Court of Appeal upheld the decision to deny the Coalition for Life and Health, a coalition of pro-life groups, to intervene as a third party in Morgentaler’s lawsuit against the Province of New Brunswick. Morgentaler is suing the province for refusing to fund abortions at his private clinic in Fredericton. Peter Ryan, executive director of New Brunswick Right to Life released the following statement:
“Thousands of New Brunswick babies who would - if Morgentaler succeeds - be killed on demand by tax-funded abortion will have no voice in court. Mothers who would, under public auspices, suffer, and have actually suffered, grievous lifelong health damage from Morgentaler clinic abortions, will have no voice. Taxpayers who would be forced to pay for massive prenatal violence will have no direct voice. And this is justice?
Coalition members, including LifeCanada, have 60 days to decide if they will appeal the decision to the Supreme Court of Canada.

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